Unit 5- 1648-1815
The age of exploration
Due to the Columbian exchange and the development of the Triangular Trade, economic competition between European states began to increase
Increased competition in the Indian Ocean trade
Main Motivation for European states to go exploring on the sea was to find a sea-based route to the spice Islands of Southeast Asia
Portugal made the first move towards this action
Portugal
Vasco de Gama
First rounded the Cape of Good Hope and established a presence in the Indian Ocean trade
Portugal dominated trade in India and later in Southeast Asia
Portugal’s success influenced Dutch, English, and French
During this period, there was a globalized economy and the competition it created accelerated and led to conflict as each of these maritime powers vied for dominance accelerated
Maritime Rivalry in the East
French, Dutch, and English created companies to challenge the Portuguese
Dutch
Dutch East India Company-VOC
Joint stock company: Private company raises money by selling shares to investors
Investing in the VOC was considered risky but brought the investors exceeding amounts of success
The VOC was the first transnational corporation and historians have argued that the VOC was actually the most profitable corporation in history
Difference between Portuguese and Dutch
Portuguese established trading posts and treated the inhibitors as business partners
The Dutch took those previous Portuguese holdings and subjugated the people, made them subservient, and took control of much of the East India
18th century: The decline of Dutch VOC because of competition from the British East India Company
British
British East India Company
Struggled in the beginning but eventually provided competition to the Dutch in the Indian Ocean trade
Dutch took over in the East Indies, The British set their sights on India
Mughal Empire was in decline, allowing the British to gain the entire subcontinent as a colonial possession
This transferred power from the British East India Company to the British government itself
France
Louis XIV from the French East India Company
Occurred under the influence of John Baptiste Colbert
Vied for power against the British in India
War of Austrian Succession
The conflict between Prussia and Austria that British and France joined in
Outcomes of war in India: French seizure of Madras which was the British Stronghold in India
The peace treaty ending the war sent Madras back to England and British dominance was restored
This led France to focus on trade in the West Indies instead
Maritime Rivalry in the West
Atlantic Ocean Trade
After the end of the 80 Years War the Dutch Republic became the dominant maritime trade power in the Atlantic
British installed the Navigations Act
Any goods being shipped to Britain or its colonies had to be shipped on British Vessels
Guaranteed a monopoly for British merchants and made them fabulously wealthy
Weakened Dutch dominance in the Atlantic trade
The Dutch being removed from competition established France as Britain’s only opponent leading to a series of Wars
War of Spanish Succession
The great concern that led to this war was about the balance of power on the European Continent
When it appeared that Louis XIV wished to unite Spain and France along with their colonial holdings, the balance of power would have tipped significantly in his favor
A coalition of states including Britain fought this unification leading to the Treaty of Utrecht 1713
The most significant consequence is France giving up some of its colonial holdings to Britain including Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and the Hudson Bay territory
Spain was required to Grant Britain control of its West African called Hacienda
This development resulted in a massive economic shift of power in Britain’s favor
Birth of Great Britain
Britain became powerful by uniting under one monarchical banner with Scotland
Acts on Union 1707: Passed by Scotland and Britain, leading to the United Kingdom of Great Britain
Treaty of Utrecht was signed ending the war of Spanish succession which left France, the Dutch Republic, and Spain weakened economically benefiting Britain
This was beneficial because France was Britain’s chief rival during this time, leading to Britain becoming the most powerful state in Europe
Seven Years’ War
Background:
In 1740, Fredrick II of Prussia seized the Austrian region of Silesia, initiating the War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748).
The war expanded due to alliances, drawing in Britain and France, who contested over territories in their colonial empires.
Key Developments:
A peace treaty was established, stipulating that the seized territories should be returned to their original owners.
Fredrick II refused to return Silesia to Austria, setting the stage for future conflicts.
Maria Theresa of Austria responded by forming new diplomatic alliances and dissolving older ones.
Outcome:
The escalating tensions and shifting alliances contributed to the outbreak of the Seven Years’ War, which was fought across Europe, India, and North America
Theatres of war
Europe
Centered in Prussia it was Allied with Great Britain
Although Fredrick II fought decently, he was surrounded on 3 sides by Austrians, Russians, and French
Peter III of Russia saves Fredrick because he admires him
1763: All parties in the war exhausted and ceased fighting while Austria relinquished claims over Silesia
South Asia
Britain and Frances struggled for control over India
France seized Madras in the war of Austrian succession
Madras was the center of British imperial control in India
However, the treaty of Utrecht mandated that all seized land be returned, therefore Madras was returned to British control
Conflict erupted again in the Seven Years’ War leading to Britain and France fighting over India again
Did this mainly by supporting rival Indian princes
Ultimately, the British won leading to the French withdrawal from India, causing Britain to gain wealth
North American
Seven Years’ War was known as the French and Indian War
Prime Minister Britain William Pitt the Elder understood that the greatest impediment to the expansion of Britain’s Empire was the massive French Colonial Empire, therefore, Pitt concentrated much of Britain’s resources into this war
French and Indian War because the French allied with North American Indians who saw French trades as less of a threat to their way of life than British settlers who were never satisfied
French were successful at first, but the British navy beat them leading to British victory
Treaty of Paris: Ended the war leading Britain to gain a lot of land from France’s Colonial Empire, including parts of Canada and all the land east of the Mississippi River
Spain, who was France’s Ally in this war, ceded Florida to the British as well
Due to the end of the Seven Years’ War, Britain emerged as the world’s greatest superpower
The American Revolution
Britain’s North American colonies decided they wanted independence
Due to Britain’s exceeding power at the time, the coloni’s chances at winning were slim which brought France into the picture
Colonies recruited France to help throw Britain off which they agreed to due to wanting revenge on Britain
This led to their victory
The American Revolution did not diminish the power of Great Britain as they remained the World’s greatest superpower
The French Revolution Causes
Economic crisis
Louis XIV fought many wars to establish dominance which was very expensive, plunging France into serious debt
The nobles and the clergy were exempted from taxes, leaving the burden on the commoners who had to pay them
The commoners couldn’t do anything about this because of the Imbalance of the Estate-General (second cause of revolution)
Imbalance of the Estates-General
The estates general was the representative body of France made up of Three estates: the clergy, the nobility, and everyone else
Under the growing pressure of France’s debt, Louis XVI (16th) called the general into session to approve an increase in taxes
Occurred during the age of absolute monarch, but Louis XVI was timid, allowing for the clergy and nobles to assert their power over him, weakening the monarch
When Louis attempted to impose taxes by his own authority, the noble judges of the parliament of Paris shut him down. This forced him to call the Estates general into session to approve taxes
Estates General was made up of France’s three estates
Catholic Clergy made up 1 percent of population
The nobility made up 2 percent of population
Then came everyone else of France
These estates only got 1 vote each however the clergy and nobility has similar interest which tipped the influence in their favor. This allowed the top 3 percent of the population to control the other 97 percent’s life
In other words, The people wanted a place at the table of power but the estates general prevented that
Bread shortages
In 1788, bread became scarce leading to the suffering of the French lower classes aka the commoners
The Revolution Begins
1789- The estates general met to solve these crisis, however, the 1st and 2nd estates refused to do anything to solve the current issues due to them not wanting to give up their power to the commoners
Third estate left the meeting after the realization that their current system was not going to change, declaring themselves to be the one true representative body of France and named themselves the National Assembly
National Assembly
Granted themselves power over taxation in France
June 1789: The representatives of 3rd estate attempted to enter another meeting of the estates general and were not allowed to enter
Led to the Tennis Court Oath: Went to a nearby Tennis court and they swore not to leave that place until they drafted a new constitution for France
Louis XVI (16th) was forced to accept this new limitation on its power, but was secretly assembling French troops to crush this assembly
San Culottes
A rebel group emerging after learning about the assembly of French troops in secret
They stormed the Bastille which was a prison that symbolized the tyranny of the king
First real uprising of the French revolution
The Liberal Phase
The French revolution had 2 phases, The liberal phase being one of them
National Assembly drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen which provided for:
Freedom of Speech
Representative Government: A constitutional Monarchy
Abolished hereditary privelages of the First and second estates
Declaration was inspired by the American Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights of America
Nationalized the Catholic church
Passed the Civil Constitution of the Clergy in 1790
Disbanded the church’s monastic orders
Confiscated church lands
Eliminated Tithe: Taxes peasants had to pay for the church
Clergy were placed under authority of the state
Role of Women in the Liberal Phase
October March on Versailles in 1789
Bread was scarce and the commoners were angered by the excessive spending of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, leading thousands of woman to march in the rain to Versailles and demanded that the king and his wife to give them all the bread located in the palace
The monarchs refused leading to the women storming the palace, killed several guards, and placed their heads on Pipes
Forced the King to accept the Declaration of the Rights of Man as citizens
Were about to murder the King but Lafayette intervened
Ironic because women’s rights were not represented within this declaration
Olympe de Gouges drafts the Declaration of the Woman and of the Female citizen
Articulated and fought for the rights of French women
Due to her work with other female groups at the time, the legal status of women improved
Eventually much of this overturned and citizenship was restricted to men
Radical Phase
1790: The national assembly broken into factions, the most radical being the Jacobins
1792: The national Assembly voted to dissolve itself and create a more permanent parliament called the National Convention
The Jacobins were able to seize control of the convention and implemented a more radical set of policies
Policies of the National Convention
Fundamentally reordered time by declaring that year 1 was no longer the year of Christ’s birth, but rather 1792, which they called the Era of liberty
Dissolved constitutional monarchy which had been established by the National Assembly
Executed the king (Louis XVI) and establish France as a republic
Other European states liked monarchy were horrified by the beheading of the French King
Feared that the french’s actions would influence their citizens
Surrounding states allied against France
Jacobins and more moderate members of the National Convention could not agree on a solution
With Fracture to their movement beginning to show and fearing that the gains of the Revolution were at risk, the Jacobin-dominated Convention clamped down hard on any dissent from the French population
The radical phase became known the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
Leader associated with the reign of terror was Radical Jacobin Maximilian de Robespierre
40,000 people were sentenced to death under his leadership at the Guillotine ( beheading machine) by a group he established named Committee of Public Safety
To accomplish this kind of control in order to protect France from the enemy states that had threatened the revolution, they developed the largest army Europe has ever seen through Mass conscription
Any man 18-25 was required to serve in the Army
Army was charged with protecting the revolution at home and spreading these ideals to surrounding European states
Reign of Terror became so brutal and the committee were becoming authoritarian that some detractors of the committee itself began to challenge its actions
Ended by beheading Robespierre in 1794
5.5- Reactions to the French Revolution
Conservative Reactions
For a lot of Enlightenment-style intellectuals, the calls for liberty in France and the overturning of aristocratic privilege was a good and right thing
However, as the revolution grew more radical and people started to get their heads cut off, some thinkers like Thomas Jefferson in America decided that this has gone too far
Joseph de Maistre: a big critic of the enlightenment, especially its emphasis on the right of the people to govern themselves
Monarchy supporter and justified it through the Divine Right of Kings
Claimed the chaos and violence of the French Revolution were a result of Enlightenment thought
Advocated for the return to the divinely ordained monarchy in France
Was not murdered by the Guillotine because he fled France and discussed his thoughts from elsewhere
English writer Edmund Burke
While some European nations praised the revolution because it weakened their political rivals, other viewed the democratizing of France as a threat
Other nations feared that their people would be inspired the new ideas established in the French Revolution and do the same to their own states
Edmund Burke wrote Reflection on the Revolution in France in which he cautioned the British people against the excesses of the French Revolution
Wrote book prior to the Reign of Terror
Burke defended hereditary privileges and waxed eloquent about Britain’s unrepresentative Parliament
If British demanded what the French secured, Burke argued the results would be chaos, therefore, the breakout of the reign of terror proved him right
Therefore, a radical overturning of established Norms in England did not happen
The Haitian Revolution
In the Caribbean, a more violent reaction occurred
By beginning of French Revolution, conditions in the French Caribbean colony, Saint-Dominque were terrible
Island made up French officials, plantation owners, merchants, free people of color, and enslaved African laborers
Enslaved Africans=90% of population
French government granted various levels of rights to the different groups and enslaved Africans were at the bottom of the pile with almost no rights to speak
Conditions for enslaved laborers on the island were brutally vicious
Plantation orders on the island for whom coffee and sugar crops made them exceedingly wealthy figured out that by working slaves to death and buying new ones was more profitable than treating them kindly
National Assembly: After French revolution began, national assembly took over ended up passing a series of decrees and laws alienating every group on the aisle
Angered the enslaved workers who heard the cries for liberty, equality and fraternity in France and thought that these principles would extend to all places in the French empire
Led to a revolution on the Island
1791: slaves on Island witnessing the clashes between white and free people of color began meeting to plan a mass rebellion in August
Rebellion broke out and grew rapidly and after hundreds of coffee and sugar plantations were destroyed
This was France’s most profitable colony, so in destroying the land, they diminished profits in France which was never a good thing to do
As the revolution commenced, complications such as Spain and Britain were introduced
The other part of the island was part of the Spanish Empire and at seeing the opportunity to weaken the French they began supporting the slave rebellion
Similarly, Britain saw this as an opportunity and blockaded the island with their navy, invaded the land, and took territory for themselves
These complications led the National Assembly of France to issue that any slave who fought for the French cause would win their freedom
Slaves did not care because they had basically freed themselves
National assembly abolishes slavery from all its territories
Toussaint L’Ouverture: Turned the war into the French’s side
Born a slave on the island and later freed
Beginning of the Insurrection, the Spanish recruited him to fight for them against the French, this proved his brilliance
Later on, he abandoned the Spanish and switched sides, leading an army of 4k against the Spanish and British
By 1796, L’Ouverture’s efforts had resulted in France regaining control of their colony
National Assembly established him as the commander of the colony and he defeated his rivals to the south to maintain control over all of Saint-Dominque
Began to make a lot of decisions independently of France while Napolean was in power which Napolean disapproved of
Napolean: Decided it was time to remove L’Ouverture out of power and reestablish slavery on the island
Sent delegation to arrest L’Ouverture, deporting him back to France where he died shortly after
At the prospect of the return of slavery and French oppression, L’Ouverture lieutenant Jean-Jacque Dessallne rallied the resistance and defeated the French, proclaiming independence in 1804
In the end, they named their country Haiti which had been its original prior to the arrival of the French
5.6: Napolean Bonaparte
Napolean’s Rise
Not only was the revolution concerned to enact the liberal reforms demanded by the revolutionaries, you have to remember that this was a revolution about how France would become a nation, how it would hold together socially, politically, and economically
Due to events like the reign of terror, new calendar, removal of ancient cultural institutions like catholic church, the people of France panicked and felt unstable yearning for stability and good news which brings Napolean Bonaparte
Background information: Napolean rose to the rank of General in 1794 and won a glowing reputation during the revolution for his leadership of the French army in Italy
He was very successful that the French directory sent him to fight the British in Egypt in which he failed
Before news of his failure reached the home front, he returned to France and led a coup to overthrow the directory and put himself into leadership
Established a Three-member Consulate and named himself te first Consul which in effect meant that he ruled France without Rival
A new constitution was drafted to solidify changes and adopted in 1799
Napolean grew greedy and crowned himself Emperor Napolean the First
So why did the French not rebel against this as they did before?
Longstanding French social and cultural institutions had been abolished and that very destabilizing for the French people
After the violent bloodletting of the Reign of Terror, people longed to return to some sense of normalcy, and Napolean promised to do so because according to his own reckoning, he embodied the principles of the revolution
Napolean’s domestic Reforms
Instituting the Napoleonic Code which reasserted three key principles of the Revolution
Equity of all citizens before the law(men)
Issued protections for wealth and private property
Introduced a degree of religious toleration to France
Centralizing the government and bureaucracy
Consolidated power by creating a bureaucracy that would implement the tenets of the Napoleonic code
Rewarded offices Based on Merit
Religious reform that came in the Concordat of Bologna in 1801
During revolution church lands were confiscated in the name of the state and Catholicism was one of the chief enemies of the new order
Under leadership of Maximilien Robespierre, Catholicism was abolished in favor of a French secular state
Napolean rectified some of this lingering animosity in the Concordat in 1801 which asserted that the French Catholics could freely worship
Napolean retained the right to nominate and pay Bishops and priests, so the church was subservient to the state
Napolean’s Dominance
Napolean claimed that his main goal was to extend and promote the principles of the revolution: Liberty, equality and fraternity
Although progress was made through domestic reforms, to maintain power he diminished the rights of the people
Suppression of Rights
Use of a secret police
Under leadership of minister of police Joseph Fouche, Napolean worked tirelessly to sniff out conspiracies and any plots to threaten the establishment order
Police were everywhere, sometime executing innocent people to send a message to other would-be conspirators
Censorship
Freedom of press gained during the revolution was summarily curtailed under Napolean’s rule
The more criticism was leveled at Napolean’s actions, the more he sought to remove that freedom
Executed through installing state sponsored sensors in the staff of every major French newspaper
Marginalization of women
Women lost many of the rights they gained during the French revolution
Reduced to the status of dependence on their husbands and fathers
Under Napoleonic Code, women could no longer enter into contracts or hold property apart from their husband
Napoleonic Wars
In waging these wars, Napolean’s stated aim was to spread the ideals of Revolution throughout Europe
However, it was difficult to know if that was the reason or if he simply desired to take control of the entirety of Europe
1806: Napolean won Wars of Conquest against Austria, Prussia, and Russia causing the map of Europe to change significantly
1810: Napolean had expanded even further so that he began to see himself not as the emperor of France, but as the Emperor of Europe
During the conquering process, he spread the ideals of the Revolution into various land
Church lands were transferred to peasants, slavery was abolished, and the inherited privileges of the aristocracy were stripped
Napolean Administration methods
Was done through direct and indirect means
Empire can be broken down into three parts
Grand Empire: Part 1
Centered on France and the lands that Napoleon conquered around France and were under his direct control
Part 2 of Empire
Included independent Kingdoms whom Napolean kept faithful to him by installing members of his family on their thrones
Part 3 of Empire
Included Nations that were allied with France which included Austria, Prussia, and Russia
Great Britain
Napolean could not conquer Great Britain so he used his influence on the European continent to establish the Continental system
Amounted to a blockade of British shipping
Mandated that British ships could not dock at any port controlled by the French which was almost all of it
Napolean’s Defeat
Nationalist responses arose
Nationalism is the strong identification with one’s own people and one’s own cultural heritage
When a foreigner invades, it has the effects of stirring up national sentiments
Spain 1808: Napoleon led a campaign to make Spain a satellite state of France and in response a group of Catholics and Spanish Patriots resisted the invasion of the French army
After France occupied the capital city, patriots fled to the hills where they waged brutal guerrilla warfare against the French
clear indication that French imperialism was unwelcome
1812: Napolean turned sights on Russia, claiming that he wanted to free Poland from Russian dominance
Invaded Russia with an army of 600k soldiers
Russians kept retreating into Russia and very rarely came into pitch battle with Napoleon’s troops and as they retreated, they followed a Scorched Earth policy
Meaning they burned everything in sight which meant that Napolean’s Army was unable to live off the land
Upon seeing that pursuing the Russians would lead to disaster, he ordered a great retreat, but it was too late
Russian climate was extremely cold in the winter, so while dealing with subzero temperatures and scorched land left the army with 40k men
1814: Napolean was stretched too thin after suffering a crushing defeat trying to invade Russa, Napolean heard of an attempted coup back home
As a result he abdicated the throne and was exiled to the Mediterranean Island of Elba
1850: Napolean escaped and returned to France and raised an army and sought to dethrone his replacement Louis XII(18)but other states united against Napolean
Napoleon defeated at the Battle of Waterloo
Exiled a second time to Saint Helena where he would live for the rest of his days
5.7: The congress of Vienna
The Balance of Power
Due to Napolean, the balance of power was disrupted
Peace of Westphalia in 1648 bought an end to religion as cause to go to war
After this, states fought to maintain the balance of power in Europe
The idea behind the balance of power is that no one wanted any one state to be more powerful than any other state
1814: A year before Napolean’s final defeated, the Quadruple Alliance which included Russia, Prussia, Austria, and Great Britain go together what was known as the Congress of Vienna
1815: They completed their work after Napolean’s defeat
Massive turning point in European history (MUST KNOW) because of the work congress did
Congress of Vienna
The monarchy represented in the Quadruple Alliance were pushing for conservative measured
The emphasis of conservatism during that period was a reliance on tradition and inherited structures
Conservative rulers aimed to roll back or at least temper the liberal reforms that came out of the French Revolution and hearken back to aristocratic, church, and monarchial institutions that had the patina of age and stability about them
The principles driving their decisions at the Congress of Vienna was the Balance of Power
The importance was illustrated through the invitation of France to the negotiation table
The quadruple alliance understood that Europe benefitted from a Strong France, just as long as it was balanced
Despite this, members of congress decided to increase defenses around France as well
Belgium and Holland united under the Dutch monarchy and together they were a force strong enough to oppose French aggression
Prussia received a territory in France’s eastern border helping them keep France in check
Klemens Von Metternich: Austrian foreign minister orchestrating the congress
Under conservative leadership, congress rolled back the borders of France about 20 years as it was in 1792
While this was drastically less territory than they had under Napolean’s reign, it was more than they had at the start of the French Revolution
While the congress was working all of this out, Napolean escaped from exile, came back to France and tried to reassert his power
After he was defeated again, the congress took a little more territory from France, but it was still a good deal for them
The work of Congress ultimately ushered in 50 years of Peace on the European continent
A period of time known as Age of Metternich
5.8 Romanticism
Rise of Romanticism
Context
Beginning of the 18th century: Enlightenment dominated European thought and at the very least amongst the Elite and moved down to the masses
The key emphasis of the Enlightenment was to apply rational, rigorous, scientific thought to every human institution
Enlightenment thinkers believed that if you couldn’t math out your conclusions or prove them in a logical syllogism then you couldn’t really know it
End of 18th century: Romanticism challenged Enlightenment
Romanticism: acted as a balance to reason by emphasizing other means of knowing like intuition and imagination
Romantics held to individualism which emphasized the glory of the unique traits of each human being
Roots can be traced back to one of the Great enlightenment thinkers: Jean-Jacques Rousseau
had restrained relationship as the sole means to interpret the world
Emphasized feelings and passion above reason itself
Believed and taught God was benevolent and accessible through a person’s affections therefore alienating Deists
Rousseau also emphasized moral improvement of the self and society, and with all this emphasis on subjectivity, he is typically seen as the forerunner of the Romantic movement
Romanticism in the arts
Romanticism rejected the enlightenment’s emphasis on reason and neoclassicism’s emphasis on sterility and control
emphasized exuberance and imaginative exploration and spontaneity
emphases was pretty clear in Romantic literature
Some romantic writers felt deeply for their own people and their own history, producing works that engendered Nationalism
Grimm Brothers: collected German fairy tales and morality stories and published them under the title Children’s and Household Tales
This helped Germans feel more German which would have an effect on politics
After the French Revolution, it became clear to Europeans that revolution, war, and rebellion demonstrated the emotional power that comes when people are united by nationalism and engage in mass politics
Romanticism gained a foothold in Europe, these emotionally charged tactics would be used over and over again because it was precisely the emotion that the romantics praised
Literature
Romantic poets while including different themes emphasize the love of nature
William Wordsworth: British poet believed that human beings had a kind of mystical connection to nature and only by learning the depths of the created order could humans truly know themselves
Abandoned the structure and rigidity of classical forms of poetry and instead wrote an ordinary language lifting up ordinary objects into a realm of glorious contemplation
Romantic Artists
Art is the outer manifestation of the artist’s inner feelings
Art must display emotion, warmth, and movement
A fundamental rejection of the Neoclassical movement’s emphasis on restraint and symmetry
Casper David Friedrich painting: Wanderer above a sea of Fog
Friedrich had a mystical view of nature like you can feel the landscape
Exhibits the emphasis on individualism
A single wanderer with his back towards the viewer perhaps in contemplation or awe but regardless there is a sense of Triumph and trepidation and music was also change by the Romantic movement as well
Composer Ludwig von Beethoven
Beginning of his career as a composer, his music reflected the restrained classicism of his teachers’ influences
1804: Beethoven was composing music squarely in the Romantic strain which was able to produce fear and rapture and pain and longing in his audiences
Romanticism and Religion
Romanticism revived religion after the Enlightenment era
Rise of Methodism in England
A movement founded by John Wesley who was an Anglican Priest
As a young priest, he struggled to perform his Christian duties , becoming a missionary to England’s American colonies
No matter how dedicated to Christianity he was, Wesley was unable to escape the feelings of guilt before God
Until he attended a religious meeting and as the minister was reading a passage from Martin Luther, Wesley had a profound experience
Claimed his heart was strangely warmed and that he was convinced by that experience and not by the mountain of good deeds that God had loved him
Led to Wesley preaching the Gospel
Wesley preached that his followers must have a real relationship with God through Christ and the manner in which a person knows that they are a true Christian is by the means of a powerful Conversion Experience
The saved person encounters the living god in power
Methodist movement spread rapidly across England and Europe and then into America as well