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  • Essay / Overview of revolutions that broke out in Europe in the 1800s

    The dictionary definition of revolution is "a forced overthrow of a government or social order, in favor of a new system." Countries like America and Mexico would not exist or be where they are today without the rebellions. Most cultures would not exist without the revolutions instilled in their history or they would not exist under the same name. We're human, so it's normal that we don't always agree. In the 1800s, many revolutions broke out in Europe and South America. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The last thing a leader wants is for his people to rebel against him. It was for this reason that European monarchs worked together to prevent revolution and ensure stability. Some people didn't really like the way things were handled. In the early 1800s, conservatives wanted things to go back to the way they were before because they benefited from the old order. They wanted a social rank where the lower classes respected and obeyed their social superiors and they supported an established church. Conservative leaders were against freedom of the press because it could spread revolutionary ideas. A conservative leader named Metternich continually tried to get the monarchs to break down protests and rebellions whenever they broke out. The liberals did not agree with the conservatives. Liberals welcomed and accepted the ideas of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. Liberal goals and the growing popularity of nationalism sparked revolts. Liberals hated the old notion of the divine rights of monarchs and the tradition of an aristocracy and instead wanted governments based on written constitutions and the separation of powers. They supported the principle of universal male suffrage, defended natural rights such as liberty and equality, and defended property rights and freedom of religion. The Age of Enlightenment and the French Revolution inspired nationalism. This caused people to rebel against the established order. The lands controlled by European rulers changed due to marriages, wars, and treaties. Due to land losses and gains, Europe soon had empires made up of many nationalities. Nationalism pushed people to work together to achieve an independent homeland and gave people a sense of who they are. However, nationalism has given rise to prejudice and led to the persecution of other national or ethnic groups. The revolutionaries were encouraged by the ideas of liberalism and nationalism and therefore began to fight against the old order. The Balkan peoples of southeastern Europe fought against the Ottomans in the early 1800s. The Ottomans ruled the people of the Balkans for over 300 years. The Serbs were the first people in the Balkans to revolt. Serbian independence leaders named Karageorge and Milos Obernovie fought Ottoman forces from 1804 to 1817. The Serbs had Russian support, but the fighting still took its toll, but Serbian culture and literature flourished for this period, which strengthened Serbian nationalism. Eventually, Serbia gained a degree of autonomy that allowed it to govern itself within the Ottoman Empire. The Serbs gained full control of their internal affairs after an agreement in 1830, but other European countries did not recognize their independence until1878. Serbia remained close to Russia. The Greeks were also not happy with the Ottomans and so rebelled in 1821 to end Ottoman rule. These wars of independence helped build a national identity. Romantic writers like Lord Byron supported the Greeks and even went to Greece to help them in their struggle for independence. Britain, France and Russia forced the Ottomans to grant independence to some Greek provinces in the late 1820s. Greece was independent in 1830. The Greeks were pressured to accept as king a German prince named 'Otto Von Wittelsbach because the European powers wanted to show that they did not support nationalist revolutions even though they helped the rebels gain independence. Rebels in Spain, Portugal, and many Italian states wanted constitutional governments. A French army crosses the Pyrenees to suppress a rebellion in Spain. Austrian forces cross the Alps to put down Italian rebels. The troops were able to silence the rebels for a while, but they couldn't extinguish the spark they had. In the mid-1800s, social reformers and agitators pressured workers to support socialism, further increasing the unease of that era. Socialism is a system in which the production and distribution of goods and services is the shared responsibility of a group of people. Conservative forces quickly crushed liberal uprisings in Spain, Portugal, and the Italian states in the 1820s. Alexis de Tocqueville, a French liberal leader, warned that the revolutions of the 1820s were not yet over. Louis XVIII becomes king of France again thanks to the Congress of Vienna. The new king issued the Charter of French Liberties, a constitution that created a two-house legislature and allowed limited freedom of the press. People were still unhappy with Louis' efforts to compromise because he still had a lot of power. However, the ultra-royalists hated constitutional government and wanted the return of the old regime. The liberals were against the ultrals. Liberals wanted more people to be able to vote and they wanted a share of power for middle-class citizens like themselves. The radicals wanted a republic like France had in the 1790s. The working class wanted better wages and affordable bread. In 1824, Louis XVIII died and his brother Charles X inherited the throne. Charles strongly believed in absolutism, which is a form of government in which unlimited and complete power is held by a single ruler, so he rejected the charter. He suspended legislative power and restricted the press and the right to vote in July 1830. Citizens were angered by this decision and some in Paris set up barricades in the narrow streets and people fired at the soldiers behind them and threw stones and tiles on soldiers. them. The rebels controlled Paris within days and the revolutionary tricolor flag hung from the towers of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Charles renounced his throne and left for England. With Charles X removed, the radicals and liberals who united against him were now at odds over the new government. The radicals wanted a republic but the liberals insisted on a constitutional monarchy and decided that Louis Philippe, cousin of Charles X, would be king. Louis Philippe was nicknamed the “citizen king” by the French because he owed his throne to the people. The upper bourgeoisie prospered under Louis's reign. Louis extended the right to vote, but.