Reform and Revolution: Europe 1830-1850

Reform in G.B. 1. Fearing revolution, Whigs, who led parliament, passed the Reform Bill of 1832. 2. New Districts representing urban, industrial areas were formed. 3. Political representation did not increase--only from 478,000 to 814,000. Only 1 in 5 adult males could vote. It benefited the middle class only.

Other Reform Laws 1. Poor Law of 1834--force the poor to work by inflicting them with miserable conditions. Supported by ideas of economic liberalism.

2. Corn Laws Repealed in 1846, thanks to pressure from middle class economic liberals in the Anti-Corn Law League and the Irish Potato famine. Robert Peel of the Tories helped re-- “peel” the law.

Revolution 1830--France 1. 1824- Louis XVIII succeeded by his brother Charles X (1824-1830) 2. Charles was a reactionary--middle class liberals and radicals shared a disdain for him. 3. July Revolution of 1830 (think Les Miserables) led to the replacement of Charles by his cousin Louis-Philippe (1830-1848)

4. Constitutional monarchy established--the upper middle class was thrilled with this bourgeois monarchy. 5. Voting increased from 100,000 to 500,000. 6. France became more industrial in the ensuing years. Some in the legislature wanted limited_ change (Party of movement) and some wanted no more change at all (Party of Resistance). The P of R’s Guizot worked with L.P. to benefit the upper class--avoiding “ministerial responsibility,” as well

1830 Revolution in Belgium 1. Inspired by the July rev. in Paris, Catholic Belgians rioted against their unity with the Protestant Dutch in the Netherlands Turned into a demand for independence. 2. By the end of the year, the great powers recognized Belgian neutrality/independence.

1830 Rev. in Italy and Poland 1. Many Italians resented Austrian dominance. 2. Italian nationalists formed the Carbonari (charcoal burners), a secret society dedicated to Italian unification. 3. They rebelled by Metternich crushed them with Austrian troops. 5. Guiseppe Mazzini and his Young Italy movement carried on the torch of Italian nationalism. 6. Same story line happened in Poland.

Revolutions of 1848 Causes 1. Conservatives ignoring problems caused by industrialization and urbanization. 2. Shared disdain for Metternich’s policy’s among the working and middle classes. 3. Nationalist calls for unity. 4. Rising cost of food, rising costs=call for change

Revolution in France 1. “Enrich yourselves and you will have the vote”: a French gov’t response to those wanting increased suffrage. 2. Louis Philippe’s government collapsed in 1848. 3. Led to a provisional government in Paris (which was briefly led by a socialist committee) Eventually the French people elected Louis Napoleon (nephew of THE Napoleon as president of the Second French Republic.

Italy 1. Giuseppe Mazzini and his Young Italy fellows gave independence and unity of shot, but Austria stopped them again.

Germany 1. 1834--all major German states formed the Zollverein, a free-trade union. 2. Inspired by France, riots broke out in Berlin (Prussia) in 1848. Fred Will IV (1840-1861) issued reforms, even calling for a Prussian assembly to draft a new constitution. 3. Simultaneously, an assembly met in Frankfurt to draft an all-German constitution.

4. Fred Will backed off his reforms, dissolving the Prussian assembly and refusing to be the King of the new Germany as hoped for by the Frankfurt assembly (“I won’t pick up a crown from the gutter.”)

Austria 1. Minority groups wanted greater say. Tensions mounted and Metternich fled. 2. Hungarians, led by Louis Kossuth, demanded independence. 3. Franz Josef (1848-1916) accept Russian help and put down the Hungarian uprising.

Things to Remember 1. Revolutions of 1848 failed because of lack of unity, rural opposition, and conservative determination. 2. England avoided a rev with its peaceful reforms.