Chapter 8: Nationalist Revolutions Sweep the West

Chapter 8, Section 2 Europe Faces Revolutions

Conservative: Wealthy property owners and nobility; wanted traditional monarchies Liberal: middle-class people; wanted elected representatives with educated and landowning people voting Radical: Favored drastic change to extend democracy to all people Clash of Philosophies In the first half of the 1800’s, three schools of political thought existed in Europe

Nationalism Develops Nationalism is the belief that people’s greatest loyalty should be to their nation When a nation had its own independent government, it became a nation-state France, England, and Spain were nation-states

Greeks Gain Independence Greeks were first people to win self-rule during this time In 1827, the British, French, and Russians helped Greece defeat the Ottoman Empire, guaranteeing an independent kingdom of Greece

1830s Uprisings Crushed Revolutionary ideas were challenging the order established by the Congress of Vienna Revolutions in the Netherlands, Italy, and Russia were put down, but nationalist ideas remained

1848 Revolutions Fail to Unite In 1848, ethnic uprisings began in Europe Vienna, Hungary, and Prague had liberal revolts However, revolutionaries failed to unite themselves and conservatives regained power

Radicals Change France In France, radicals were still demanding democratic government King Charles X tried to return to absolute monarchy in 1830, and the people rioted He was replaced by Louis-Philippe, who supported liberal reforms

The Third Republic After almost 18 years, Louis-Philippe’s monarchy was overturned by a Paris mob and replaced by a republic The republic fell apart, and moderates gained control They set up a new constitution with a parliament and an elected president

France Accepts a Strong Ruler In December 1848, Louis-Napoleon (nephew of Napoleon) was elected president Four years later, he took the title of Emperor Napoleon III Because of his policies, France experienced a time of prosperity

Reform in Russia Russia in the 1800’s was still not part of the modern industrialized world Still under the feudal system, with serfs bound to the nobles Serfdom became a major debate in Russia

Defeat Brings Change In 1853, Russia’s Czar Nicholas I went to war to take over the Ottoman Empire As a result of poor industry and transportation, Russia lost the war in 1856 Afterwards, Nicholas’s son, Alexander II decided to modernize Russia and bring social change

Reform and Reaction Alexander II legally freed the serfs in 1861 and was assassinated in 1881 Alexander III succeeded him and tightened czarist control, but continued industrial development

Chapter 8, Section 3 Nationalism

A Force for Unity or Disunity Nationalism fueled efforts to build nation-states in the 1800’s Nationalists believed that people of a single “nationality” should unite under one government People who wanted the “old order” saw nationalism as a force for disunity

The Breakup of the Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire had many different nationalities Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria split his empire in half, separating Austria and Hungary Nationalism began to weaken Austria-Hungary for the next 40 years, and it broke down after World War I

The Russian Empire Crumbles The Romanov dynasty of Russia ruled over many different groups The instituted a policy of Russification, forcing Russian culture on everyone in the empire The helped disunify the people of Russia, and the Romanov dynasty ended after World War I

The Ottoman Empire Weakens In 1856, under pressure from the British and French, the Ottomans granted equal citizenship to all people under their rule This angered conservative Turks and led to the Armenian genocide The empire broke apart after World War I

Cavour Leads Italian Unification Case Study: Italy Cavour Leads Italian Unification Piedmont-Sardinia was the largest and most powerful Italian state In 1852, Sardinia’s king named Count Camillo di Cavour as his prime minister Cavour wanted to gain Northern Italy and unify He went to war with Austria in 1858 and won, taking all of northern Italy

Garibaldi Brings Unity In southern Italy, an army of Italian nationalists led by Giuseppe Garibaldi captured Sicily Garibaldi’s forces marched north and united with Piedmont-Sardinia With the addition of Venetia and the Papal States, Italy unified and became the united kingdom of Italy

Prussia Leads German Unification Case Study: Germany Prussia Leads German Unification Prussia had a mainly German population Nationalism unified Prussia In 1848, Berlin rioters forced a new constitution, paving the way for unification

Bismarck Takes Control In 1861, Wilhelm I became king of Prussia Parliament refused him money for the army Wilhelm was supported by the Junkers- Prussia’s wealthy landowners In 1862, Wilhelm chose a Junker named Otto von Bismarck as prime minister

Bismarck Takes Control, cont. Otto von Bismarck was a master of what became known as realpolitik, or power politics He declared he would rule without the king’s power, the consent of parliament, or a legal budget

Prussia Expands In 1864, Prussia and Austria formed an alliance and went to war with Denmark for land When they won, national pride among Prussians increased, and Prussia was considered to be the head of a unified Germany

Seven Weeks’ War Prussia went to war with Austria over land acquired from Denmark The war lasted only seven weeks, with Prussia winning a huge victory Prussia took control of northern Germany and in 1867, the remaining northern German states joined the North German Confederation, headed by Prussia

The Franco-Prussian War By 1867, only the southern Catholic German states resisted Prussia Bismarck went to war with France in 1870 in order to rally the south The Franco-Prussian war was the final stage of German unification On January 18, 1871 King Wilhelm I of Prussia was crowned kaiser (emperor)

A Shift in Power In 1815, the Congress of Vienna established five equally powerful “Great Powers” of Europe By 1871, Britain and Germany were the most powerful, Austria and Russia lagged behind, and France was somewhere in the middle