Reaction, Revolution & Romanticism 1815-1850

Reaction, Revolution &

Romanticism 1815-1850

Europe 1812

The Congress of Vienna

September 1, 1814 - June 9, 1815

Main Objectives

The task was to undo everything that Napoleon had done:

Reduce France to its old boundaries - frontiers pushed back to 1790 levels

Restore as many of the old monarchies that had lost their throne during Napoleonic era

Key Players @ Vienna

The “Host”Prince Klemens vonMetternich (Aus.)

Tsar Alexander I(Rus.)

Foreign Minister,Viscount Castlereagh

(Br.)

King FrederickWilliam III (Prus.)

Foreign Minister, CharlesMaurice de Tallyrand (Fr.)

Key Principles Established

Legitimacy

Balance of Power

Compensation

Coalition forces would occupy France for 3-5 years

France to pay an indemnity of 700,000,000 francs

Reactionary torevolutions based on conservatism

Changes Made @ Vienna

France deprived of Napoleon expansion

Russia given most of Duchy of Warsaw (Poland)

Prussia given half of Saxony, parts of Poland and other German territory

Germanic Confederation of 34 states (including Prussia) created from previous 300, under Austrian rule

Austria given back territory lost plus more in Germany and Italy

The House of Orange given the Dutch Republic and Austrian Netherlands to rule

Changes Made @ Vienna

• Norway and Sweden joined

• Neutrality of Switzerland guaranteed

• Britain given Cape Colony, South Africa and various other colonies in Africa and Asia

• Sardinia was given Piedmont, Nice, Savoy and Genoa

• Bourbon Ferdinand I restored in Two Sicilies

Europe After C of V

Conservatism• Philosophy developed to repress liberal/nationalist ideals from French Rev

• Burke - society a contract to be preserved by generations - no sudden change

• Maistre - absolute monarchy - “order in society”

• Advocated for hereditary monarchy, landed aristocracy, gov bureaucracies and Church

• Holy Alliance 1818 Aus, Rus, Prus - enforce Christianity

Concert of Europe

• Reaffirmation of the Quadruple Alliance

• Meet and discuss from time to time to preserve balance of power

• France brought in 1818

• Principle of Intervention - Britain not cool with

Latin America

• Napoleon topples Bourbon Monarchy in Spain - lose influence in Latin Am

• Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin lead revolts for ind in Latin America

• Continental Powers wanted to intervene

• Britain and Monroe Doctrine said “No dice”

Latin Am Revolts

Italy & Spain

• 1820 liberal revolutionaries overthrow Ferdinand I of Italy and Ferdinand VII of Sp

• Concert of Europe successful at restoring order

• Austrian forces in Italy

• French forces in Spain

Greek Revolt

• The “Eastern Question” - what to do about the Ottoman influence in Europe

• 1820 sentiment of revolution in Greeks

• 1827 supported by British/French fleet

• 1828 Russia declares war on Ottoman Empire

• 1830 R,F,B declare Greek Ind

Conservative Gov in GB

• Both political factions (Tories & Whigs) largely made up of aristocrats Whigs becoming more open to industrial class

• Tories dominate til 1830 little desire for change

• Corn Laws 1815 - help landed elite

• 1819 Peterloo Massacre

• Gov crackdown

France Steps Back

• Louis XVIII kept many of changes from Rev

• Civil Code, property rights, bicameral leg

• Pressured by liberals for more reform and ultraroyalists for a return to old regime

• 1824 power passed to his bro count of Artois becoming Charles X - favored aristocracy

• Ministerial responsibility

• Dissolved legislature in 1830 - brink of new rev

German States

• Fred William III had embraced ideals of Napoleon

• After 1815 becomes reactionary

• Burschenschaften

• Karlsbad Decrees of 1819

Why was Metternich such a stick in

the mud?• Austrian Empire a multinational state

• Collection of people held together simply by bond of Habsburg emperor

• Ideals of nationalism and liberalism would crush the empire so keep status quo at all costs

Russia & Decembrist Revolt

• Alexander reverses policies and more reactionary after Napoleon

• Northern Union – intellectuals eyes opened to west during Napoleon

• Alexander’s death – Constantine v. Nicholas

• December 1825

• Nicholas crushes dissenters

• Policeman of Europe