1. The Century of Theories

2. Post-Napoleon Europe Compared to its predecessor and the century that would follow it, the 19 th century was quite calm This calm was a façade – the 19 th was a century of incredible change The French Revolution is often regarded as “the gateway to modern history” in that it served as the seed bed for incredible new ideas

3. The intellectual changes precipitated by the Fr. Rev. far exceeded any military or political advances The battles of the 19 th Century were fought in the minds of men “The Powers that be” Advocating for the retention of the status quo conservatism Vs. Liberalism Nationalism Socialism Idealism

4. Conservatism “Stability and Continuity” “The Powers that Be” ◦ Advocate conservatism ◦ The counter-revolutionary faction during the revolution ◦ Had everything to gain by re-establishing the Old Regime ◦ Maintain the status quo ◦ Have everything to lose if change occurs

5. Conservatism: root word “conserve” – stability and continuity The force that sees value in maintaining traditional, social, political and religious institutions If change is needed it must be gradual and closely monitored The masses are not worthy of trust ◦ Therefore an educated “aristocracy” is needed to lead ◦ A reactionary “ISM” draws back from radical change ◦ Different branches – small “c’ - big “C” - Red Tory (conservative with liberal leanings)

6. Liberalism Liberty – freedom, man is good, equal, Locke, Paine (left to his devices, man will do good) Against the status quo Pushes Laissez Faire Given the opportunity through education, man will better himself Man needs to be allowed to speak his mind

7. The less government the better (this is not a modern day liberal idea) Laissez Faire – personal initiative – competition = Capitalism! Liberals see government as a guardian of the social order Man can develop things – make money – making life bearable is making life comfortable Liberalism – can create two classes, very rich and very very poor

8. It sucks being poor The inherent problem with liberalism and Laissez-faire policies becomes obvious Exploitation and poverty become rampant Liberals are trapped by their own ideology ◦ No government interference ◦ Not even to help the down trodden? ◦ Therefore a society of “Haves” and “Have nots” develops ◦ What about the inherent equality of man

9. Man might be inherently equal but there is no equality of opportunity Liberals began to re-examine and revamp their ideology Saw that Laissez-faire spawned misery for the masses (The Proletariate – the working class) Socialism will provide an “out” for Liberals

10. Socialism

11. Cooperation rather than competition All of society should work towards the improvement of the physical and moral lives of the poor The good of society is paramount (not the good of the individual) group rights vs. individual rights Put an end to private property Let the gov’t control business and industry ◦ These were the views of the Utopians – a group of socialists who sought to create a perfect world ◦ Will give rise to Karl Marx and the Dialectical Materialism and the basis of the great experiment called Communism

12. Nationalism The idea of a nation-state with definite borders and a strong national identity united under a strong central government Exploded on the scene in the 19 th Century due to: ◦ Improved communications ◦ Education more accessible – learn of common history ◦ Villagers realize they are part of a larger whole ◦ Sharing a common language

13. A very powerful, positive force, throws off the shackles of imperialism A very destructive force, imposing ones will or designs on others

14. Romanticism and Idealism Romanticism ◦ An intellectual and artistic movement ◦ A reaction to failure of enlightenment ◦ Empiricism; math + science had not produced a new world ◦ A reaction to the void/vacuum disappointment ◦ A renewed reverence of nature ◦ A poor man as hero ◦ The concerns of the common man, free, legend

15. Manifested itself in art and literature ◦ Art landscapes – John Constable – beauty of nature ◦ Poetry – woodsworth, Keats, Shelley, Byron, Goethe ◦ Literature – Victor Hugo, Les Mis, Hunchback ◦ Sir Walter Scott – Ivanhoe (robin hood) ◦ Goethe – Faust (tragedy love) ◦ Music was about emotion, heroism - Beethoven, Chopin, wagner

17. Idealism It too was a reaction to the excessive dependence on realism as promoted by the ages of reason Logic and reason alone cannot solve all problems Proving the existence of God, determining Truth, understanding Morality can only be solved through thought and faith Promoted by philosophers, Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

19. Hegel believed that people and society developed through struggle Clash of ideas led to more progressive ideas Nations undergo an evolution until they reach a point where the interests of every citizen match up with the interests of the state ◦ Best seen in 1930s and 40s in fascist Italy and Germany Hegel will have an enormous influence on Karl Marx and his two most famous works Das Kapital and The Communist Manifesto