1. Nationalism

2. Europe in 1848

3. Reaction and Revolution After the French Revolution European leaders wanted to establish a more conservative order and maintain a balance of power among the European nations. Liberals and nationalists fought against this and this struggle led to the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe.

4. Congress of Vienna After the defeat of Napoleon the rulers of the victorious nations wanted to restore the old ways in Europe. The countries of Great Britain, Austria, Prussia and Russia met in September of 1814 to arrange a final peace settlement. This meeting is known as the Congress of Vienna.

5. Outcomes of the Congress of Vienna Austrian foreign minister Prince Klemens von Metternich was the most influential leader at the meeting. Claimed that lawful monarchs who ruled before Napoleon should have their positions restored. The French king was returned to the throne in 1814. The territories in Europe were rearranged to create a new balance of power so that one country could not dominate Europe. This created a need to balance military and political power in the countries of Europe.

6. Conservatism The rulers in Europe believed in the political philosophy of conservatism, which is based on tradition and the value of social stability. They favored obedience to political authority. Conservatives also believed that organized religion was important to social order. They were unwilling to accept demands from groups who wanted to establish individual rights or representative governments.

7. Concert of Europe Leaders of Russia, Great Britain, Austria and Prussia agreed to meet periodically to maintain the balance of power and peace. These meetings were called the Concert of Europe

8. Principle of Intervention According to this idea and agreement the great powers of Europe had the right to send armies into countries where revolutions were taking place in order to restore legitimate monarchs to their thrones. Great Britain did not accept this principle as they believed that countries should not interfere in the affairs of others. The other great powers of Europe used this principle to crush revolutions in Spain and Italy.

9. Forces of Change - Liberalism Between 1815 and 1830 conservative governments worked to maintain the old order while other forces such as liberalism and nationalism worked for change. Liberalism is a political philosophy that came from the Enlightenment period and put forth the idea that people should be as free as possible from government restraint. Liberals held the common beliefs that men had basic rights including equality before the law and freedom of speech, assembly and the press as well as religion. The American Bill of Rights was a prime example of the liberal beliefs of the time.

10. Nationalism Nationalism was an even more powerful force for change than liberalism. It began when people began to identify themselves as part of a community defined by common language, institutions and customs. This community is called a nation. In the 19 th century people began to change their loyalties from the monarch to the nation. Did not become a popular force until the French Revolution which caused many to feel that each nation should have its own government. Nationalism was a threat to existing political order.

11. Revolutions of 1848 The French monarchy was overthrown in 1848 and a republican government was established. The leaders wanted a government in which the leaders were elected by the people. These leaders promoted the concept of universal male suffrage which meant all adult men could vote. Upheaval in the German Confederation brought about a desire for the creation of a united Germany but it did not come to be. Austria was a collection of different peoples, a multinational state, including Germans, Czechs, Hungarians, Romanians, Poles and others. The revolutions in Austria and Hungary were crushed in 1848 and 1849. Revolts in the Italian States established by the Congress of Vienna were also put down by 1849.

12. National Unification and Nationalism Even though the revolutions of 1848 failed powerful gains were made during the remainder of the 19 th century. Germany and Italy became unified by 1871 while Great Britain and France become more liberal. Only Russia and Austria remained authoritarian by the end of the 19 th century.

13. Breakdown of the Concert of Europe By 1871 both Germany and Italy would be unified. The changes that made this possible began with the Crimean War. The conflict originated between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. The British and the French declared war on Russia. The war destroyed the Concert of Europe.

14. Unified Italy and Germany 1871

15. Giuseppe Garibaldi Leader of Italian unification. A dedicated Italian patriot. Led an army of a thousand volunteers called the Red Shirts. Conquered Sicily and southern Italy in 1860. Turned over his conquests to King Victor Emmanuel II.

16. German Unification After the Frankfurt Assembly failed in 1848 the Germans looked to Prussia for leadership in unification. The Prussian king had firm control over the government and the army. Prussia was known for its militarism, a reliance on military strength. Count von Bismarck was appointed a prime minister by King William I. Otto von Bismarck

17. Bismarck and Realpolitik Realpolitik is the politics of reality, politics based on practical matters rather than theory. Bismarck strengthened the army and governed Prussia from 1862 to 1866 without the approval of Parliament. His foreign policy would eventually lead to war. He eventually united all of the independent German states. The new German state became the strongest power on the European continent.

18. Great Britain, France and Russia While Great Britain was able to avoid revolution there were changes such as expansion of the number of voters. Parliament made other social and political reforms that helped maintain stability. Economic growth also helped England remain stable. France replaced the Second Empire established by Napoleon III with a new Republic after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. Russia remained autocratic but in 1861 Tsar Alexander freed the serfs and established social changes. Alexander attempted other reforms but his son Alexander III returned Russia to the old methods after the death of his father.

19. New Age of Science The Industrial Revolution brought about a heightened interest in scientific research. By the 1830’s new discoveries led to many discoveries that provided practical benefits to many Europeans. Louis Pasteur proposed the germ theory of disease. Louis Pasteur

20. Dmitri Mendeleyev – classified all known material elements on the basis of their atomic weights in 1860. Michael Faraday created the first primitive generator that laid the foundation for the use of electric current.

21. Charles Darwin Published his book “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection” in 1859. Basic belief was that each species of plant or animal had evolved over a period of time from earlier, simpler forms of life. He called this principle organic evolution. His theory of “natural selection” promotes the idea that that each species struggles to exist and the strongest of each will survive and the weaker ones will die. This is also called “survival of the fittest”.