1. Mass Politics

2. Three basic features characterize mass politics from 1850-1914
Mass communication
Democracy and authoritarianism
Increase in conflict

3. Symbols of liberal achievements include:
Constitutional government
Representative assemblies
Free trade
Expansion of suffrage
Guarantees of rights
Middle class influence in government
Spread of education and literacy
Weakening of established churches
Self determination for nations

4. Classical liberalism was weakening by 1880
Mass politics mobilized citizens in large groups and allowed authoritarian leaders to manipulate public sentiment

5. The increasingly complex industrial economy became more difficult to sustain a laissez faire approach
By 1880, many governments had abandoned free trade
Many liberal parties had given up on the notion of pure capitalism

6. France The Third Republic started off poorly
Moderate republicans crushed the Paris Commune
By 1878, moderates had succeeded in establishing the basis for a parliamentary democracy

7. Two scandals highlight divisions within the Third Republic
General Boulanger seemed poised to take over the government and establish military rule
In 1894, a French court found Captain Alfred Dryfus, a Jewish officer, guilty of treason on very thin evidence (the victim of Anti-Semitism)

8. Parliamentary Democracy in Britain
Victorian Age represented a period of prosperity, imperial greatness and the evolution of true parliamentary democracy
Reform in Britain was driven by competing visions of Conservatives and Liberals

9. William Gladstone Led the Liberal reform effort
Under Gladstone, the Parliament enacted universal schooling, the secret ballot, legalized unions, introduced the civil service exam, and lifted religious requirements for universities

10. Benjamin Disraeli Led the Conservative movement
Pursued a policy of protecting workers from the worst effects of industrialization, passing acts regulating public housing and sanitation

11. Between 1906 and 1916, the Liberal Party initiated a wide ranging welfare system of sickness, accident, old age and unemployment insurance
Lifted restrictions put on strikes and unions
Parliament passed a progressive income and inheritance tax

12. Veto power was removed from the House of Lords
Despite efforts, workers continued to agitate for improved conditions
Suffragettes used militant tactics to gain publicity for their cause
In Ireland, the Catholic Irish demanded home rule

13. Germany’s Growing Pains
Otto von Bismarck dominated German politics until 1890
He successfully manipulated democratic politics and the party system to enact his policies
Bismarck allied himself with the Liberal Party and attacked the Catholic Church in Germany

14. Pope Pius IV called the First Vatican Council to enunciate the doctrine of papal infallibility
In response, Bismarck pushed through the Reichstag laws restricting powers of the clergy, expelled the Jesuits, and jailed a number of bishops
When his campaign was unsuccessful, he abandoned it

15. Bismarck now allied himself with the Catholic Center Party
Moved to restrict the power of the Social Democratic Party
Using several assassination attempts against Kaiser William I as a pretext, Bismarck won approval for several Antisocialist Laws

16. To win over workers, Bismarck initiated a welfare program of old age, accident, unemployment, and health benefits
Kaiser William II ascended to the throne up on the death of his father
He soon dismissed Bismarck and embarked on a more conciliatory policy toward the SPD at home and a more aggressive foreign policy

17. Austria-Hungary
Continued to experience ethnic tensions after the creation of the Dual Monarchy in 1867
With Hungary, large landowners continued to dominate
Magyars imposed their language and culture on many Slavic minorities

18. In Austria, voting rights were extended to try to win over Czechs, Slovaks and Poles
Also included them in the Imperial Parliament
German nationalists resented these policies and the resulting tensions often led to the breakdown of parliamentary function

19. Anti-Semitism emerged as a political force in Austrian policy
The mayor of Vienna pursued policies of restrictions and exclusions against Jews

20. Other Areas of Development
Italy faced a roadblock after unification
Liberal parties attempted to keep out extremist nationalists on the right and socialists on the left by using bribery and personal alliances

21. Italy did not develop political parties around consistent ideas or programs
Economically, northern Italy industrialized while the south remained mired in poverty and illiteracy
Also developed an active anarchist movement

22. Spain continued to be dominated by conservative interests
Its defeat in the Spanish American War led to calls for social reform by a group called Generation of 1898
Encountered anarchist violence
Because of its internal divisions, it would not enter either world war of the 20th century