Between 1815 and 1851, there was an increase in conservative demands and ideals across Europe. Three nations fit into this mold exceptionally well, one of them being Prussia. The other nation that best shows how conservative ideals achieved their goals is France and how it changed after the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy. The third nation being, Austria and how the rulers handled the discontent of the different minority groups within it’s borders. Prussia had been a relatively conservative nation for a while with the monarch as the central point of power and Fredrick William did not want to change that at all, he spent years passing constitutions and electing representative bodies to keep his control. When in 1848 when rebellion began in Berlin to avoid upsetting many he refused to send in troops hoping the rebellion would fissile out. He even made concessions in their liberal favor and allowed a re-election. When the rebellion didn’t diminish a few days after his announcement of concessions he sent in troops to clear out the square, which ending in killing a few people. When angry protestors surrounded the palace Fredrick William IV showed respect to those who had died in the clearing of the square the day before and made even more concessions allowing an assembly to form. However soon the assembly soon revealed it was full of strong liberal radicals and he soon dismissed the assembly and filled it with more conservatives, showing just how deeply conservative Fredrick William was and how unwilling he was to change. When Charles X came to power after the death of Louis XVIII, the leader of the ultraroyalist faction came to power. Charles X first began compensating aristocrats who had lost their land during the revolution ... ... middle of paper ... ...s for more liberal reforms, helping the conservatives. This also helped show how paranoid the government was of potential rebellion against them and how pragmatic they were. Then throughout 1848, there was a multitude of rebellions and when the dust settled it seemed as if the Austrian government was going to lose it was able to get back up and fight back with the help of the Russians and get back control for the conservatives. By the end of 1851 Austria was able to remain a strong conservative dual monarchy, a concession made to appease the Magyars, but their king still had to report to the Austrian king. Throughout 1815-1851 there were many demands for more liberal reforms and strong opponents of conservatism, but by the end on 1851 Austria, Prussia, and France were still some of the few nations where conservatism was able to achieve its goals and stay in power.
After the struggle of the Seven Years’ War, Frederick the Great considered more benevolent policies for the country of Prussia. He realized that more humane sta...
Prince Clemons von Metternich was the Chief Minister of the Habsburg monarchy who was a conservative and against enlightenment. After the fall of Napoleon, Metternich worked to restore the European balance of power and to overturn revolutionary movements. After the revolutions, he used conservative ideals too rebuild Europe. Metternich, a leading advocate for conservatism says “ …passions are let loose, and league together to overthrow everything which society respects as the basis of its existence; religion, public morality, laws, customs, rights, and duties, are all attacked , confounded, overthrown or called into question”(Metternich, qtd. In Swanson, 25). Metternich is describing the uselessness and the mindset of the people involved in the revolution. These kinds of attitudes expressed by Metternich would result in more restrictive policies.
A Comparison of the Characteristics of the Absolutist Rule of Charles I of England and Louis XIV of France
Rulers of areas in Europe (including Germany) attended the ‘Wiener Kongress’ from October 1814 to June 1815 in order to adjust Europe post Napoleon. (Only the states of Germany that survived Napoleon attended Vienna.) The main aim of this conference was to reward the states and countries which were most successful in defeating Napoleon, not to consider democratic ideas. The areas rewarded were Russia, Prussia, Austria and Great Britain. These countries/states were rewarded by gaining land/territories. As well as gaining territories some areas also lost and e.g. although it expanded Prussia lost areas of Poland to Russia however the outcome of this loss was that Prussia became ‘a more coherently German state.’ (Mark Allinson 2002) Once the conference was over Germany was made up of 39 states, markedly fewer than before. Each state kept their own independence in the form of currency, laws and Armies.
that contributed to the rise and fall of the French Monarchy. The ideas of the
Firstly it is important to understand the Revolutions of 1848 and explore its effects. It’s important to note that the revolutionaries are referred to as Liberal Revolutionaries. Brendan Simms describes the Revolutions as ‘re-enacting the script of 1789’ as in most German states they took power and freed political prisoners. Harry Harder has highlighted that throughout Germany constitutions were introduced, liberal ministries were appointed and reform and civil liberties were granted. The most significant effect of the 1848 Revolution however was the setting up of the Frankfurt Parliament. However this parliament was ultimately a failure. Such factors as the politician’s un-revolutionary intentions in a social and political sense contributed to the Frankfurt Parliaments failure. Donald J. Mattheisen has argued that the politicians involved were against democracy and had more faith in the German Princes than in
Under the reign of Otto von Bismarck, the national liberals and German unification really took to another level. After gaining the Chancellorship in 1862, Bismarck began improving Prussia's diplomatic position to ensure Prussia's dominance over Austria. In 1863, when Russia experienced a revolt in its Polish territory, Bismarck and Prussia supported Russia in its violent suppression of the rebellion. This endeared Prussia to Russia, who was traditionally an ally of Prussia's German rival, Austria. This example shows that Bismarck was able to read situations and be pragmatic to differing circumstances – therefore he has often been referred to using realpolitik tactics. This meaning that he understood situations; Bismarck himself knew this and
Frightfully stimulated as a child from a home intrusion by Parisians during an aristocratic revolt in 1651, Louis XIV realized his rule would be decisive, militant, and absolute (458). His lengthy reign as Frances’ king and how he ruled would be the example that many countries throughout Europe would model their own regimes under. With this great authority also came greater challenges of finance and colonization. In the 17th century, the era of absolute monarchs was the means to restore European life (458). Louis XIV exemplified absolutism, and his ruling set the example for other monarchs throughout Europe.
In the Nineteenth Century the natural order of conservatism was challenged by new ideology such as Marxism and Liberalism. Conservatism was the norm and dominated Europe at the time so of course people were going to challenge monarchs because of their disagreement with the way they ruled. So I am here to show why conservatism is better for countries than liberalistic ideas. Also I will give sufficient reasoning why the conservative limits on voting should not change and why the limits are best for a country.
...search for a way to relieve the national debt, however policies by financial ministers like Jacques Neckler and Charles Alexandre de Calonne increased the debt even more. Louis would attempt to evoke the Assembly of Notables, which consisted of nobles, and later the Estates-General, which consisted of peasants, to ease the economic burden. However, both assemblies were shocked and disgruntled with the poor economy, and revoked the power of the King, leading to the French Revolution and forever abolishing absolutism from France.
Prior to the revolution, King Louis XVI was at the top of the ancien régime, the social, economic, and political structure in France, which means he had absolute power. When he received the throne in 1774, it came along with insoluble problems. The people were split into three estates which divided social class. The first estate consisted of 100,000 tax exempt nobles who owned 20% of the land. The second estate consisted of the 300,000 tax exempt clergy who owned 10% of the land. The third estate consisted of the remaining 23.5 million French people who were 90% peasants. The third estate was the only estate that paid taxes. Their taxes ensured the financial well-being of the clergy, state, and nobles (French Revolution Overview 6).
Essay Title: - ‘The politics of Louis Napolèon Bonaparte were both authoritarian and liberal.’ Discuss with reference to the period 1848-1870.
... middle of paper ... ... “France was a republic, but one now in the hands of an assembly dominated by conservatives, many of whom were monarchists”7.
During the French Revolution in 1792, an effort was made to remove Austrian presence from French lands. This came about in part because King Louis XVI wanted to seek help from the Austrians to remove the reformers, persuading France to declare war on Austria. The Jacobins were afraid that this war would have an irreversible effect on the Revolution. Therefore the Jacobins, believing in having a duty to the nation, preached nationalistic and liberal ideals to the entire nation, using every kind of communication available to them at the time. Jacobins inspired patriotism in the young men drafted into the war to draw upon their own nationalism-to fight for France. This led to victory over Austria and in the process, France acquired Belgium. Although nationalism was used to raise the hopes of the French people to victory, it was not the cause of the war. “The American and French revolutions were crucial phases in the history of liberalism.” (Perry, 377). During these revolutions, signs of nationalistic ideas became apparent that were associated with later wars in Europe.
The ruler, and King, of France at the beginning of the Revolution in 1789, was Louis XVI. He ruled as an absolute monarch, yet his abuses of the National Assembly and his excesses of power ultimately brought about his downfall. Louis tried to flee the country, but was captured and brought back to Paris where he was tried and sentenced to death by the guillotine (by one vote) for treason. Maximilien Robespierre, the leader of the Jacobins, who instituted France’s first republic, held power after Louis’ execution. Despite the new republican fervor and the nominally naming of the Republic, he ruled as absolutely as the monarchy h...