Download Legacy of the French Revolution

World History
Social Studies
Unit: 07 Lesson: 02
The Legacy of the French Revolution, 1815-1900 (and Beyond)
1. Settlement at the Congress of Vienna, 1814-1815: Metternich; legitimacy; balance of power; the
geographical and political settlement. Conservatism dominates
2. Evolution of Political Ideologies, 1815-1900 (and beyond)
• Classical Conservatism: absolute monarchy; legal classes; government involvement in the economy;
authority and order; established church; needs of society remain static
• Conservatism in practice: France (1815-1830); Austria (1815-1848); Prussia (1815-1848)
• Classical Liberalism: legal equality; civil liberties; limited monarchy with a constitution and a legislative
body; laissez fairism; secularism; religious toleration; gradual change; non-democratic; non-republican
• Liberalism in practice: France (1830-1848); Italy (1848); England
• Republicanism: anti-monarchical; universal suffrage; government reform of the economy and
economic inequalities
• Republicanism in practice: France (1849-1852 and after 1871); most European countries after
World War I (Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Rumania, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain) Some African
and Asian countries after World War II became true republics and others became "paper" republics.
• Socialism: fought against exploitation of the workers; classless society; economic determinism;
government ownership of the means of production; dictatorship of the proletariat (through a
"republican" form of government)
• Socialism in practice: USSR, 1917-1992; China, 1948-present; North Vietnam; Cuba, 1959present; other small African and Asian countries adopted governments with some Marxist
characteristics.
3. The 19th Century Revolutions
1820s: Spain, Naples, Sicily, Greece (gained independence from the Turks), Russia. Only the revolution in
Greece brought significant change 1830s: Belgium (independence gained); Poland; Italian states; Spain;
Portugal. 1848: France (second French Republic proclaimed; Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, President; lasts till
1871); Prussia (though the monarchy maintained, the Prussian ruler "gave" the country a constitution); Austrian
Empire (revolts break out in Vienna, and in the provinces of Hungary, Bohemia, Croatia, Transylvania. In each,
order is restored and the Empire remains intact until 1867)
4. Nationalism and the Unifications of Italy and Germany
Nationalism: common language, literature and history; glorification of the heritage of the group; denigration of
other ethnic groups (which became "ethnic cleansing" in the Balkans in the 1990s). Present in most political
movements after the French Revolution, including German Unification (1871), the breakup of the Austrian
Empire (1867-1918), the breakup of the Balkan republics (Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia) in the 1990s, the
breakup of the USSR in the 1990s; unification movements in India and Africa after World War II.
• Italian Unification: the politics of nationalism; rise of Piedmont Sardinia; Victor Emmanuel II; Camillo di
Cavour. War with Austria in 1859 brings Tuscany to the Italian nation; Garibaldi takes southern Italy;
Venice gained in 1866 and Rome in 1870
• Hungarian Nationalism: The Dual Monarchy, 1867, of Austria-Hungary
• Prussian Nationalism: the Unification of Germany: William I (1861-1888); Otto von Bismarck, Prime
Minister, 1862-1890 (unification through "blood and iron"). War with Denmark, 1864: Schleswig-Holstein
gained for Prussia; War with Austria, 1866: Northern German States join with Prussia to create the
North German Confederation; War with France, 1870-71: southern states join with the North to create
the German Empire
Text courtesy of: Roseman, P. (2009). European revolutions. Retrieved from http://facstaff.gpc.edu/~proseman/FrenchRev.htm
©2012, TESCCC
05/13/13
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World History
Social Studies
Unit: 07 Lesson: 02
The Results of the French Revolution
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The French Revolution furthered the cause of liberty
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Gained a written constitution guaranteeing freedom of speech, press and religion
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A fairer system of justice was established
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Although civil rights were often denied, the fact that they were put in writing marked a
great advance in the struggle for liberty
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In time, all peoples in Europe and in other continents were to demand the same rights
The church was weakened
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It had lost the right to tax the people
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Much of its land was taken over by the state and was sold to farmers
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Other religious groups gained more freedom
Aristocrats lost their privileges
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They were 1% of the population that controlled 20% of the land
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Could not collect feudal dues from peasants
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Had to pay taxes like everyone else
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Most of their lands were seized by the state and sold to the richer peasants and the
middle class
Absolute monarchy declined
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The execution of Louis XVI marked the end of absolute monarchy in France
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Served to reduce the power of other European rulers
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The peoples of Europe now realized that kings could be overthrown
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Growing desire of European reformers for constitutional governments
The bourgeoisie became the new leaders of France
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The bourgeoisie had become the most important class in France. They had wealth and
education.
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The most honored positions in government and the army were now open to them
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Talent and ambition counted more than noble birth
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The equality demanded by the bourgeoisie before the revolution had been achieved
The French Revolution introduced modern warfare
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The French Revolution introduced modern warfare on a large scale
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Wars no longer were fought by hired soldiers but by the whole population of a country
The French Revolution gave birth to modern nationalism
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The French Revolution marks the beginning of modern nationalism (deep love for one’s
country)
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Frenchmen fought not for a king but for their nation. Defending France became a
Frenchman’s highest duty - conquering other lands for France became a noble mission
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This intense love of one’s nation spread throughout Europe and to other continents
The European reaction led to the first international assembly
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Austrian foreign minister Klemens von Metternich turned the clock back to a Europe
with borders as before the French Revolution
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Major players Great Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria acted together to squash
further revolutions
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The meeting of leaders at the Congress of Vienna led to the Concert of Europe to
ensure a balance of power of the major European powers for decades during the 1800s
©2012, TESCCC
10/24/12
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