An Age of Ideologies
LEARNING TARGET:
I can compare the competing ideologies of
19th century Europe.

After the French Revolution and the Age
of Napoleon, there were different ideas
and beliefs about what direction society
should go in.
 Conservatives
 Liberals
 Nationalists

Conservatives: Think Metternich at the
Congress of Vienna.
◦ Wanted to preserve the “old order”
◦ Stressed:
 Tradition (traditional social hierarchy)
 Hereditary monarchy (divine right)
 Landowning aristocracy
 An official church (remember, Enlightenment
thinkers were deists.)
 Mercantilist economy
 Wanted to maintain status quo or only SLOW
change
CONSERVATISM
Prince Clemens von Metternich,
Austrian foreign minister, leader
at Congress of Vienna

Liberals: Think John Locke and other
Enlightenment philosophers (mostly
bourgeoisie)
◦ Were inspired by the Enlightenment and the
American and French Revolutions.
◦ Principal Ideas: Liberty and Equality
◦ Wanted:
 representative government (written constitutions,
separation of powers)
 Freedom of speech, press, etc…
 Laissez faire economics (capitalism)
LIBERALISM
John Locke, English Philosopher

In the 1800s, Europe had several empires
that included many diverse nationalities.
◦ Austrian Empire
◦ Russian Empire
◦ Ottoman Empire
 EX: Austrian Empire: Germans (dominant, but
only made up ¼ of the population; Hungarians,
Czechs, Italians, Poles, Ukrainians, Serbs,
Romanians, etc…
◦ Nationalism was based on the belief that each
group of people has its own cultural
identity/unity and should have their own state.
NATIONALISM
Europe, 1815

Which of the ideologies we discussed
today represented change?

How did Napoleon’s empire building
contribute to feelings of nationalism in
Europe?

Can you predict the impact nationalism
has had on history?
Critical Thinking Questions
Rebellion erupted in the Balkan Peninsula
– Southeastern Europe
 The Ottoman Empire had ruled over
several religious/ethnic groups for 300
years

◦ 1.) Serbs - won autonomy in 1830
 Russia helped them. Why? Common Slavic language
and Christian Orthodox religion
◦ 2.) Greeks – gained independence in 1830
◦ 3.) Other revolts in Spain, Portugal, and Italy
were crushed by France and Austria.
Central Europe Challenges the
Old Order