AP- Ch. 23- Congress of
Vienna
• Work with groups to fill out info for your country / write on
poster (20 min)
• Congress of Vienna Presentations (fill out your chart
during presentations)
HW: Outline – Begin Chapter 25 – outline –
“Napoleon III in France” (p. 823 - 826) and “Nation
Building in Italy & Germany” (826 – 833) FOR MONDAY
AP- Ch. 23- Congress of
Vienna
1.
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4.
Reading Quiz
Finish Congress of Vienna chart
Revolutions of 1830s
Les Mis?
HW: Outline – Begin Chapter 25 – outline –
“Napoleon III in France” (p. 823 - 826) and “Nation
Building in Italy & Germany” (826 – 833) FOR MONDAY
Europe after
French
Revolution
Conservatism
 Favored monarchy, a return to the old
order -mainly because the upper class and
nobility felt that was the only road to
stability and peace
 Favored a single organized religion - mainly
as a control mechanism of the masses
 Considered civil rights (individual rights) as
the root cause of revolutions, and therefore
ignored calls for rights or representative
government
Liberalism
 Driven by Enlightenment ideas
 Favored a Constitutional government
(written limitations of governmental
powers)
 Favored religious toleration
 Favored equality before the law, civil
rights (freedom of speech, press,
assembly, etc…)
Congress is Called
Great Powers- Austria, GB,
Prussia, Russia
Why? Celebrate, confirm victory
over Napoleon and France
– redraw map of Europe
Architect: Klemens Von
Metternich
Congress is Called
Motives:
– Est. peace
– Preserve old political structure
• Not successful in end
Settlement lasted 40 years
Most decisions made in winter of
1814-1815
Metternich’s Goals
Strengthen countries around
France
Restore balance of power in
Europe
Restore royal family in
France
Congress of Vienna
The Congress adopted:
 The Principle of Intervention –
according to the principle the great
powers had the right to send armies into
countries where there were revolutions
in order to restore legitimate monarchs
to their thrones.
The Congress
Lasted 9 months
– Until Napoleon’s return
Accomplishments
– Buffers
– Balance of Power
– Legitimacy
Buffers
Congress needed to get the weaker countries around France
stronger, in order to achieve that they performed the
following steps:
-> The former Austrian Netherlands and Dutch Republic
were united to form the Kingdom of the Netherlands
-> The Kingdom of Sardinia in Italy was strengthened by
the addition of Genoa.
-> A group of 39 German states were loosely joined as the
newly created German Confederation, dominated by
Austria
-> Switzerland was recognized as an independent nation.
Balance of Power
Why France not destroyed?
– Upset balance of power
France gave up all lands gained by
Napoleon
France kept overseas land, army,
govt.
British overseas trade increased
Legitimacy
Rulers driven out by Napoleon
restored to power
– France- Louis XVIII (Bourbon)
Hapsburgs back in N. Italy
Problems at Congress
 Prussia and Russia wanted more land
– Other said no, upset balance of power
 France, Prince Tallyrand, and Britain,
Lord Castlereagh threaten war
 German Confederation organized
 Settlement kept peace:
– No country too strong
– No one too unhappy
Holy Alliance and Concert of Europe
• In late 1815 Czar Alexander I of Russia, Emperor
Francis I of Austria, and King Frederick William III of
Prussia signed an agreement called the Holy Alliance. In
it, they pledge to base their relations with other nations
on Christian principles in order to combat the forces of
revolution.
• Next a series of alliances devised by Metternich, called
the Concert of Europe, ensured that nations would help
one another if any revolutions broke out
Political Triumph
Settlements fair
No grudges
No seeds for future wars
WWI- first major war after
Congress
Results
Considered
Conservative
Restoring Monarchs
Kings and princes were restored
Metternich’s goal: no more
social contracts
– Put rightful rulers back in place
Britain
Constitutional Monarchy
Only country where Parliament
had more power than monarch
Not democracy- Parliament
mainly wealthy landowners
– Tiny fraction elected reps (large
property owners)
Eastern Europe
Absolutism
East more conservative than West
Russia, Prussia, Austria- absolute
monarchs
1815 Holy Alliance- pact against
liberalism
– Help against revolutionaries or
reformers
France
Chamber of Deputies (elected)shared power w/ Louis XVIII
Not democratic- 1 in 300 men had
right to vote
Lower class- still committed to liberal
ideas of revolution
– Overthrow Bourbons (REPUBLIC)
– Revolutions in 1830, 1848
Others…
Spain and Portugal- monarchies
restored
Balance of power achieved
– War avoided
– The peace streak ended when Britian
and France fought Russia in the
Crimean War (in 1853).
Mr. Richey’s Congress of
Vienna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET9w6a00Iuk
Chapter 23
Liberal Reforms in Great Britain videos
HW: Outline – “Reforms and Revolutions” (p. 770 -777)
SKIP THE LIBERAL REFORM IN GREAT BRITAIN
SECTION (today serves as your notes)
Tom Richey’s lectures – Liberal
Reform in Great Britain
Reform Act:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvpgqFdjV8o
Chartist Movement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHFJMG_SHNA
Corn Laws:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iostWBLJ0M
Liberal Reform in Great Britain
• The Tory Party (British conservatives) had most control to
maintain suppression of lower classes
• In fear of revolution, Parliament revised the Corn Laws in
1815 which prohibited the importation of foreign grain unless
the prices at home rose to unmanageable levels, ultimately
benefitting the landed aristocracy.
• Along with other Parliamentary acts of oppression (Six
Acts), this caused brief skirmishes (namely, the Battle of
Peterloo).
• Through the 1820s, the Tory-led government became more
liberal in political and economic policy
Peterloo Massacre, 1819
British
Soldiers
Fire on
British
Workers:
Let us die
like men,
and not be
sold like
slaves!
Liberal Reform in Great Britain
• Through the 1820s, the Tory-led government became
more liberal in political and economic policy but it
was the newly popular Whig party that pushed for
liberal reform.
•Reform Bill of 1832 – introduced more “common”
men to parliament – but no universal male suffrage
British
Reform
Bill of
1832
British Reform Bills
The Chartists
Wanted universal male
suffrage
Key
Chartist
settlements
Centres of
Chartism
Area of plug
riots, 1842
The “Peoples’ Charter”
V Drafted in 1838 by William Lovett.
V Radical campaign for Parliamentary reform
of the inequalities created by the Reform Bill
of 1832.






Votes for all men.
Equal electoral districts.
Abolition of the requirement that Members of
Parliament [MPs] be property owners.
Payment for Members of Parliament.
Annual general elections.
The secret ballot.
Anti-Corn Law
League, 1839
•
•
•
•
•
•
Give manufactures more outlets for their products.
Expand employment.
Lower the price of bread.
Make British agriculture more efficient and productive.
Expose trade and agriculture to foreign competition.
Promote international peace through trade contact.
Irish Potato Famine
Background on Ireland in the
mid-1800s
 Ireland was a farming nation.
 8 Million people
 Poorest nation in the world
 Only ¼ of the population could read
and write.
 Life expectancy was 40 years old.
 Many married by ages 16, 17, and 18.
Background on Ireland in the
mid-1800s (cont.)
 Most of the farms were owned by the English
ruling class.
 Poorer farmers worked in exchange for a
place to live.
– They lived on the farm.
– A poor family would live in a single room hut.
 The Irish poor depended on these farms, and
the potato, for their existence.
The Potato
Peru introduced the potato to Ireland in
1590.
A potato harvest could feed an Irish
family of 6 for an entire year.
By the 1800s, almost half the Irish
population lived on potatoes alone.
– 3 million people
The Famine Begins: 1845
 Many thought the rotting potatoes came
from the fog.
 In actuality, the famine was a fungus
brought on boats carrying goods.
 The winds would carry the fungus to
Dublin’s countryside.
 A single infected potato could spread to
1000 more in a couple days.
 The rancid potatoes gave off a nasty stench,
as they turned to mush.
Attempted Solutions
A Relief Commission was created to
help those who didn’t have any food.
– The donations, though, stopped after a short amount of time.
Prime Minister Robert Peel was to
oversee operations.
– He took too long to make changes, and not much got done.
Peel tried to distribute corn imported
from the U.S.
– Many got diarrhea because they were not used to it.
– No Vitamin C in the corn (scurvy).
– The first supply of corn was never replaced.
The Famine: Year Two (1846)
 The potatoes did not grow again in 1846.
 It got so bad, many began living off of other food
items:
– Blackberries, turnips, cabbage leaves
– Seaweed, shellfish
– Roots, weeds, and grass
 Many began to die, but not from starvation.
– Typhus, dysentery, fever, and famine dropsy.
 Not as many had died the first year b/c they
borrowed money, sold off livestock, and had the
imported corn.
The Famine Continues
 By 1847, soup kitchens were established, but
they could not provide enough food.
 People began trying to leave Ireland for
countries like America.
– One out of five died on the travels over.
 It was not until 1852 that the Irish Potato
Famine came to a complete end.
– Many began to include corn and other
vegetables in their diet and rely less on the
potato.
Anti-British sentiment
The famine intensified anti-British sentiment as a result of
selfish action or rather, inaction.
Promoted Irish nationalism – fueled the flames of Irish
independence and nationalist movement of the early 20th
century.
Revolts begin
Challenges to Metternich
System
Spirit of revolution grew
Spain
– 1820 army forces liberal
constitution on Ferdinand VII
– 1823 French army comes in to
stop rebellion (Concert of
Europe!)
Greece
1st to win independence from
Ottomans
– Revolts began in 1821
Europeans behind Greeks- education
gave them respect for Greeks
(Renaissance)
Great Powers helped Greeks
Greece
 1827 GB, Fr, Russia fleets destroy
Ottomans at Battle of Navarino
– 1830 Treaty gave Greece full independence
Success
encourages other
nationalities to
pursue
independence
Russia - The Decembrist Revolt, 1825
Russian upper class had come into contact with western
liberal ideas during the Napoleonic Wars.
Late November, 1825  Czar Alexander I died suddenly.
 He had no direct heir  dynastic crisis
•
•
Constantine  married a woman, not of royal blood.
•
Russian troops were to take an oath of allegiance to Nicholas, who
was less popular than Constantine [Nicholas was seen as more
reactionary].
Nicholas  named by Alexander I as his heir before his
death.
 December 26, 1825  a Moscow regiment marched into the
Senate Square in St. Petersburg and refused to take the oath.
The Decembrist Revolt, 1825
They wanted Constantine.
Nicholas ordered the cavalry and artillery to attack the insurgents.
 Over 60 were killed.
 5 plotters were executed.
 Over 100 insurgents were exiled to Siberia.
Results:
 The first rebellion in modern Russian history where the rebels
had specific political goals.
 In their martyrdom, the Decembrists came to symbolize the
dreams/ideals of all Russian liberals.
 Nicholas was determined that his power would never again come
into question  he was terrified of change
Revolutions of the
1830s
France: The “Restoration” Era
4 France emerged from the chaos of
(1815-1830)
its revolutionary period as the most
liberal large state in Europe.
4 Louis XVIII governed France as a
Constitutional monarch.
 He agreed to observe the
1814 “Charter” or
Constitution of the
Restoration period.
•
•
•
•
Limited royal power.
Granted legislative power.
Protected civil rights.
Upheld the Napoleon Code.
Louis XVIII (r. 1814-1824)
King Charles X of France (r. 1824His Goals:
1830)
 Lessen the influence of the middle
class.
 Limit the right to vote.
 Put the clergy back in charge
of education.
 Public money used to pay nobles
for the loss of their lands during
the Fr Revolution.
His Program:
 Attack the 1814 Charter.
 Control the press.
 Dismiss the Chamber of Deputies when it turned against him.
 Appointed an ultra-reactionary as his first minister.
King Charles X of France (r. 18241830)
1830 Election of parliament brought in another
liberal majority.
July Ordinances
 He dissolved the entire parliament.
 Strict censorship imposed.
 Changed the voting laws so that the government in
the future could be assured of a conservative victory.
To the Barracades  Revolution,
Again
Workers, students and some of the middle class call for a Republic!
Louis Philippe  The “Citizen King”
The Duke of Orleans.
Relative of the Bourbons, but
had stayed clear of the Ultras.
Lead a thoroughly bourgeois life.
His Program:
 Property qualifications reduced
enough to double eligible voters.
 Press censorship abolished.
 The King ruled by the will of the
people, not by the will of God.
 The Fr Revolution’s tricolor
replaced the Bourbon flag.
(r. 1830-1848)
The government was now under the control of the
wealthy middle class.
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
Written in 1862, most of Les Mis actually takes place during the revolutions
of 1832. The July Revolution two years earlier (1830) had put the monarchy
on the throne, under the popular “Citizen King” Louis-Philippe. Despite his
unpretentious manners and a character , the income gap widened and the
conditions of the working class deteriorated. By the spring of 1832, a deadly
cholera epidemic had exacerbated a severe economic crisis.
In the early morning hours of June 5, crowds of workers, students, and others
gathered in the streets of Paris. The immediate trigger was the death of
General Jean Maximilien Lamarque, who had been a friend to the poor and
downtrodden. The crowd had hoped to accompany Lamarque’s hearse before
it took the general home to his native district in the southwest of
France. Those mourning and those with a political agenda merged into a mob
that numbered in the tens of thousands – some witnesses claimed it
eventually grew to 100,000. Historians account for 800 deaths.
Belgian Independence, 1830
• The first to follow the lead of France.
• Its union with Holland after the Congress of Vienna had not proved
successful.
• There had been
very little popular
agitation for Belgian
nationalism before
1830  seldom had
nationalism arisen so
suddenly.
• Wide cultural
differences:
 North  Dutch  Protestant  seafarers and traders.
 South  French  Catholic  farmers and individual workers.
A Stirring of Polish Nationalism - 1830
• The bloodiest struggle of the 1830 revolutions.
• The Poles in and around Warsaw gain a special status by the Congress
of Vienna within the Russian Empire.
 Their own constitution.
 Local autonomy granted in 1818.
• After Tsar Alexander I dies, the Poles became restless under the
tyrannical rule of Tsar Nicholas I.
• Polish intellectuals were deeply influenced by Romanticism.
• Rumors reached Poland that Nicholas I was planning to use Polish
troops to put down the revolutions in France and Belgium.
• Several Polish secret societies rebelled.
A Stirring of Polish Nationalism - 1830
• Had the Poles been united, this
revolt might have been successful.
 But, the revolutionaries
were split into moderates
and radicals.
• The Poles had hoped that Fr &
Eng would come to their aid,
but they didn’t.
• Even so, it took the Russian army
a year to suppress this rebellion.
• The irony  by drawing the Russian army to Warsaw for almost a
year, the Poles may well have kept Nicholas I from answering
Holland’s call for help in suppressing the Belgian Revolt.
Europe in 1830
The Results of the 1820s-1830 Revolutions?
1. The Concert of Europe provided for a recovery of Europe after the long
years of Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.
2. The conservatives did NOT reverse ALL of the reforms put in place
by the French Revolution.
3. Liberalism would challenge the conservative plan for European
peace and law and order.
4. These revolutions were successful only in W. Europe:
 Their success was in their popular support.
 Middle class lead, aided by the urban lower classes.
5. The successful revolutions had benefited the middle
class  the workers, who had done so much of the rioting and
fighting, were left with empty hands!
6. Therefore, these revolutions left much unfinished & a seething,
unsatisfied working class.