04 LIBERAL REVOLUTIONS
THE RESTORATION IS OVERTURNED
3 waves of antiabsolutist revolutionary movements in Europe
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAVE OF 1830
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAVE OF 1820
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAVE OF 1848
revolutions inspired by the Spanish Constitution written in Cádiz
Holy Alliance took part in military interventions and reinstated absolutism
absolutist troops did not penetrate Portugal due to British opposition
allowed the Portuguese revolutionaries to establish a constitutional regime
a democratic assembly declared Greece’s independence from the absolutist power of the Ottoman Empire
king of France was succeeded by Charles X
hoped to reign in an absolutist way
In 1830, groups of intellectuals, students and workers organised the July Revolution in Paris
After the king abdicated, a parliamentary monarchy was established under Louis Philippe of Orleans
abolished censorship
extended the right to vote
recognised national sovereignty
Influenced by what had happened in France, the Belgians proclaimed their independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands
LIBERTY LEADING THE PEOPLE
Workers suffered the most from the effects of an intense international economic crisis
led to a revolution in which the Second French Republic was proclaimed
universal manhood suffrage was established
Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon’s nephew, was elected president
proclaimed the Second French Empire
Revolution of 1848 spread to cities in Austria, the German Confederation, Italy and Russia
THE CONSOLIDATION OF LIBERAL REGIMES
pressure to extend citizens’ right to vote started to increase
called themselves democrats
parliamentary representation expanded
organised themselves into political parties
France
no real separation of powers
everything depended on Napoleon III
emperor called plebiscites or referendums to justify his position
questions were asked in such a way that the result was always favourable to him
Great Britain
monarch was Queen Victoria
parliamentarism became very stable
power alternating between two political parties
Liberal Party (Whigs)
Conservative Party (Tories)
Prussia and Austria
Revolution of 1848 led to the establishment of censitary suffrage and constitutional texts
In Austria, the mobilisation of the Hungarian nationalists converted the two countries into a dual monarchy
the Austro-Hungarian Empire
Russia
had an absolutist political system, without a parliament
based on a mainly agricultural economy
The United States
Several states recognised universal manhood suffrage for white men
great territorial expansion to the west
resulted in the submission of the indigenous population
territories were occupied by white settlers
northern states wanted to abolish slavery
tried to form an independent state
led to the American Civil War
under the leadership of President Abraham Lincoln, all slaves were freed
The terrorist and racist organisation, the Ku Klux Klan, was created
claimed that white men were supreme, and was anti-communist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic
Two major political parties, the Republicans and the Democrats, fought to gain power in elections
Confederate States took the vote from black and poor white citizens
established racial segregation
state of Wyoming was the first to recognise women’s suffrage
industrialisation and American economic prosperity attracted mass immigration from Europe
poor living conditions led to many health and public order problems in cities
new neighbourhoods were built for them according to their national or ethnic origins