Mason Chapter 4: 1848, The Peoples' Spring

Factors that led to the revolutions

The Enlightenment carried ideas of individualism, human rights, and popular sovereignty.

Romantic movement in literature stressed individualism and added notions of heroism and heroic struggle

The Industrial Revolution set social and economic forces increasing assertiveness of the middle class ans the laborers

Europe after 1815

German confederation consisting of 39 independent states were created

Austria was given majority control over northern Italy

Russia controlled Finland and Lithuania and eastern Poland was confirmed, Poland was created "Congress Poland"

Definitions

Nation States-empires, principalities and mini states.

Quadruple Alliance- England, Russia, Prussia and Austria formed an alliance after defeating Napoleon and worked to suppress any revolution of Bonapartism. France was added into the alliance in 1818 and was then reffered to as the Concert System

Concert of Europe-Prince Clemens von Metternich, chief minister of the Habsburg monarchy organized several congresses of European leaders during the 1820s to discuss intervention against political unrest on the continent. Allies went to Italy and Spain to suppress nationalist and liberal revolts

Liberalism and Nationalism

Political Liberalism is rooted from out of Enlightenment ideas of Locke, Rousseau and others who favored government with consent and principles of sovereignty, constitutionalism(power of government limited by constitution) and tolerance of divergent POV. They promoted individual rights, respect for private property, and stronger parliments.

Economic Liberalism was related to Enlightenment ideas of private property from Adam Smith who emphasized in laissez-faire the “invisible hand” of the market, and free trade.

Nationalism main goal is to create a unified nation-state, in which the citizens of that state identify with both the nation (the people) and with the state (the political community)

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Economic Liberals wanted to limit governments regulation of the economy. They favored dismantling the mercantilist system, in which governments controlled almost all foreign trade; the elimination of protectionist tariffs; and the re-
duction of government rules and regulations that inhibited or hampered commercial and industrial activity

Political Community-built on family dynasties (hereditary monarchies), with little regard for popular allegiance or national culture.

Civic Nationalism-The forging of centralized, unified, national states by monarchs, from the top down

Popular Nationalism-the forging of states from the bottom up, is more recent still and is linked to the Enlightenment and uses the revolutionary ideas of the people as the source of power. This form of nationalism assumes that people who share a common language, culture, and identity—a na-
tion—should be in charge of their own political destiny.