19th Century European Revolutions and Unifications

The Age of Revolutions in Europe

The political revolutions that took place brought the final end to absolute monarchy in Europe. Most of these revolutionary movements were based on liberal and nationalist ideologies.

Revolutions of the 1820s

The following revolutions took place in the 1820s:

• In Portugal and Spain, liberal revolutions aimed to establish constitutional monarchies.
• Greece won its independence from the Ottoman Empire through a liberal and nationalist revolution.

Revolutions of 1830

In 1830, other revolutions broke out:

• In France, a liberal revolution established a constitutional monarchy.
• In Belgium, a nationalist revolution gained independence from the Netherlands, to which Belgium had been united by the Congress of Vienna.

Revolutions of 1848

In 1848, revolutions broke out in France, the Austrian Empire, the German Confederation, and Italy. These revolutions were more radical. Middle classes were demanding democratic reforms that would give them access to political power. All revolutions of this period failed except in France, where they proclaimed the Second Republic and the introduction of universal manhood suffrage.

Italian and German Unification

Italy and Germany were divided into independent states. In both cases, nationalist movements emerged, leading to the unification of these states into two new nation-states.

Italian Unification

The unification process was initiated by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. After gaining support from France, King Victor Emmanuel II and his prime minister, Cavour, fought successfully against Austria. Austrians were expelled. Piedmontese conquered the rest of the Italian Peninsula with the help of Garibaldi. Italy became a constitutional monarchy, with Victor Emmanuel II as its king. Rome was annexed and became the capital city.

German Unification

Otto von Bismarck, the Prussian chancellor, began the German unification process with a conflict with Denmark over the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. After defeating Denmark in 1864, Prussia increased its control and influence in the Austro-Prussian War. France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War, and had to surrender the region of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany. Bismarck established the Second German Empire with Wilhelm I as its emperor.