European Political and Industrial Shifts in the 19th Century

Political Developments in Europe (19th Century)

French Revolution

• Fall of the monarchy in France
• First Republic
• Declaration of Human Rights

Napoleon Bonaparte

• Establishes the Empire
• Dominates continental Europe

End of the Napoleonic Empire (Battle of Waterloo)

• Defeat of Napoleon

Congress of Vienna (1815)

• Restoration of monarchies

Congress of Vienna

Members: Representatives of Austria, Russia, Prussia, Great Britain, Spain, and France.

Objectives: To reinforce the restoration and legitimacy of the ruling dynasties at the time of the outbreak of the revolution in 1789, and a pact of solidarity between them against any revolutionary movement.

Changing the map of Europe: The Congress drew new borders between countries, according to the criteria of understanding or punishment, depending on the attitude taken against Napoleon.

Consequence: Artificial states emerged, whose unity was only political.

Emergence of New Ideologies

Liberalism

Economic liberalism is a dogma (basic principle) - the concept of laissez-faire, the belief that government should not interrupt the free play of natural economic forces, especially supply and demand.

Basic principles of politics: Chief among them was the protection of civil liberties and basic rights of all people:

• Equality before the law
• Freedom of assembly, speech, and the press
• Elimination of arbitrary arrest
• Religious tolerance
• Separation of church and state
• A monarchy or a constitutional state
• The right to vote and hold political office

Nationalism

Nationalism came from the realization of being part of a community with unique institutions, traditions, language, and customs.

Nationalists believed that each nation should have its own government and sought national self-determination, or the right to establish their own autonomy.

The multinational European states attempted to stop the threat of radical nationalism.

The First Industrial Revolution

Period: End of the 18th century and early 19th century.

Location: England.

First Industrial Revolution

Cotton Textile Industry

Employment of machines

• Energy use
• Spinner
• Loom
• Steam

Metallurgy

Employment of blast furnaces to increase and improve iron production.

Steam Engine

Mills

Transport

Railway, Steam Boat

New Social Groups

Capitalist Bourgeoisie

• Owners
• Bankers
• Employers

Proletariat

• Workers
• Industrial Proletariat = Employee

The Impact of the Railroad

• Faster and safer transportation
• Creation of jobs
• Demand for raw materials (iron, coal, leather, etc.)
• New infrastructure (roads, bridges, stations)
• Emergence of new towns and cities around its tracks

Bourgeois Society

Concept of Bourgeoisie

• Group of people with power and influence
• Noted for their wealth or their ability to rule others
• Their power was not from "birth" or "surname" but from their own merits

In social terms, they sought recognition of their new prestige by other social groups, and many married into noble families.

Politically, they occupied key positions in the administration of states.

Social Levels

(Pyramid)

1. Upper middle class
2. Middle class

Nobles

Workers

Peasants

1 - Members: Industrialists and bankers, big businessmen and entrepreneurs, senior officials, skilled professionals, high-ranking military officers, etc.

2 - Owners of shops or stores or used in any intermediate positions of the administration, army, or the professions.

The upper bourgeoisie controlled the economic and political power.

Typical buildings that characterized the bourgeois neighborhoods were the stock market, the opera house, the casino, the new city hall, and spacious cafés.

Their workday at the factory was 12 hours, and there was no protective social legislation that guaranteed vacation, sickness, old age, etc. There was no minimum wage, and none reached the level of subsistence.

Their living conditions were poor. They lived in substandard housing, concentrated in the suburbs. They had poor health conditions and often suffered from the spread of disease.