Liberalism, Authoritarianism, and Imperialism in the 19th Century

Consolidation of Liberalism in Britain and France

In Britain and France, democracy gradually advanced; universal male suffrage was approved; freedom of religion and expression developed; and modern political parties emerged. Socialist parties began to have parliamentary representation, and workers could vote. The parties began to develop modern political strategies because they needed their message to reach the entire population and not just a small part.

Not all countries achieved full democracy due to:

• Women still lacked many rights, including voting, and were legally subject to men.
• Another factor that prevented the development of democracy was the widespread practice of electoral manipulation.

The progress of democracy was accompanied by measures to protect the most disadvantaged, those who laid the foundations of the welfare state.

Persistence of Authoritarian Systems

• In Russia, the Tsar maintained strict absolutism, and serfdom existed until 1861. The economy remained agricultural, and industrialization was very limited.
• In Germany: After unification, a system that was not fully liberal was created. A constitution was approved that established a parliament elected by universal male suffrage, but it could not challenge the decisions of the emperor and prime minister.
• Austro-Hungarian Empire: In the nineteenth century, the emperor continued to control all power, supported by the Catholic Church, the aristocracy, and the army. However, in the early twentieth century, the empire initiated overtures to the Liberal Party, and in 1906, universal suffrage was recognized.

Imperialism

Imperialism implies the extension of one country's domain over another. The conquering country is the metropolis, and the conquered territories are colonies. The nineteenth-century imperialist expansion had new protagonists: Britain and France were the main colonial powers, but other European countries, the USA, and Japan also created empires. Conversely, Spain lost its colonies in Latin America and the Pacific. The nineteenth-century expansion was rapid and total.

Causes of Imperialism

• Economic factors: Economic factors were very important due to the increase in production that accompanied the Industrial Revolution. Colonies became markets where goods did not have to pay customs taxes. They were also sites where capital could be invested. Furthermore, colonized territories offered cheap raw materials.
• Political factors: Powers conquered strategically important places to control land and sea routes. Territorial expansion also served to increase a country's prestige.
• Demographic factors: In Western countries, the population grew strongly in the nineteenth century, and millions of Europeans emigrated to the colonies.
• Ideological factors: The intensity of imperialism cannot be understood without taking into account the power of racist ideologies in the West in the nineteenth century.