Liberalism and Nationalism: 19th Century Political Shifts

Liberalism: Core Principles

Liberalism is an ideology that advocates for individual liberties. Key principles include:

• Guaranteed citizens' rights and liberties.
• Constitutional monarchy as a form of government.
• Separation of powers: Executive power held by the monarch/government, legislative power by the Cortes, and judicial power by the courts.

Nationalism: Defining the Nation-State

Nationalism advocates for the right of people who define themselves as a nation to form independent states.

• Nation-state: Based on a population with common links.
• Popular sovereignty.
• Self-determination: Each nation chooses its own form of government.

Types of Nationalism

• Unification: Advocates for the unification of independent states with a common language and history.
• Separatist: Advocates for independence for regions that formed part of multinational states.

19th Century Revolutions

1820 Revolutions

• Spain and Portugal: Liberal revolutions aimed at establishing constitutional monarchies.
• Greece: Sought independence from the Ottoman Empire.

1830 Revolutions

• Belgium: Sought independence from Holland; Leopold I of Saxe-Coburg became Belgium's constitutional monarch.
• France: During the Restoration, the Bourbons returned to the throne.

Italian and German Unification

Italian Unification

• The Congress of Vienna left the Italian peninsula divided into seven states.
• Nationalist and liberal successes in other countries inspired the movement.
• The failure of the 1848 revolutions encouraged further nationalism.
• Important figures supported Italian unification.

German Unification

• The German Confederation was divided into 39 states.
• Liberal and nationalist ideas gained popularity.
• The 1848 Frankfurt Parliament attempted to create a unified state with universal manhood suffrage.
• In 1834, the Zollverein was established.

The Reign of Isabel II in Spain

• Alternation of power between Moderates and Progressives.
• Second Carlist War (1846–1848).
• Division of Spain into 49 provinces.
• Social instability.
• Expropriations: The state confiscated land belonging to the Church, nobility, and municipalities to solve economic problems, providing financial compensation in return.

Consequences of Latin American Independence

Impact on Spain

• Spain lost hegemony over Latin America.
• Spain became a second-rate power.
• Spain lost its trade monopoly over the American colonies.

Impact on New South American Countries

• The Creole bourgeoisie gained political and economic power.
• New countries were formed.
• Most new republics came under the influence of Great Britain.
• The establishment of free trade damaged the economies of many countries.