Historical Events and Political Ideologies: 1789-1848
Four Historical Events: 1789-1848
1789: The French Revolution begins.
1799: Coup by Napoleon Bonaparte.
1815: Defeat of Napoleon.
1830: Liberal revolution in France.
Contemporary Society
Contemporary society is characterized by:
- Sovereignty
- Sovereign nation
- Equal rights
- Legal equality
Which Defended the Enlightened Ideas?
- Importance of nature
- Confidence in reason
- Natural rights for all human beings
- Defense of a natural religion
- Need to expand education
Cathedral or Illustration?
The Illustration is the intellectual movement of French origin that is characterized by its reliance on reason, science, and education as basic elements that explain the progress of peoples. It diffuses critical rationalism with traditional values to end the former system. It was decisive in the reformist regime.
Causes of American Independence
Thirteen colonies were founded in the seventeenth century, and early settlers had arrived in the eighteenth century, fleeing the religious wars of Europe and attracted by the prospect of liberty and property, which gave more land. Snuff and cotton plantations were worked by black slaves, and they developed a brisk trade with Europe and the American colonies from Spanish rule.
England prohibited the manufacture of any product that could make it competitive.
The declaration of rights culminated in the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This provoked a war against Britain that lasted until 1783 when they provided themselves with a constitution.
American Constitution
- The sovereignty of the people, with no king to govern them.
- The equality of all citizens before the law.
- The possession by each individual of natural and inalienable rights: religious freedom, freedom of expression, and the right to property.
- Separation of powers and the election of all public offices.
- The separation of church and state, complete religious freedom.
Arguments to Defend the American Revolution as the First of the Contemporary Era
- Sovereignty of the people
- Popular participation through the direct election of governors
- First modern constitution
- Rebellion against the absolutism of the monarchy of the old regime
- Democratic principles
- Spread of revolutionary principles in Europe and America
Powers Separated by the U.S. Political System
- All men are created equal.
- His creator has given certain inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- If a government comes to ignore these purposes, the people have the right to alter or abolish it and institute a new government that is based on these principles.
Causes and Beginnings of the French Revolution
The nobility and clergy (none in the U.S.) supported the former regime firmly. They did not warn of the critical situation, and people across France were in a serious social and economic situation exploited by the bourgeoisie to seize power and raise the new regime. In 1789, several factors in France explain the revolutionary phenomenon:
- A serious economic crisis due to poor harvests.
- A financial crisis caused by the French state’s chronic indebtedness due to the trade deficit with other nations, military spending, and the luxury of the royal court of Versailles.
- An ideological crisis.
Napoleon’s Political Agenda
In 1804, Napoleon was crowned emperor of France. The new monarchy was unrelated to the former regime. It guaranteed individual liberties, private property, and the separation between church and state. It enhanced public education and strengthened the power of the state on behalf of the haute bourgeoisie, whose social and political hegemony was assured through census suffrage.
Restoration and Revolution, 1830
The victory of the anti-Napoleonic alliance was celebrated in 1814 at the Congress of Vienna, in which borders were restored to those before the French Revolution. The Holy Alliance created an absolutist coalition between Prussia, Austria, and Russia. The European bourgeoisie (employers, merchants, intellectuals, etc.) considered liberalism as the political ideology that best defended their interests.
France is the country where revolutions occurred that definitely vacated power from absolute monarchs, thus triggering revolutionary waves of broad impact on the continent.
In 1830, the high bourgeoisie did away with Bourbon absolutism and introduced a parliamentary monarchy through census suffrage (voting restricted to the wealthy elite) and control of the laws regulating political life.
Restoration and Revolution, 1848
The petty bourgeoisie and popular classes had been left out of political participation. They radicalized their positions to defend their class interests (strikes, reduction of working hours, and universal suffrage), leading to the emergence of new political groups: Democrats and Socialists.
In 1848, a new revolution of democratic character spread throughout Europe. The gentry, with the important support of the army, would impose a new, moderate liberalism. Popular pressure managed to go on, snatching increased plots of power from the bourgeoisie.
The Principles of Liberalism
After the French Revolution, liberalism became the theory behind the bourgeois revolutions of the nineteenth century, establishing the doctrinal basis justifying the capitalist economy. It replied at first mainly to the interests of the bourgeoisie. The struggles of the working class achieved freedoms extended to all layers of society and even greater social justice, so that this ideology became one of the cornerstones of Western civilization. Its basic principles are found in the declarations of rights of American and French revolutionaries and the laws of each country.
Conservative and Liberal Nationalism
Conservative: They defend the town’s superiority over individuals, thus addressing all liberals and claiming the right of any nation to establish its own state. Examples include German and Japanese nationalism.
Liberal: Emphasizes the importance of individuals, whose will is crucial to building an independent nation. Examples include Hispanic American and Italian liberals.