LIBERAL REVOLUTIONS
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The United Kingdom (UK) has 13 colonies on the east coast of North America.
Britain wanted raw materials from their American colonies, but they had no interest in
developing industry there. This made trade difficult between the Thirteen Colonies and other
areas of America. It was an important source of conflict with the British Crown.
There were also political tensions. The Thirteen Colonies were subject to the authority of the
British king.
Between 1766 and 1766, King George III established laws to regulate colonial taxes, but the
colonies responded by boycotting British goods.
THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE
During the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), the American colonies were supported
by Spain and France. The colonies, led by General George Washington, won decisive
victories. Britain recognised the United States of America as an independent nation in the
Treaty of Versailles.
The United States of America Constitution of 1787 was the first constitution in history. It
established national sovereignty and the separation of powers:
-Legislative power was held by two bodies: the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Their members were chosen in free elections, although only White males could vote.
-Executive power was held by a president. In 1789 George Washington became the first
president of the United States of America.
-Judicial power was held by independent judges.
THE CAUSES OF REVOLUTION
In France, the Old Regime was destroying by the French Revolution (1789-1799), which had
its origins in the failures of the system:
THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY (1780-1791)
The king dismissed the reformist minister Necker. In response, the revolutionary groups in
Paris stormed the Bastille prison on 14th July 1789. In rural areas, there was a peasant
revolt known as “the Great Fear”
On 4th August, the Constituent Assembly began to introduce a series of reforms that ended
the Old Regime and marked the triumph of the liberal revolution:
THE CONVENTION (1792-1794)
This assembly was elected by all adults males. The strongest groups in the convention were
the Girondins, or moderate republicans, and the Jacobins, or Montagnards, who were more
radicals.
THE CONSULATE
The Consulate was Napoleon’s personal regime in which he held all the power. In 1799 he
was appointed First Consul and in 1802 he became Consul for Life.
To modernise the country, he drew up a civil code that simplified the laws, he created the
Bank of France and he signed a Concordat with the Pope.
THE NAPOLEONIC EMPIRE
The Continental Bolckade was Napoleon’s attempt to stop British trade in Europe. The
Portuguese did not accept this, so Napoleon invaded Portugal. He also occupied Spain,
which led to the Spanish War of Independence.
THE RETURN OF OLD REGIME
After Napoleon was defeated, the old monarchies were restored. A reaction against the
principles of the French Revolution began in Europe. This period is known as the
Conservative Order.
-The Constitutions were abolished
In addition p, the great powers met to solve international problems without going to war.
THE CONGRESS OF VIENNA
The greta European powers met at the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815). The Austrian
Foreing Minister Prince Metternich played a leading role in their attempts to guarantee
lasting peace and avoid new revolutions.
-France returned to the frontiers it had before the Revolution.
-States were reinforced around France as a protective barrier against future French
expansion.
-There were territorial gains for Austrias, Prussia and Russia.
However, this Congress caused new problems, like the union of Sweden and Norway.
Poland, Germany and Italy’s nationalist demands were ignored.
The European powers formed alliances to consolidate the Conservative Order.
-The Holly Alliance (Prussia, Russia and Austria)
-The Quadruple Alliance ( the Uk, Austria, Prussia and Russia).
THE REVOLUTIONS OF 1820 AND 1830
The attempts by the Conservative Order to return to the Old Regime failed. In some places,
revolutions broke out. These revolutions were mainly influenced by two factors:
-National movements.
-Liberalism.
THE REVOLUTIONS OF 1848
This was the biggest wave of revolutions in 19th-century Europe. The protests mixed liberal
and nationalist ideals with social demands for workers rights.
-The crisis began in France in February 1848. The population rebelled against the monarchy
of King Louis Philipe de Orleans, which was increasingly conservative and corrupt. The king
was deposed and the second French Republic was declared.
Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte became president of the Republic. However, his government
grew more and more authoritarian. In 1852, Bonaparte’a government led a coup and
declared the Second French Empire.
-The Revolution spread to other big cities in central and southern Europe. They all
demanded constitutions and respect for individual freedoms. Liberalism was able to
advance.
GERMANY BEFORE UNIFICATION
In 1815, German territory was divided into 39 states. From then on, several processes
promoted greater unity:
-The Congress of Vienna grouped these territories into an association called the German
Confederation.
-In 1834 Prussia organised a customs union, or Zollverein: a free-trade area without internal
customs duties.
-In the revolution of 1848, a Parliament met in the city of Frankfurt and offered the crow of a
unified Germany to the king of Prussia. The king, however, rejected it.
-From 1862, King Wilhelm I of Prussia and his prime minister Otto von Bismark accelerated
the unification process of Germany by military action, through three wars. This process led to
the proclamation of the Second Reich, or German Empire.
THE STAGES OF UNIFICATION
The unification of Germany only took a few years.
