Revolution and Reaction: Social Transformations in 19th Century Europe

This assignment delves into the complexities of 19th-century Europe, examining the aftermath of the 1848 revolutions, the ideological clashes between liberals and conservatives, and the economic disparities across Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe. It discusses the rise of the middle class, the conditions of peasants, and the varying approaches to serfdom abolition. Furthermore, it analyzes the Roman Catholic Church's response to modernity through the Syllabus of Errors, Louis Napoleon's conservative policies, and Bismarck's strategies for consolidating power in Prussia. The assignment also covers the implementation of civil liberties in Austria, Germany, and Italy, the significance of the Congress of Paris in maintaining European balance, and the influence of Social Darwinism and Marxist thought. This comprehensive overview provides insights into the political, economic, and social transformations that shaped 19th-century Europe.

Running Head: 19 CENTURY EUROPE
19 CENTURY EUROPE
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Author Note:

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Question 1
The revolution of 1848 was a cornerstone of the foundation of a new paradigm where the
concept of romanticism became obsolete. The predecessor of Louis Philippe, the
Romantic poet Alphonse Lamartine tried to avoid any kind of social reform. As a result
of that clashes between the artisans and the regular army in June paved the way for
establishing an unchallenged conservative assembly and thus ended the ‘Age of
Revolution’.
Question 2
Ideological contradiction and clash of interest were the main obstacles that the liberals
had faced during cooperated with the revolutionary movements. After the French
revolution in 1789 they achieved a lot in the form of efficient bureaucracy and the
parliaments in Germany, France and economic freedom in Prussia. In fact, they were
afraid of radicalism. The aftermath of the French revolution was a perfect example of
tyranny and anarchy. Therefore, they stepped back in 1848.
Question 3
During the period of 1850s and 1870s the Western and central Europe witnessed
prosperity and property simultaneously. In one hand, economic crisis had been seen in
the form of potato disease and poor grain crops, on the other hand the industrial
revolution unleashed its chain of success. However, the peasants and the agrarian class
suffered disastrously.
Question 4
Profit and prosperity became a constant feature of the condition of the middle class in this
period. It can be argued that the ‘Age of Revolution’ gifted the middle class section of the

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society enormous power that they became the influential factor to control the popular
psyche.
Question 5
The condition of the economic development in Eastern and Southern Europe was quite
different in compare to its central and western counterparts. In Russia, the Balkan regions
and in Spain lack of technological advancement and the establishment of isolated
factories halted the economic boom. Abolition of serfdom was there of course but seldom
the slaves got their lands or got the opportunity to elevate their lifestyles.
Question 6
In Russia there were some efforts to protect the peasants. In fact, the aristocrats even
wanted to emancipate the serfs. On the contrary, in Spain, Sicily and Hungary after the
abolition of serfdom the landowners purchased the lands by putting pressure on the
peasants.
Question 7
The Syllabus of Errors was a code of conduct on which the Roman Church tried to
prevent any kind of measures against the church. It was the brainchild of the Pope Pius
IX. The Roman Catholic Church wanted to retrieve their lost power and ideologies like
liberalism, socialism, science or any kind of changes related to the emergence of the
church was considered to be vile and hostile.
Question 8
The New Conservative policy of the Louis Napoleon was coincided with the fundamental
principles of the practice in terms of maintaining an effective repressive measure against
all the challenges. Based on this idea, Napoleon disbanded the Parliament as the

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parliament imposed a ban on him. Moreover, he arrested the opposition leaders and
driven them to exile. Following this, censorship on radical papers was also implemented.
Question 9
There were two concessions that Bismarck had introduced. The first one is identified as
the Bill of Indemnity and the second one can be referred as the grant of universal
suffrage. Through these two means Bismarck achieved the support of both the
nationalists and the liberals. However, his intention was to restore the political and social
structure of Prussia based on the new conservatism.
Question 10
In Austria under the immense pressure of the masses the government had to implement
the guarantees for civil liberties. Subsequently, Germany and Italy also followed the same
path by introducing emancipation of the serfdom and opened the Parliament for mass
representation. Freedom of speech, education and association became guaranteed by the
state.
Question 11
The Congress of Paris took place in 1856 at the aftermath of the three years long Crimean
War. It can be argued that as the first conflict in the heart of Europe, the Crimean War
was concluded by the negotiations in the Paris Congress. It fostered a balance of power
all over the continent and pledged to guarantee the independence of Turkey. Moreover,
the negotiation helped to restrict the aggrandizement of Russia to a moderate level that
provided peace in the continent temporarily.

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Question 12
Social Darwinism is a concept based on the theory of evolution propounded by Charles
Darwin. According to this theory political those nation and race will be extinct who are
not able to survive in the struggle.
On the contrary to Darwin’s perception about the savage nature of humans, Marx felt that
his theory of socialism was more materialistic and scientific. He defined the human
activities by the means of human production and class struggle.