The Age of Revolutions (1830–1848)

🇮🇹 🇩🇪 Rise of Liberalism & Nationalism

  • In Italy & German states, conservatives tried to consolidate power.
  • Liberalism + Nationalism became associated with revolution.
  • Revolutions also occurred in Ottoman Empire, Ireland, and Poland.
  • Leaders were mostly educated middle-class elites.

📅 July Revolution – France, 1830

  • Overthrew Bourbon monarchy (restored after Treaty of Vienna, 1815).
  • Established a constitutional monarchy with Louis Philippe as King.
  • Inspired Belgium → gained independence from United Kingdom of Netherlands in 1831.

🇬🇷 Independence of Greece (1832)

  • Part of the Ottoman Empire since the 15th century.
  • 1821 – Greek nationalists began independence struggle, inspired by European revolutionary nationalism.
  • Supported by:
    • Greeks living in exile.
    • Western Europeans who admired Greece’s ancient culture.
    • Poets & artists who romanticised Greece’s cause.
    • Lord Byron (English poet) – raised funds, joined the fight, died of fever in 1824.
  • Treaty of Constantinople (1832) → Greece became an independent nation.

🎨 Romanticism & National Feeling

  • Romanticism – cultural movement promoting emotions, intuition, heritage, not just reason & science.
  • Goal: Create shared collective heritage & national pride.
  • 📌 Johann Gottfried Herder – true German culture in folk songs, poetry, dances.
  • Karol Kurpinski – Polish composer → turned folk dances (polonaise, mazurka) into nationalist symbols.
  • Emphasis on vernacular language & local folklore → spread nationalism to mostly illiterate populations.
  • After Russian occupation, Polish language banned in schools → Russian imposed everywhere.

🍞 Hunger, Hardship & Revolt (1830s–1848)

  • Population boom → more job seekers than jobs.
  • Rural migration → overcrowded city slums.
  • Small producers faced competition from cheap machine-made goods (Britain).
  • Feudal dues still existed in some regions → peasants burdened.
  • Enclosure of land → farmers lost land & food security.

🔥 Revolution of 1848 – France

  • Food shortages + unemployment → protests in Paris.
  • King Louis Philippe fled → France declared a Republic.
  • Reforms:
    • Universal male suffrage (21+).
    • Right to work guaranteed.
    • National Workshops set up for employment.

✅ Board Exam Tip:

  • Prepare map questions → mark Greece, France, Belgium.
  • Learn three major causes of 1848 revolutions: economic hardship, political repression, social inequality.
  • Name two Romanticism contributors: Herder (Germany), Kurpinski (Poland).
  • Lord Byron’s contribution is a favourite one-mark question.