What is going on in Europe in the 19th Century?
The 19th century brought many changes to Europe; both positive and negative. New ideas of an ideal society spread at the same time as people tried to preserve tradition. Technology advanced, and new opportunities were created as a result. Many new inventions of the Industrial Revolution facilitated work and created new jobs and brought a higher standard of living. People in the lower classes became more active in society. Although it brought many positive advances to Europe, the revolution also lead to poorer working conditions and child labor which became major social issues that influenced many philosophers’ outlooks.
The Dreyfus affair, occurring as a result of a lack of a stable government, negatively affected France, a once prosperous, key European power. Many Jews boycotted French goods and suddenly money stopped coming into the country, bringing halted business growth and less job opportunities. France feared the chance of German domination.
The Congress of Vienna created new borders after Napoleon. It also eliminated the Holy Roman Empire and created a new balance of power. The 19th century also brought about the unification of Germany and Italy, and the Greek war of independence. Nationalism was the main fuel of the creation of these new nations. European Imperialism was also a result of nationalism, as countries disputed over territories in the Far East to benefit their homelands and for political power. The Irish during the Potato Famine were against colonialism, since it prevented England from aiding them in a time of great disease and population decrease.
Romanticism was an artistic movement that reflected the political events of this period. It expressed mixes of nationalism, liberalism, and conservatism to reveal the mix of ideal political situations that were present throughout Europe. A new idea that arose during the 19th century was communism, created by Karl Marx. In this new, politically radical idea of a society, Marx hoped to rid people of the class struggle, or the oppression of the workers. This new idea became idealistic in the French Revolution in 1848 as the people of the working class looked for liberation. Feminism was a movement that changed women’s role in society. It challenged the traditional teachings of the church and its views of a typical family. Women could attend universities and had more influences on intellectual aspects of society.
