What is Going on in the 19th Century???


Put simply, the 19th century was a time of change. The Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, and French Revolution ushered new ideas into Europe during the 18th century. The French Revolution combined with the Industrial Revolution created a "dual-revolution". These two revolutions allowed for both government and social order to change. During the 19th century, the leaders of Europe attempted to restore the balance of power. The 19th century was also a time of new and promoted ideologies. Common trends throughout this century include the struggle between liberalism and conservatism. Also, enhanced feelings of nationalism arose in many countries. These new ideologies allowed for so much change to occur.

Political changes were some of the most prominent changes occuring during the 19th century. One of the main conflicts politically, was between conservatists and liberals. Conservatists support traditional beliefs and values. On the other hand, liberals are proponents of change and the philosophy of "the group rather than the individual". One of the biggest changes during this time was the Industrial Revolution. Liberals embraced the Industrial Revolution because it created new jobs, allowing the lower classes to gain influence, which eventually disrupted the social order. After the Napoleonic Era, the leaders of Europe had to reform the national borders. The Congress of Vienna was designed to create new national borders and restore a balance of power. This group wanted to restore the old governments in order to create peace and stability. The Congress of Vienna wanted to do whatever was necessary to end the turmoil and revolutions that had just occurred in Europe. The French Revolution of 1848 opposed the ideals of the Congress of Vienna. The French Revolution was a liberal revolution opposed to the monarchial rule of Louis-Philippe. As you can see, the first part of the 19th century was mostly the struggle between conservatism and liberalism. When the fight for liberalism failed (the French Revolution of 1848 was ultimately unsuccessful), nationalism arose as a different way of expressing the want for change. This trend of nationalism is evident throughout the later part of the 19th century. The fight for both Italian and German Unification were fueled mainly by nationalism. Nationalism also led to imperialism. Imperialism had major political effects on the 19th century. England's sense of nationalism led to the need to increase their power and prestige. The English influence in China during the 19th century is a prime example of European imperialism. Another example of nationalism is the fight between France and England against Russia that occurred mainly on the Crimean Peninsula. This hostility between these nations was fueled by colonialism, which is an aspect of imperialism. Finally, the fight over the Balkan region between Russia and Austria also shows the rivalry between nations caused by imperialism. The 19th century was a battle between conservatism and liberalism, which eventually gave way to nationalism.

Economically, 19th century imperialism and the Industrial Revolution had a major effect on the financial affairs of Europe. Imperialism allowed the mother country to benefit from its colonies-both the raw goods manufactured there and the products sold to the colonies brought in profit. The Industrial Revolution forever changed the financial aspects of not only Europe, but the world. With more factories and job openings, more lower class people were able to earn wages. Increased amount of goods in less time, with less work, allowed for lower prices of goods. This, coupled with the fact that more people were earning wages drastically changed the outlook of Europe, economically. Negative economic aspects included the Irish potato famine and the Dreyfus Affair. The Irish potato famine completely ruined Ireland's economy. Many people had to emigrate from Ireland to America because they didn't have any food and were evicted from their houses. The Dreyfus Affair created feelings of resentment by Jewish people. This led to boycotts by the Jewish people which hurt French businesses. Overall, during the 19th century the economy prospered as a result of imperialism and the Industrial Revolution.

The 19th century also dealt with religious change. The Dreyfus Affair was quite possibly the biggest religious turmoil of the century. It showed a main case of antisemitism. The whole problem eventually caused the church to be against the state. Those who sided with Dreyfus supported the church and those against supported the state. Another example of religious turmoil was the Crimean War. A main cause of the war was the struggle over the Holy Land. There was a struggle for the Holy Land between France, the Ottoman Empire, and Russia. Another factor that affected religion in the 19th century was imperialism. Countries felt that their religion was "superior", so they sent missionaries to their colonies to introduce their religion to the "natives". Finally, one of the beliefs of the Irish potato famine was that it was a sign of God's wrath and anger with the Irish people. They thought that it was a punishment for their sins. Religion was mostly impacted during this time by the Dreyfus Affair and the Crimean War.

Socially, art becomes more appreciated, especially in the time of Industrial Revolution. People come to recognize nature and it's beauty as shown through art. Also, the philosophy of Social Darwinism arose. This is the idea that Charles Darwin's theories can be applied to social settings and that competition between people fuels social change. Finally, the role of women in society drastically changed. Feminism arose, allowing women to fight for their rights, the main one being women's vote. Although it took work, women eventually found themselves having a much more prominent role in society. Social changes started in the 19th century and carried into the 20th.

Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud both had a lasting affect in the intellectual ideas of the 19th century. Marx's ideas of communism still exist today and also contributed to the political ideas going on at the time. Sigmund Freud was a neurologist who studied hypnotism and mental diseases among other things. The intellectual change of the 19th century was greatly influenced by Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud.

Finally, the artistic effects of the 19th century included not only Romanticism through art and music, but political cartoons depicting and ridiculing problems such as the Dreyfus Affair and women's rights. Romanticism involved the appreciation of nature, shown through poetry, drama, painting, opera, and ballet. It helped people to realize that while the Industrial Revolution was a positive movement as far as the economy and such, the destruction of nature through factories was wrong. Art was also influenced by other topics of the time such as communism and other ideas. Art during the 19th century consisted of Romanticism, but also the non-conventional art of political cartoons that shed light upon pressing issues of the time.

The 19th century had many political, economic, religious, social, intellectual, and artistic effects. This century was about restoring order after the turmoil of the 18th century. It also was a struggle between conservatism and liberalism, which allowed for nationalism and imperialism to rise in the later part of the 19th century. This was a time of change which allowed many of our present ideas of government, finances, and social beliefs to form. This "whirlwind of change" played an important role in correcting the problems of the 18th century and allowing us to continue on in history with new ideas, beliefs, and values.