Key Moments in 19th Century European History
Exam A
1. The Unification of Germany (1864-1871)
This is a political map of Europe. It represents some countries of the continent, like France and Germany. The yellow color represents Prussia, purple represents the unification of the northern German states, green represents the northern independent states, pink represents the unification of the southern German states, and blue represents Prussia’s conquest of France. Blue lines represent the borders of the North German Confederation, and the red ones represent the borders of the German Confederation. The map represents the period of the unification of Germany (1864-1871), where the main figures were William I, King of Prussia, and Chancellor Bismarck. First, Prussia defeated Austria in the Battle of Sadowa in 1866. Prussia then defeated France in the Battle of Sedan in 1870, incorporating Alsace and Lorraine to unify the southern German states. The new state created a new constitution that established universal male suffrage and a federal political system.
2. Timeline of Key Events in Spain
- 1813: Abolition of the Inquisition
- 1815-1825: Second stage of the independence of Spanish America
- 1851: Construction of the Madrid-Aranjuez railway line
- 1855: Madoz’s Law of General Disentailment
- 1873-1874: First Spanish Republic
3. Ideological Groups in Spain
Afrancesados and Patriots:
Afrancesados were the new monarchy and supported its reforms. This group of Spaniards was composed of members of the nobility, clergy, and mainly civil servants. Patriots refused to accept a foreign monarchy imposed by military might. This group included most of the people who defended the sovereignty of Ferdinand VII. They are related because both were ideological groups that emerged when Joseph I Bonaparte reigned.
Moderate Party and Progressive Party:
The Moderate Party was composed of the upper bourgeoisie and some sectors of the middle class. The Progressive Party consisted of the urban middle class, such as employees. They were related because both were political parties that were created when Isabella II reigned; they were confronted.
4. Social Unrest in the 19th Century
- Which social groups were the most discontent?
- The lower class.
- Agricultural day laborers suffered from low wages and seasonal unemployment, which is why they raised a number of harshly repressed riots.
- Industrial workers suffered from long working days, low wages, lack of insurance, exploitation of children, and difficult living conditions.
- What were the causes of the situation?
- It was characterized by activism, manifested in the spontaneous destruction of machinery.
- What did they do to improve the situation?
- Beginning in 1868, the ideologies present in the First International were spread, above all, anarchism.
- In 1860, the Spanish Regional Federation was founded.
5. The Ominous Decade
This period began with the repression of the liberals. The situation changed in 1830 with the succession problem. Because when his daughter Isabella was born, Ferdinand VII repealed the Salic Law that prevented women from inheriting the throne. Don Carlos, brother of Ferdinand VII and until then his successor, did not accept it and received support from absolutists, which forced Maria Christina, wife of Ferdinand VII, to rely on the liberals.