Reforms, Revolutions, and War

• 1. Reforms in the British Empire• 2. Revolution and Change in France• 3. Independence in Latin America • 4. Expansion and War in the United States

•Major reforms took place in Europe and the Americas during the 1800s. •Both Great Britain and France made democratic reforms.•Latin American colonies also declared their independence from Europe.•Lastly, the United States abolished slavery in the Civil War.

1700 -1920

1. Reforms in the British Empire

• During the 1800’s, Great Britain passed many democratic reforms that changed the way people lived and worked.

1700 -1920

Social and Political Reform• Before the 1800’s, Britain was dominated by the

interests of wealthy landowners and aristocrats.• Industrialization led to rapid changes in society.• British citizens who worked in the industrial world

(middle class) but were not represented in Parliament began to call for social and political reform.

1700 -1920

Reform Act of 1832

• 1830’s – demands for reforms became too strong to ignore.

• Reform Act – gave industrial citizens representation in Parliament.

• Gave voting rights to the middle class –increased about 50%(Only men with property)

1700 -1920

Sadler and the Factory Act• Michael Sadler – British Parliament – investigated

treatment of children in the factories• Known as Sadler report – showed the harmful conditions

of children• Passed the Factory Act of 1833 – limited the working

hours of children in textile industries and made it illegal to work longer than a 12 hour day. Children 9 – 13 – two hours of schooling

1700 -1920

Other Reforms• Social Reforms – abolished slavery in Great Britain• Passed new public health and crime laws to improve living

conditions in industrial cities

1700 -1920

Chartism• Chartists – universal manhood suffrage; voting rights for

all men• They demanded voting rights and the secret ballot.• Parliament rejected the People’s Charter, which led to

Chartist uprisings and eventually some Chartist reforms.

1700 -1920

Victorian Era Voting Reforms• In 1837, Queen Victoria became the ruler of Great

Britain. • Her reign was the longest in British history, known as

the Victorian Era – time of great change in Britain, including voting reforms, making Britain increasingly democratic.

1700 -1920

Disraeli and Gladstone

• 1868 – 1885 – prime ministers – Benjamin Disraeli –conservative and William Gladstone – liberal –both elected several times

1700 -1920

Voting Rights for Men

• Voting rights in 1867 – bill meant one out of every three men could now vote, also created the secret ballot.

1700 -1920

Women’s Suffrage

• Some members of Parliament pushed for voting rights for women as well.

• Many women thought that getting the right to vote could increase their power in society.

• Did not receive suffrage until 1918 –Emmeline Pankhurst

• Could not vote until age 30 (1928 same as men)

1700 -1920

Changes in the British Empire• People with in the British Empire – Ireland, Canada,

Australia, and New Zealand took steps to rule themselves.

1700 -1920

Ireland• Since 1801, Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom after the Act of

Union joined England, Scotland, and Wales.• Mid 1800’s – potato famine wept Ireland – 1.5 million migrated to the

United States• Left Ireland resentful of British rule and finally 1920, Ireland

received limited self-government

1700 -1920

Canada• British colonies in Canada lacked unity due to French

colonization.• 1838 – Lord Durham – British government – form a “great

and powerful people.• 1867 – Canada became a dominion, or a self governing

colony, first step toward independence.

1700 -1920

Australia and New Zealand

• 1700’s British sent criminals to Australia, 1800’s – British citizens saw economic prospects their and started settling

• 1901 – Australia – self rule – the Commonwealth

• New Zealand became a dominion as also was the first country to give women the right to vote.

1700 -1920

2. Revolution and Change in France

• During the 1800’s, opposing groups in France struggled to determine what kind of government France would have – a republic, a constitutional monarchy, or an absolute monarchy.

1700 -1920

The Revolution of 1830

• The Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic era restored king Louis XVIII, Louis XVI’s brother, to the French throne.

1700 -1920

A King Abdicates• After the death of King Louis XVIII, his brother,

Charles became king. • He tried to rule as an absolute monarch, but he failed

after protestors stormed and controlled Paris in the Revolution of 1830.

• Metternich’s reaction - “My life’s work is destroyed.” The reactionary ideas at the Congress of Vienna were lost.

• Metternich feared that the revolution would spread throughout Europe; his fears would soon come true.

1700 -1920

The Reign of Louis Philippe

• Constitutional monarchyrestored under Louis Phillipe.

• He was quite popular with the middle class.

• Referred to as the “citizen king.” However, as king he increasingly abused his powers and an economic depression led France into another revolution.

1700 -1920

The Birth of Another Republic

• Economic troubles and general unhappiness simmered in France until 1848.

• Revolution sprang once again and another republic was born.

1700 -1920

The Revolution of 1848• Began when the French government banned a banquet

planned by reformers.• Angry protestors took the streets and King Louis Phillipe

abdicated his throne and the monarchy came to an end.• The French citizens formed a new government, a

republic headed by a president.• Louis Napoleon, the nephew of Napoleon, was elected

president. (known as the Second Republic)• The First Republic existed during the years between the

French Revolution and the reign of Napoleon.

1700 -1920

Napoleon III and the Second Empire

• Under the new constitution, the president could only serve for four years.

• Napoleon, who loved the power, sent troops to power and arrested members of the National Assembly who opposed him.

• He called for a national vote to decide if he should remain in office and draft a new constitution; the people agreed and the Second Empire of France had begun.

• Reforms - increasing voting rights, built many miles of railroads, increased trade, and improved communications in France - but ruled with ABSOLUTE power.

1700 -1920

The Third Republic

• In 1870, Napoleon III drew France into war with Prussia.• Napoleon was defeated and force to surrender. As a

result the French Assembly deposed Napoleon and formed the Third Republic.

• Reforms - made primary education available for children between the ages of 6 and 13. Trade Unions were legalized, and working hours reduced.

• Workers were granted to one day off a week.

1700 -1920

The Dreyfus Affair• Reforms did not affect everyone in French society. • Dreyfus affair - revealed the extent of anti-Semitism,

or prejudice of Jews in France.• A Jewish captain in the French army was falsely accused

of given secrets to Germany.• This affair divided the country.• Theodor Herzl - Hungarian born Jew - The Jewish State

- plans for an independent Jewish country - led to Zionism , a Jewish nationalist movement to re-create a Jewish state in its original homeland.

1700 -1920

3. Independence in Latin America

• Revolutionary ideas took hold in Latin America as colonies fought for independence from Europe.

1700 -1920

Early Struggles in Latin America

• Early 1800’s - growing tensions among the different ethnic groups of Latin America were leading to demands for change.

• The American and French Revolution had inspired some Latin America countries to seek freedom.

1700 -1920

Haiti Becomes Independent

• First Latin American territory to break its ties with Europe (France) was Saint Domingue, located on the western half of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.

• Toussaint L’Ouverture, a former enslaved African, led a group of mulattoes and slaves in a bloody revolt against the French settlers.

• Napoleon reacted a sent French troops to the island, but he failed to conquer it. In 1804 - the revolutionaries declared their independence and formed their own nation Haiti.

1700 -1920

Colonies of Spain and Portugal• 1800’s Spain controlled most of Latin America, including

today Mexico and a large portion of Central and South America.

• Portugal governed Brazil.• Tensions develops between two groups - (Creoles)

European descent who were born in the colonies, (Peninsulares) and colonists who were born in Spain and/or Portugal.

• Because of the wars and revolutions in Europe, Creoles benefited and decided that the time was right to fight for independence.

1700 -1920

Independence in Mexico

• Napoleon’s conquest of Spain was the spark for independence in the colony of New Spain, as Mexico was known for the first time.

• Father Hidalgo - 1810 - a Creole priest - made the first call for Mexican independence. “Death to bad government and death to Spaniards.” He was captured and executed, but the revolution had begun. - Father of Mexican independence

1700 -1920

Morelos Continues the Revolution

• After the death of Hidalgo, another Creole named Jose Maria Morelos, became the leader of the revolutionary movement.

• He organized a Mexican government with representatives. He also wanted Mexico to be an independent republic with guaranteed freedoms.

• He, like Hidalgo, was captured by Spanish authorities and executed.

1700 -1920

A Creole King for Mexico• Not all creoles wanted independence from Spain. • Royalists - loyal to the Spanish king• Agustin de Iturbide - eventually joins the revolutionaries

and proposed a three-part proposal.• First, Mexico would gain its independence but would be

ruled by a monarch. Second, creoles and and peninsulares would have equal rights.

• Third, the Roman Catholic church would be the official church.

• 1821 - Mexico declared its independence; Iturbide became Emperor Agustin I of Mexico

1700 -1920

Revolutionary Leaders in South America

• The revolutions in Latin America as well as the America and France also influenced independence movements in South America.

1700 -1920

Simon Bolivar

• Simon Bolivar - “Liberator”- played key role in liberating Spain’s colonies in South America.

• 1811 - Venezuela declared its independence from Spain. Next ten years South America experienced revolutions everywhere.

• He set up the the state of Gran Columbia, Panama, and Ecuador.

• Other leaders set up separate countries in Peru, Bolivia, and others.

1700 -1920

Jose de San Martin

• While Bolivar fought in the north, Jose de San Martin fought in the south.

• San Martin fought against Napoleon in Spain.• Won independence for Argentina, Chile.• Found his way to Gran Columbia where he met Bolivar.• Historians disagree on what was discussed, but Pedro

resigned his position and retired back to Spain. This left Bolivar in power.

1700 -1920

Pedro• The story of independence was a bit different in the

Portuguese colony of Brazil.• When Napoleon invaded Portugal in 1807, the Portuguese

royal family fled to Brazil. Lived their for ten years.• King John VI named the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro

as the capital of the entire Portuguese empire. There he and his family stayed for ten years.

• He left his son and returned to Portugal in 1820. His son, Pedro, in 1822, declared Brazil independent from Portugal. Soon afterward, he was crowned Emperor Pedro I of Brazil.

1700 -1920

4. Expansion and War in the United States

• As the United States began to expand west, conflicts erupted over territory and slavery.

1700 -1920

Growth of the United States• In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased the

Louisiana territory from Napoleon and France for $15 million.

• This purchased nearly doubled the size of the United States reaching as far west as the Rocky Mountains.

• During the rest of the 1800’s, the United States will expand west and slavery would eventually erupt the nation into civil war.

1700 -1920

A Young Nation• War in Europe between France and Great Britain led to

the United States eventually being caught in the middle and declaring war on Great Britain in the War of 1812.

• When the fighting had ended, no territory had changed, but some Americans had felt that they had proved that the United States was indeed an independent democratic nation.

• 1823 - President James Monroe in the Monroe Doctrinedeclared that the Western Hemisphere was no longer open to colonization by Europe in the Western Hemisphere.

1700 -1920

Texas and Mexico• In 1820, American Moses Austin got permission from

Spain to settle in modern day Texas. However, Texas was a part of Mexico.

• Eventually Texas settlers fought for their independence from Mexico with the help of the United States military.

• In 1845, Texas became a state.

1700 -1920

The Move West• Idea the Americans were destined to spread west from

the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean was coined by John O’ Sullivan in a newspaper - Manifest Destiny.

• Why - GOLD was discovered in California, Also national law to grant 160 acres of free land to anyone who made the trip.

1700 -1920

Effects on Native Americans

• As Americans moved west, Native Americans were forced off their lands and pushed farther and farther west to the Pacific Ocean.

• When Americans had conquered from the Atlantic to the Pacific, Indians were eventually forced to live on reservations, designated areas set aside by the federal government.

1700 -1920

The Civil War• As the United States expanded west, the issue of

slavery spreading into the new territories became a national problem.

• Since colonial times, slavery played a crucial role in the economics of America, especially in the south.

• Many began to fight for the abolition, or the end of slavery in the United States. Yet many in the South regarded it as their livelihood. Hence the United States Civil War. The fight between the federal government and the states governments had begun.

1700 -1920

The Road to War• As new territories were added to the United States, Americans had

to decide if the territories would be free or slave states.• 1854 - Kansas Nebraska Act - popular sovereignty - let the people

decide - ended up in “Bleeding Kansas”• In the election of 1860, Republican Abolitionist Abraham Lincoln

became president of the United States and South Carolina, along with other southern states, seceded from the Union and form the Confederacy States of America.

1700 -1920

War Begins• President Lincoln did not believe that the Constitution

gave the states permission to leave the Union.• 1861 - Fort Sumter - the first shots were fired and the

Civil War had begun.• Continued for four years and more than 500,000 men

were killed in the process.

1700 -1920

The Emancipation Proclamation

• In January, 1863, President Lincoln changed his war aims for not only preserving the Union, but also declaring that slavery was illegal in the states of secession.

1700 -1920

The Union Prevails

• Later in 1863, after the Union victory at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, President Lincoln issued the Gettysburg Address honoring all the fallen during the war.

• The war continued for one and a half more years when Confederate leader Robert E. Lee and Confederate President Jefferson Davis surrendered.

1700 -1920

Effects on the Civil War

• The Civil War left the south in ruins. The process of Reconstruction, the rebuilding of the south, would be a difficult undertaking for the United States, as the nation would be divided as to how to reconstruct the south.

• Radical Republican led the drive and eventually African Americans were granted citizenship and the right to vote. Racial inequality would divide the nation for the next 100 years until the Civil Rights Era.

1700 -1920