2.2 Restoration of Monarchies and Conservative Order

After Napoleon's defeat, Europe's leaders sought to restore order and prevent future upheavals. The Congress of Vienna played a crucial role, reinstating monarchies and promoting conservative ideals. This marked a significant shift from the revolutionary period, emphasizing stability over change.

The restoration of monarchies had far-reaching effects on European society and politics. While it aimed to maintain peace, it also suppressed liberal and nationalist movements. This tension between conservative rule and growing demands for reform would shape the continent's future struggles.

Restoration of Monarchies in Europe

Congress of Vienna and Legitimacy Principle

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• Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) restored balance of power in Europe after Napoleonic Wars
  • Emphasized legitimacy and conservatism
  • Aimed to prevent future conflicts and maintain stability
• Klemens von Metternich championed principle of legitimacy
  • Justified restoration of pre-Napoleonic monarchies
  • Supported return of dynastic rulers to their thrones
• Restoration driven by desire for stability and fear of revolutionary ideals
  • Conservative powers (Austria, Prussia, Russia) exerted significant influence
  • Sought to prevent spread of liberal and nationalist movements

Specific Monarchical Restorations

• France restored Bourbon monarchy under Louis XVIII
  • Implemented constitutional charter balancing monarchical power with liberal concessions
  • Limited suffrage to property-owning elites
• Spanish monarchy restored under Ferdinand VII
  • Repealed liberal Constitution of 1812
  • Returned to absolutist rule
• Italian states reinstated pre-Napoleonic rulers
  • House of Savoy returned to Piedmont-Sardinia
  • Papal States restored under Pope Pius VII
• Holy Alliance formed by Russia, Prussia, and Austria
  • Aimed to maintain restored monarchical order
  • Suppressed liberal and nationalist movements across Europe

Impact of Conservative Order

Social and Economic Effects

• Reinforced traditional social hierarchies
  • Nobility and clergy regained pre-revolutionary status and privileges
  • Limited social mobility for lower classes
• Economic policies favored landed aristocracy and agricultural interests
  • Slowed industrial development and modernization in some areas (Eastern Europe)
  • Implemented protectionist measures and trade restrictions
• Hindered international commerce and industrial growth
  • Maintained feudal-like systems in rural areas
  • Slowed urbanization and emergence of middle class

Political and Intellectual Consequences

• Limited political representation
  • Restricted suffrage to property-owning elites in most restored monarchies
  • Suppressed democratic reforms and popular sovereignty
• Implemented censorship and control of education
  • Suppressed spread of liberal and nationalist ideas
  • Targeted universities as potential hotbeds of dissent
• Led to development of secret societies and underground political movements
  • Carbonari in Italy organized against Austrian rule
  • Decembrists in Russia advocated for constitutional monarchy
• Growing discontent contributed to future revolutions
  • July Revolution of 1830 in France
  • Revolutions of 1848 across Europe

Methods of Conservative Control

Surveillance and Suppression

• Established secret police organizations
  • Habsburg Empire's Geheime Staatspolizei monitored potential opposition
  • Created networks of informants and spies
• Implemented strict control over public gatherings and associations
  • Prevented organization of opposition movements
  • Limited freedom of assembly and speech
• Used military force to quell uprisings
  • Suppression of Decembrist revolt in Russia (1825)
  • Demonstrated willingness to use violence to maintain order

Legal and Diplomatic Measures

• Carlsbad Decrees of 1819 in German Confederation exemplified conservative measures
  • Imposed press censorship
  • Increased surveillance of universities
• Manipulated legal systems to prosecute political dissidents
  • Imposed harsh penalties for sedition and treason
  • Created deterrents to opposition through legal intimidation
• Diplomatic cooperation between conservative powers
  • Congress System allowed coordinated responses to revolutionary threats
  • Metternich's Conference System maintained conservative alliance
• Restricted international travel and communication
  • Limited spread of liberal ideas across borders
  • Controlled passports and monitored correspondence