First Midterms' Notes

Absolutism
Requirements
Strong King
Weak Aristocrats
Church as a servant of the state
Mercantilism (economic system, everything owned/controlled by the king)
Centralism (all decisions and power concentrated in one city/palace/area)
Ethnic Unity (same language, history, values etc)

Absolutism in France
Louis XIV -> Very Rich (painting w/ fancy cloths, sword (symbol of privilege)

Castle: Versailles (+ many other castles, places for the king to stay)
1000 rooms – No toilet – dirtiness
Aristocrats lived in the castle so he could control them

Trade: Exports: Perfumes
King made money from taxes
Carried diseases around trade locations

ð Church was losing power
ð Insurances appeared (insurances for shipments etc)
ð National Banks
ð Constant rivalry UK vs FR vs Dutch for land & fur trade
ð Nations with similar uniform but different colors

Economy:
ð Louis XIV had 70k soldiers, needed 400k
ð Huge maintenance costs
ð No income tax yet
ð Tariffs (import tax)
ð Aristocrats paid no taxes
ð Tolls all around
ð Port Taxes for ships
ð King sold rights (right to trade, right of anything)
-> Business world opposed Mercantilism wanted Free Markets
Non-Absolutistic Nations
England – Netherlands – Poland

England (Parliamental Democracy)
(1641-1660) Charles I
– King of England tried to bypass the parliament
- Scottish army supported the parliament, soon after Charles lost the civil war and was executed in public

(1688) Glorious Revolution: A relative of Charles tried to gain control, failed and left

è New King – William of Orange


Netherlands (Republic)

Mayors had most power and the aristocrats wanted their fortunes
-> Married their children
Church powerless

Poland

After king Sobieski’s death, aristocrats chose a weak king so they could act freely.
=> Poland was destroyed

Countries with Some Absolutism

Habsburg Empire (Austria)
è There was no ethnic unity or centralism

Spain
è Catholic & Conservative
è Strict protocols
è Some regionalism (Basks, Catalonians etc)
è Very Strong Aristocrats (Cortez)

Prussia
è Former part of Germany, now a kingdom
è King: Frederique the Great
o Iron Discipline

Russia – Peter the Great (Czar/Tsar)
è Limited army in the beginning and no navy
è He traveled around Europe & gathered professionals (shipbuilders etc)

Sweden denied Russia’s entry to the sea
è Need for sea trade route => Need for ice-free port city
=> War vs Sweden, victory after 21 yrs
o St. Petesburg built
Tried to civilize in a western orientation the people
Beard & Clothing tax for aristocrats

Catherine the Great killed her husband Peter’s grandson (Peter III) and took the throne, continuing his job

The Fall of Absolutism
Reasons:
1. Lack of charismatic leaders
2. Rise of the middle class (strong merchants)
3. Increasing public debts (king’s mistresses)
4. Revival of the Aristocrats

Huge Population Growth
1700: 110 millions
1800: 185 millions
1900: 435 millions
Reasons: Medicine science
Health care
Urbanization
-Black Plague –soon after mercantilism collapsed

Piracy & Smuggling thrived
American Revolution (1775+)

Previously: (1756-1763) England vs France
“Seven Years War” => England won, took French Colonies in northern America

Only a minority wanted independence in the beginning (less taxes, king’s protection)

Reasons of American Revolution:
Taxes on everything (sample tax- tax per pages on a newspaper)
But then casualties were so many that people were angered

American Tea Company vs imported cheap British tea
=> destroyed a shipment dressed as indians

Beginning of American Revolution in the battle of Lexington & Concord

British soon realized reinforcements were hard to get
ð used black people, Indians and German mercenaries

Thomas Paine (father of American Revolution) wrote “Common Sense” justifying the reason of the war -> “It’s the system’s fault”

Americans needed allies, tried to approach France but they started alone
France realized there was nothing to win – Did not help.

First American Government consisting of 13 states: Continental Congress

4th July 1776: Declaration of Independence “All men are created equal”

1779 – Battle of Saratoga – after a series of losses, Americans had first major win

England put blockades on the sea trade routes around the cities to struggle them economically.
> Counteraction : Americans invited all nations to trade with them – except England

Major problem: No weapon factory in America
è Resorted to guerilla warfare, hit & run tactics for supplies

Reasons for English losing: a) Arrogance
b) Strategic Mistakes
c) No support from the colonies

General George Washington – 1783 Independence achieved

French Revolution (1789)

Reasons:
ð Increasing public debts – bankrupt state
ð 2 years of poor harvests => less bread for the people

French king summoned the Parliament

Parliament: 3 estates – 1 vote for aristocrats
1 vote for the church
1 vote for the people

People demanded 1 vote for each person, church and aristocrats objected

People’s representatives gathered and created the National constitutional Assembly of France

14th July 1789: Bastilles was stormed and destroyed completely
9th August 1789: Parliament forced to give concessions
Serfdom was abolished

Slavery abolished some years later
(Slaves were bad for the economy- didn’t consume or pay taxes)

Foreign disapproval for the rights the French people acquired
è No more unequal taxes -> Aristocrats have to pay taxes now

26 August 1789: Declaration of the Rights of the Man and the Citizens
Those who pay taxes have the right to vote

Promised free Speech, Press and Religion (not 100% followed)
All citizens are equal before the law & eligible for public office based on their qualifications

October 1789 – 6,000 people went to Versailles and brought the king to Paris so they could observe him

1789-1791 phase of the moderate

Need for money-> Bank Notes created, confiscated Church fortune to base them
Need for trade-> All trade taxes removed

Louis XVI era=>No rights given to women, no education, voting or divorce right

1791 June: Louis XVI tried to escape in the middle of the night with his royal carriage and outfit
=> Coward and traitor in the eyes of the people
Austria demanded that the king was not to be harmed or else there would be consequences (his wife was from Austria).


New Parliament, more radical
ð Terror era 1791-95

Parliaments started from the Jacobins debating club

Stronger movement to defend the king: Prussian & Austrian army united against France, reached Paris & demanded for the king not to be harmed.

At 1792 in a month 2,000 people killed as spies
In total 25,000 died during this era, mostly educated people

3 leaders of this movement: Dunton, Robespierre (fanatic), Marat

1794: Robespierre was killed before he could kill any more people
Reign of Terror ends.

“Citoyen” – people living in the cities

Attempt for a new calendar without Sunday and renamed months to oppose church. Religion declared a private matter.

1793 slavery abolished.

1795 – 1799 New political system “Directory” – 5 dictators
“Nothing was ever to be the same again”

Napoleon Bonaparte – Corse
- officer in the artillery
- very short
- opportunist
ð served all governments, moving up the ranks

1797 government decided to attack Austria, Napoleon leading the army
Defeated the Austrians of North Italy – Campo Formio

Attacked Egypt (England-controlled)
ð won “battle of the pyramids”

1799 Napoleon became the leader
Returned and reformed France and the army

Condordat of 1801 enacted – reaffirmed the roman catholic church as the majority church of France, made peace with the church

Napoleon named the first consul in the Consulate political system of France
New school & education system

In the battle of Trofalga (south of Spain) British Navy annihilated the French Navy.

Continental Blockade system did not allow ships near the ports to harm England => more damaging for France in the end

Battle of Austerlitz: Napoleon’s huge victory vs Russian-Austrian army

Invasion in Russia to stop them trading with England
Army of 611,000 men with 2,000 animals – very slow

Kutuzov: The Russian commander used scorched earth tactics => withdrawals and burning land in the passing of the French army

When the army got to Moscow, they Russians burnt it down. Army had to withdraw.
People ran away from French army, only 100,000 left in the end

Battle of Nations in Leipzig => Napoleon lost & retreated

1814: Napoleon was exiled in Elba but returned in France and ruled for 100 days
Gathered 250,000 men but was defeated in Waterloo from a combined army wanting to place Louis XVIII in the French throne.

Exiled in St. Helena and died there

Reasons of losing:
1- Continental system did not work
2- National Resistance
3- Military Superiority disappeared
4- Too many enemies

Aftermath:
Peace conference in Vierna 1815
England, Russia, Prussia, Austria, France – Mastermind Metternich
ð Congress system created in order to preserve monarchy by all means
ð Fixed border problems
ð Finland given to Russia
ð French allowed to keep starting borders

Nationalism born in Germany
Hegel: “History is a progress of evolution”


Conservatism (old values) – Edmund Burke
Vs French Revolution “You cannot build anything positive by destroying the past”

Liberalism – Adam Smith- “Lessez-Faire”
“taxes are a burden, government should not interfere with trade”

Socialism – Protect the mass & the poor
Communism- Lennin “the type of revolution & the way it should go”
Anarchism – no central government
1813-1848 Political Events

France 3 kings
-Louis XVIII
-Charles X
-Louis Philippe (only 2,000 had the right to vote)
=> Could not find the right political system

1830- Poland tried to rise up vs Russia
Reasons: 1- Neighbors always have problems
2- Language (alphabet)
3- Religion (Russian Orthodox vs Poland Catholic)

Belgium former part of Netherlands
People from Belgium, inspired by revolutions for independence wished for autonomy from Dutch => riots & blockades => Finally won = Independence
è King Leopold

1815 – German Confederation
(Association of central European states created by the congress of Vienna)

1817: German Students entered Wartburg Castle against Metternich’s leadership
(Date: 300 yrs after Martin Luther)

Industrialization – England first
1733 patents
(1785) power loom (weaving machine)
cotton cleaning machine
steam engine

Reasons for development in England
1- Island Nations
2- Roads
3- Flexible society
4- Not many wars reached the English mainland
5- Growing market

1792-1815 Revolutionary Wars

Germany and then France followed Industrialization
è New Products & Power sources
è More Food, better health, better hygiene, better medical care
o Increase in population ( 1800->1900 175m => 435 m)







Urbanization

Kids moved to cities
Infrastructure: Roads & Canals in Europe
Urban rail lines (trolleys)
Canals => Biggest Suez then Panama Canal
(1830-1860)Railroads
(1903) Syberian Railroad
Urban rail lines (trolleys)

Subway – London first
International Postal Agreements
Electric Telegraph (~1840)
Subway – 1st in London
Electricity (Thoman Edison) -> elevator, washing machines
Daimler, Diesel engine
Invention of Bicycle
Sewing machines
Cameras

Human Costs (Manchesterism)
1. Exploitation – Bad pay
2. Bad working conditions
3. Bad maintenance – accidents
4. Job insecurity
5. No safety standards
6. Exploitation of women and children
7. Bad nourishment
8. Alcoholism
9. Diseases
10. High Crime Rate
11. Sewage System

ð Huge growth rate – Especially in Germany (10 kids / family)

Assembly line (introduced by Ford)
ð Cut production time
ð Higher Salaries

England, France & Germany benefited from industrialization

Ottoman empire – Bankrupt