The "dike and flood" period of Europe was a time around 1815 to 1848, when the governments of several powerful states became unbalanced by the people's wills. It was a time of great suppression by the government to prevent rebellion, but instead, Europe became completely enveloped by the revolutionary spirit.
The Reactionary movement was an attempt by the Prince of Metternich, the de facto leader of Austria, to stop any sort of revolutionary action in Europe. It started with the "Concert of Europe," a movement led by Metternich that joined all heads of state as a force intended to stop revolution; however, this attempt failed, as each state was too jealous or wary of another to even consider combining its forces. Metternich's incentive in this was mainly to prevent German unification, which, if occurred, would create a state large and powerful enough to threaten Austria.
In 1820, the people of Naples revolted against the Bourbon leader, Ferdinand I. Ferdinand fled, but Metternich intervened, and, joining forces with Alexander I of Russia, the only state leader to come to his aid, crushed the revolt and put Ferdinand back on the throne, though he now paid such a debt to Metternich that he was little more than a puppet leader. After this revolt, the Protocol of Troppau, which was drawn up by Metternich during the revolt to make his anti-revolutionary policy clear, would dictate his future actions.
Metternich and Alexander worked together against three further rebellions after 1822, known as the Congress of Verona. In Greece, Alexander Ypsilanti attempted to free the Balkans from the Ottoman Empire, expecting Alexander to send troops to back up his army. However, as Alexander was working with Metternich to prevent rebellions such as these, the revolution went unaided and was quickly suppressed (though it was attempted again in 1826, after Alexander's death, and succeeded). When Spain was invaded by French troops, Metternich tried to prevent the Spaniards from revolting against them. Latin America's declaring independence from Spain greatly angered Metternich, and he attempted to call the British to arms, as they had a powerful navy. Instead, Britain allowed the independence to go on, as it created a new independent destination for trading. America, which also had a navy, also refused to become caught up in the affair, as the Monroe doctrine preventing interference with other countries was in effect. In short, Metternich's reactionary system never completely worked, as nearly every state besides Russia and Austria disagreed with Metternich's ideas.
Other revolutions occurred all throughout Europe. When the role of czar needed to be filled after Alexander's death, there were two candidates: Nicholas, a conservative, and Constantine, who likely would have carried out the role as an enlightened despot. Russian officers started the Decembrist Revolt, an attempt to forcefully bring Constantine to power. However, Constantine willingly gave up the crown to Nicholas, and the revolt was quickly crushed by the new czar.
Suppression was particularly notable in Britain, especially in the years when the Corn Laws were in effect, between 1815 and 1846. The Corn Laws, which put an enormous tariff on imported food to discourage buyers from supporting the Napoleon monopoly. In response, the people, especially those without representation in Parliament, rioted and protested against this unfair taxing. The government cracked down on the people's rights; habeas corpus was taken away, secret police were set up, and the Six Acts, which removed freedom of the press and of assembly, were drawn up in 1819. Peaceful attempts were made at changing the government policies, such as unarmed protest marches, but one of these marches was violently attacked and ended in several deaths, known as the Peterloo Massacre. Conspiracy and even planned assassinations began among the masses, until the laws were finally repealed in 1846.
In France, revolution was at hand once again, as the people were becoming tired of Charles X's conservative parliament. The middle class revolted, causing Charles to flee, and he was subsequently replaced by Louis Philippe. He abdicated as well not long after, as he was also seen as too conservative for the people. His grandson, the new leader of France, also sparked yet another revolution, in the form of the "June Days" of 1848. Louis Blanc of the new republic had the idea of a workshop system for the working class, and it was these exploited workers who rose up against the French military, ending in a failed massacre of ten thousand killed or wounded, and eleven thousand taken prisoner and deported.
1848 was an incredibly revolutionary year, with multiple revolutions in Ireland, Italy, and especially in central Europe, where the multiple ethnicities still had no independence. Between the French revolutions, British reformations, and turmoil in central Europe, it seemed that the entirety of Europe would be caught up in bloodshed for quite some time.
The Reactionary movement was an attempt by the Prince of Metternich, the de facto leader of Austria, to stop any sort of revolutionary action in Europe. It started with the "Concert of Europe," a movement led by Metternich that joined all heads of state as a force intended to stop revolution; however, this attempt failed, as each state was too jealous or wary of another to even consider combining its forces. Metternich's incentive in this was mainly to prevent German unification, which, if occurred, would create a state large and powerful enough to threaten Austria.
In 1820, the people of Naples revolted against the Bourbon leader, Ferdinand I. Ferdinand fled, but Metternich intervened, and, joining forces with Alexander I of Russia, the only state leader to come to his aid, crushed the revolt and put Ferdinand back on the throne, though he now paid such a debt to Metternich that he was little more than a puppet leader. After this revolt, the Protocol of Troppau, which was drawn up by Metternich during the revolt to make his anti-revolutionary policy clear, would dictate his future actions.
Metternich and Alexander worked together against three further rebellions after 1822, known as the Congress of Verona. In Greece, Alexander Ypsilanti attempted to free the Balkans from the Ottoman Empire, expecting Alexander to send troops to back up his army. However, as Alexander was working with Metternich to prevent rebellions such as these, the revolution went unaided and was quickly suppressed (though it was attempted again in 1826, after Alexander's death, and succeeded). When Spain was invaded by French troops, Metternich tried to prevent the Spaniards from revolting against them. Latin America's declaring independence from Spain greatly angered Metternich, and he attempted to call the British to arms, as they had a powerful navy. Instead, Britain allowed the independence to go on, as it created a new independent destination for trading. America, which also had a navy, also refused to become caught up in the affair, as the Monroe doctrine preventing interference with other countries was in effect. In short, Metternich's reactionary system never completely worked, as nearly every state besides Russia and Austria disagreed with Metternich's ideas.
Other revolutions occurred all throughout Europe. When the role of czar needed to be filled after Alexander's death, there were two candidates: Nicholas, a conservative, and Constantine, who likely would have carried out the role as an enlightened despot. Russian officers started the Decembrist Revolt, an attempt to forcefully bring Constantine to power. However, Constantine willingly gave up the crown to Nicholas, and the revolt was quickly crushed by the new czar.
Suppression was particularly notable in Britain, especially in the years when the Corn Laws were in effect, between 1815 and 1846. The Corn Laws, which put an enormous tariff on imported food to discourage buyers from supporting the Napoleon monopoly. In response, the people, especially those without representation in Parliament, rioted and protested against this unfair taxing. The government cracked down on the people's rights; habeas corpus was taken away, secret police were set up, and the Six Acts, which removed freedom of the press and of assembly, were drawn up in 1819. Peaceful attempts were made at changing the government policies, such as unarmed protest marches, but one of these marches was violently attacked and ended in several deaths, known as the Peterloo Massacre. Conspiracy and even planned assassinations began among the masses, until the laws were finally repealed in 1846.
In France, revolution was at hand once again, as the people were becoming tired of Charles X's conservative parliament. The middle class revolted, causing Charles to flee, and he was subsequently replaced by Louis Philippe. He abdicated as well not long after, as he was also seen as too conservative for the people. His grandson, the new leader of France, also sparked yet another revolution, in the form of the "June Days" of 1848. Louis Blanc of the new republic had the idea of a workshop system for the working class, and it was these exploited workers who rose up against the French military, ending in a failed massacre of ten thousand killed or wounded, and eleven thousand taken prisoner and deported.
1848 was an incredibly revolutionary year, with multiple revolutions in Ireland, Italy, and especially in central Europe, where the multiple ethnicities still had no independence. Between the French revolutions, British reformations, and turmoil in central Europe, it seemed that the entirety of Europe would be caught up in bloodshed for quite some time.