Blog #9 - If France Sneezes, Europe Catches a Cold

From what we saw in Chapter 20 (and even earlier with the French Revolution), France was incredibly influential in politics during the 19th Century not only in Europe but also in Latin America as well. Though the 26 years of Revolution and Napoleonic Rule (1789-1815) had destroyed the country and its economy, the ideas of natural rights (life, liberty and property) and democracy were ones that caught fire across the world.

We saw how European dictators / monarchs tried to re-establish the Old Order with the Congress of Vienna in 1816 and fix the problems that Napoleon had created (by overthrowing the old stodgy system that wouldn't change - though the ironic thing was that Napoleon (painting at the left) had become an Emperor himself and put all of the power of the French government in his own hands).

My questions for you:

If you were a monarch of old Europe at this time (mid 19th Century) and the Revolutions of 1848 were flaring up, which of the following would you do and why?

1. Would you crush these revolts in your empire so as to not let them not occur again?

2. Would you listen to the revolutionaries' demands and use only the ones that didn't demand too much of your power or empire's resources?

3. Would you completely agree to all of the revolutionaries' requests and allow their region to become semi-independent?

4. Would you examine the geography of the rebellious region and let them go if they weren't important or keep them if they were but let them have some form of liberties to make them happy (think Bismarck and realpolitik)?

Pick one of the four options and explain why you chose your option.

150 words minimum, due Tuesday, January 5th.