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Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna met after the defeat of Napoleon to redraw state boundaries and discuss how to maintain the balance of power and conservatism. -
Peterloo Massacre
The Peterloo massacre occurred in England after thousands of people took to the streets to convey their discontent and fight for parliamentary reform. It was a peaceful protest, but people were killed and injured by the cavalry. -
Congress of Troppau
The Congress of Troppau was a conference of the Quintuple Alliance that met to discuss how to suppress the revolution in Naples, continuing the tension between the royalty and the lower classes. -
Greek Revolution
The Greeks revolted against the Ottoman Empire and successfully overthrew them, establishing the independent kingdom of Greece. The Greek Revolution was supported by many European powers because of the Enlightenment appreciation for ancient Greece and Rome, even though the same types of fights for independence were put down by the conservative powers in Europe. -
Decembrist Revolt
Soldiers and commoners refused to swear allegiance to the new and very conservative tsar Nicolas. The revolt was easily crushed and the participants were sent to Siberia, but this was the first event in a division between the monarch and reformers which continued to widen over time. -
July Revolution
The July Revolution occurred in France after the government rejected election results and suspended the constitution. The revolt was successful, forcing King Charles X to abdicate and Louis Philippe became King. The success of this revolution demonstrated the strength of liberalism. -
Reform Act
Parliament passed the Reform Act, which changed England's electoral system. It gave more people the right to vote, and demonstrated that the British government was willing to listen to the people and enact change. Britain became an inspiration for many liberal movements in mainland Europe, especially France. -
Revolutions of 1848
Several revolutions broke out across Europe in 1848, as a result of the building tensions between the forces of reactionary conservatism and revolutionary liberalism. The public desired representation and more freedoms and rights resulted in rebellions. This occurred in France, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, the German States, and more. Most of these ended unsuccessfully because of the strength of the conservative forces, but tensions remained. -
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Crimean War
The Crimean War was fought between Russia and an alliance between the Ottoman Empire, France, and Britain. They fought over the territory of the Crimean Peninsula. Russia was defeated, and the empire structure shifted towards the idea of a nation-state. The Crimean War also demonstrated how complex it would be to maintain the European balance of power, and how important alliances are. -
Unification of Italy
The different states of Italy were unified into one kingdom. This was a political and social movement driven by nationalism and liberalism. -
Emancipation of Serfs
The emancipation of serfs in Russia granted liberty to over 23 million people. This important reform continued to show the power of the liberal movement. -
Seven Weeks' War
The Seven Weeks' War was fought between Prussia and Austria. Prussia won, resulting in Austria being excluded from a united Germany. -
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Franco-Prussian War
The unification of the various German states was a long process, ending in 1871 Franco-Prussian War. This war had been planned by Bismarck in order to draw the western german states into an alliance with the northern German confederation. -
German Unification
After the French defeat and the unification of the western and northern German states, the German nation-state was established. -
Dreyfus Affair
Dreyfus was a French Jewish military officer accused of treason against France. His trial, conviction, and the following events are referred to as the Dreyfus Affair. There was public outcry against this wrongful treatment, but there were also public displays of antisemitism. -
Bosnian Crisis
The Bosnian Crisis, also known as the First Balkan Crisis, occurred after Austria-Hungary announced the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This sparked protest from the Great Powers and Austria-Hungary's neighbors, all concerned about the balance of power, which was repeatedly proving itself difficult to maintain. Relations between Austria-Hungary and the other balkans states remained poor, setting the groundwork for WW1. -
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WW1
WW1 was sparked by the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and quickly escalated into a world war between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers because of a complex network of alliances. It was extremely deadly because of new technology and the scale of the conflict. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles ended WW1. The negotiators intended to draft a peace that would prevent such a huge war from ever breaking out again. However, it was complicated to redraw boundaries because of the many ethnic groups living along borders. In addition, many promises had been made to various countries, some of which were conflicting. The resulting treaty was quite harsh on Germany, causing economic hardship and contributing to WW2. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
This pact was a peacekeeping effort that renounced war as a tool for national policy. Following the devastation of the First World War, several such policies were made in an attempt to prevent such a conflict again. -
Stock Market Crash & Great Depression
The Great Depression began after the major fall in stock prices in the United States. Because the U.S. came out of WW1 less economically damaged that other involved countries, the U.S. economically supported many European countries in their rebuilding processes. This meant that America's economic depression was felt across Europe. -
Hitler Appointed Chancellor
Hitler was appointed Chancellor and the NSDAP stepped into control of the German state. Hitler was a charismatic speaker, and he took advantage of the discontent and struggles of the German people. After his appointment he rapidly expanded the Gestapo, and Hindenburg and von Papen lost most of their influence. -
Berlin Olympics
The Nazis opened the concentration camps and passed policies against German Jews. The Berlin Olympics were meant to demonstrate the strength of the "Aryan race." -
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WW2
WW2 began after Hitler invaded Poland and it became clear that Germany would continue to expand until stopped. It was a horrific, extremely deadly war between the Axis and Allied powers. Due to the cooperation of Britain, the U.S., and Russia, Germany was defeated. -
NATO is Established
NATO was established as an alliance between many countries after the war to prevent another massive war and genocide. This was incredibly important because it changed how international politics worked, and made it easier to cooperate and maintain the balance of power in Europe. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact formalized an alliance between the Soviet Union and its satellite Eastern European states. This followed the admission of West Germany to NATO, as the Soviet Union was concerned about Germany gaining too much power and attacking again. -
Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian people revolted against their government because of its subordination to the Soviet Union. Invading Soviet forces crushed the rebellion. However, it impacted internal affairs and exposed the weaknesses of communism. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred during the Cold War and was the event that brought the Soviet Union and the United States the closest to a nuclear conflict. The Soviet Union built nuclear missile sites in Cuba, and in response JFK ordered a naval blockade and demanded removal of the missiles. Tensions were incredibly high, but the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles if the U.S. agreed not to invade Cuba. -
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of mass protest in the Czech Socialist Republic. The public wanted reform and political liberalization, but the Soviet forces crushed the revolts. Events like this in Eastern Europe continued to create cracks in the strength of the Soviet Union and the force of communism. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The destruction of the Berlin Wall also destroyed the "Iron Curtain", triggering the reunification of Germany and the collapse of communist regimes throughout Eastern Europe. -
Good Friday Agreement
The Good Friday Agreement ended a 30 year period of violent conflict in Northern Ireland. This violence was caused by division between those who wanted Northern Ireland to be part of the UK and those who wanted it to be part of the Republic of Ireland. The Good Friday Agreement declared that Northern Ireland would be part of the UK until a majority of the people want to change this and call a referendum.