IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : History Of Modern Europe (Mid 18th to 20th Centuries)- NEW POLITICAL SYSTEMS

IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

History Of Modern Europe Mid 18th to Mid 20th Centuries

NEW POLITICAL SYSTEMS

Structure

7.0 Objectives
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Democratic Legitimation of Authority
7 7 Bonapartism
7.4 Bismarckism
7.5 Let Us Sum Up
7.6 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

7.0 OBJECTIVES

After studying this Unit you will learn about the :

19th century changes in European political system,
establishment of popul~st authoritarianism by Napoleon 111, and
Bismarckian way of establishing conservative regime through manipulations of parliamentary system.

7.1 INTRODUCTION

In the second half of the nineteenth century, Europe came to display a greater diversity in
its political systems than in the early part of the century. Early in the century most parts of
Europe, with the solitary exception of Britain, which was a constitutional monarchy slowly
undergoing a democratic transformation, were governed by rulers who claimed absolute
powers despite a perceptible inclination in some of these domains towards constitutional
government. During the second half of the century constitutional government in the sense
of a potentially democratic regime or at least a plebiscitory authoritarianism became the
dominant forms. To a large measure this was a consequence of the concessions that the
European rulers had to offer to the spirit of liberalism strepgthened in mid-century by the
emergence of mass politics. Around the middle of the'nineteenth century the liberal
challenge to monarchical absolutism came to fruition, after a series of reverses,
particularly during the period of restoration under the Metternich system. In the aftermath
of the revolution of 1848, European rulers could no longer ignore the invasion of the
sacred realm of their statecraft by the profanities of mass politics. Politics ceased to be an
exclusive domain of the king, his courtiers and his rich and influential subjects; it became
very much a part of the life cycle of ordinary men and women whose experience of
participation In different kinds of economic and social struggles, contributed to
revolutionary unrest.
This Unit explains the transformation in the political system from monarchical government
towards democratisation. You will be introduced to the course of political changes in
France and Germany during the mid 19Ih century. This Unit shows that how the
authoritarian regime legitimised its rule with the support of the people.