Throughout the 1820s and 1830s, there were a series of uprisings and revolutions throughout Europe following Napoleon’s defeat. While the political leaders of the time, mostly monarchs, resolved to work together to end these revolts, many countries actually supported different revolutions in the following decades. In Making of Modernity, it says, “he [Alexander] also feared that an Ottoman collapse would destroy the Concert of Europe… there were important economic interests at stake, as well”. In this example, Russia helped Greece become independent for their economic interests, but then turned around to help the Ottoman Empire quell protests in Egypt for political relations. While the European powers were ultimately acting for their own self interest, why was supporting some revolutions and not others bad for their own political situations? Would the political benefit of having a more unified approach to foreign revolutions outweigh the potential economic gains lost by not supporting the independence of nations like Greece?
Making the Modern World: Europe in the 19th Century
Liberalism and socialism and imperialism, oh my!
