Britain, Ireland & France Flashcards
Britain government
In 1815, Britain was a Constitutional Monarchy with two political parties, not very democratic at all, The House of Commons was elected but less than 5% of the male pop could vote.
House of Lords
One of gov’t houses of Britain, was hereditary and made up of wealthy nobles. landlords and clergy, could veto any bill passed by the House of Commons
Rotten Boroughs
rural British towns that had lost most of their population to migration to other cities during the Industrial Rev, but continued to have representatives in Parliament while growing cities like Manchester had no seats
The Great Reform Act of 1832
Got rid of “rotten Boroughs”
Gave representation in Parliament to new industrial cities
Expanded the right to vote to approx. 20% of the male population but kept a property requirement
Gave the middle classes a greater representationn in Parliament
Whigs & Tories
Whigs= political party representing middle class and business people Tories= political party representing nobles, landlords, and agriculture
The People’s Charter of 1838 (The Chartist Movement)
Workers began to press for more rights with the charter, which called for:
-universal male suffrage
-annual Parliament elections
-salaries for Parliamentarians
-the secret ballot aka the Australian ballot
At first these requests were ignored by Parliament, but by the 1880s most of the demands were accepted
The Victorian Age
Period of time under Queen Victoria in which the British Empire reached the height of its power and size
Queen Victoria
ruled as queen from 1837 to 1901 (the Victorian Age), had little real power, but embodied British values like duty, honesty, hard work, respect and manners
married to Albert, who died very young
Benjamin Disraeli
Politician and Prime Minister in the 1860s that changed the “tories” into the modern Conservative Party and helped pass the Second Reform Act of 1867
Second Reform Act of 1867
Expanded vote to 1 in 3 males over the age of 21
William Gladstone
Politician and Prime Minister of 1870s and 80s who changed “whigs” into the Liberal Party, passed the Third Reform Act of 1884
Third Reform Act of 1884
Expanded vote to 2 of 3 males over the age of 21
Fourth Reform Act of 1918
Brought about by the outbreak of WWI, expanded the right to vote to ALL males over the age of 21, veterans over age 19 and females over 30
Parliament Bill of 1911
removed the veto power of the House of Lords over tax bills passed by the House of Commons, the House of Lords could now only discuss and delay House bills, made the House of Commons the power”house”
The “Corn” Laws
a series of protective tariffs on all forms of imported "corn" (grains), supported by British farmers because they kept prices high, opposed by the working class, merchants and free-traders because it hurt trade and made prices too high Repealed in 1846 (a victory for the working class and capitalism)
Women Demanding the Right to Vote
In 1890, no countries allowed women the right to vote. By 1900, New Zealand was the only one. By 1913, Australia, Finland and Norway.
Emmeline Pankhurst
early leader of the British Women’s Rights Movement, encourages a more aggressive/violent form of activism including arson, vandalism, hunger strikes, and physical attacks on members of Parliament
The “Irish Question”
Ireland was colonized by English and Scottish Protestant settlers, the Irish resisted British rule and resented absentee landlords who charged high rents for the land
They lived in desperate poverty and rebellions were common
Daniel O’Connell
aka “the Liberator” Irish Catholic nationalist leader who campaigned for the repeal of unfair laws and improved rights and treatment of the Irish
wanted “Ireland for the Irish”
Leader of the Irish Catholic League
The Irish Catholic League
Led by Daniel O’Connell
Held protests and rallies to get rid of unfair laws and gain improved rights
The Catholic Emancipation Act
Passed by Parliament in 1829 in response to nationalist groups, gave Catholics the right to vote and hold political office, did not get rid of other unfair laws like eviction for unpaid rent and the ban of the teaching of Gaelic in schools
Irish Potato Famine
Under British rule, 3/4 of Irish land was used for export crops (wheat)
The potato became the staple food for peasants
A potato Blight broke out, decreasing food supply and causing widespread famine- “The Great Hunger”
in 4 years, 1 million Irish peasants starved to death while landlords continued to export grain, 3 million migrated to the U.S, Canada and Austrailia
Enraged Irish pop, increased nationalism
Charles Trevelyan
British official in charge of Irish relief, told the Irish to “depend on themselves rather than gov’t assistance”
The Fenian Brotherhood
A militant Irish nationalist group that attempted to liberate Ireland by force
Charles Stewart Parnell
Irish Parliamentarian who led other Parliamentarians to push for Home Rule
Irish Home Rule Bill
Passed in 1914, but delayed by WWI until 1921
Gave Ireland statehood, but not independence
The Easter Rising or “Bloody Sunday”
On Easter Sunday in 1916, militant Irish nationalist who were frustrated with the delay in the home rule bill launched a revolt. The British opened fire on them and killed and arrested all of them to suppress the rebellion
Irish Republican Army (IRA)
After Parliament failed to grant Home Rule, the IRA began a guerilla war against the British pushing for full independence
The Irish Free-State or the Republic of Ireland & their independence
Catholic Southern regions of Ireland which became independent in 1922
Ulster (Northern Ireland)
6 northern Irish countries where the majority of the population is Protestant, remained under British control while southern Ireland gained independence
Napoleon III
nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte who created the 2nd French Empire
The 2nd French Empire
was supposed to be a constitutional monarchy, but was really a dictatorship under Napoleon III
Was supposed to restore order to France and promised to help the poor
Actions of Napoleon III
- appointed his cabinet, members of the upper house and many officials (very dictatorial)
- censored newspapers and stifled debates
- eased censorship later and extended voting rights
Economic Reforms of Napoleon III
- promoted investment in industry, railroad building and the modernization of Paris
- legalized labor unions, extended public education to girls and began a limited public healthcare system
Maximilian
Austrian Prince who Napoleon III placed on the throne of Mexico in hope of turning Mexico into a French colony
Was overthrown and killed by the Mexican rebels
Total waste of time and money and troops for France (BIG mistake of Napoleon III)
The Franco-Prussian War
The Prussians became very aggresively nationalistic in 1870 and were perceived as a threat to France. They provoked the French by releasing the Elms Telegram, making it look like the Prussian King William I had insulted the French leaders and people. Napoleon declared war on the Prussians (which is what they wanted)
The Prussians killed the French in 4 months, surrounding Paris and capturing Napoleon, who was forced to abdicate
Results of Franco-Prussian War
Napoleon III abdicated and a Provisional Gov’t under the National Assembly signed a harsh peace treaty with the Prussians (humiliating for France)
France lost Alsace & Lorraine (area on border of France and Germany)
France had to pay reparations for losing a war they started
The Third French Republic
Formed after the surrender of Napoleon III and the Treaty of Paris was signed, had violent beginnings with the Paris Commune, but lasted fro 70 years
In the first 10 years, 50 different coalition gov’ts formed and failed
The Paris Commune
Communards (workers and socialists who opposed the peace treaty) rebelled in Paris in 1871, were ordered to disband by the National Assembly and refused
Started a civil war in which gov’t forces killed over 20,000 communards
The Dreyfus Affair
Began with the treason trial of Alfred Dreyfus, a high-ranking Jewish officer in the French army
Dreyfus was accused of spying on the French for Prussia and passing on information to them
His trial was unfair, he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison at the desolate Devil’s Island off the coast of South America
Later new evidence proved that Ferdinand Esterhazy, another officer, was the real spy
Dreyfus was refused a new trial and his supporters were accused of being traitors
Then, famous novelist Emile Zola backed Dreyfus and published an article accusing the French army of a coverup. Zola was convicted of lying (libel) and forced to flee France
Later, the evidence used against Dreyfus was proven to have been forged and Dreyfus was freed and cleared of charges
Zionism
Anti-Semitism, The Dreyfus Affair and programs against Jews in Russia and Eastern Europe began the movement of trying to protect the rights of Jews
Theodore Herzl
A Hungarian journalist in France who promoted the idea of creating an independent Jewish state in Palestine to protect their rights
Began the Zionist Movement
