European Restoration

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Marked by revolt, revolution, and the rise of the middle class, the period of European restoration (1814-1848) refers to the monarchical struggle for legitimacy against their citizens (see: Italian Carbonari) and military (see: Russian Decembrists) following the French Revolutionary (1789-1802) and Napoleonic (1802-1814) wars. These wars had spread liberalism, nationalism and socialism throughout Europe. The European monarchs (namely Portugal, Italy, Austria, Prussia, and France) saw these movements as a threat to their thrones. In response, they attempted to assert their conservatism and monarchical legitimacy, but only added fuel to the fire. European desire for change was finally made clear during the widespread revolutions of 1848. The monarchs responded with either abdication or adhering to democratic principles (see: constitutional monarchs). Due to this unsettling time, the continent fell behind Britain in the Industrial Revolution.