19th Century Ideologies

Aristocrats who had been comfortable prior to the disruptions in Europe championed the conservatism that arose after the defeat of Napoleon. Figures such as Edmund Burke believed that the power of reason was dangerous, and things should instead be based on tradition. The whiny aristocracy was in favor of a strong monarchy and powerful nobles; in some instances reverting European politics back to a near feudal system. Conservative ideas were appealing to people who were so terrified by the possible loss of power and stability, that they were willing to embrace a more restricted lifestyle, similar to that prior to the Enlightenment, thereby in a way disregarding all of the efforts and sacrifices that had been made during the period. The two other rising political ideologies, besides a rise in nationalism, were based heavily on individualism and equality. These ideologies were also focused around peace and stability, but lacked the selfishness of the conservatives, thereby gaining many to their cause. Liberals and socialists, contrary to the conservatives embraced the need for change; the liberals were influenced by enlightenment thought and reason and the socialists were most concerned with the problems that arose after the industrial revolution. Neither faction was unaware of recent events, so what liberal ideas they did facilitate, they did carefully. The liberals wanted a constitutional government that would guarantee certain rights of its citizens including an unregulated economy. Though some liberals wanted more republican governments, most were willing to accept forms of monarchies in order to maintain stability. The socialists believed that this stability could only be reached with absolute equality amongst all citizens. The socialists wanted to redistribute power more fairly, so that nobody could be inferior or superior to anybody else, thereby encouraging amity.