Failed Revolutions

Were the revolutions of 1830 and 1848 really failures as many historians have concluded? This was the main question in our discussion on the revolutions throughout Europe in 1830 & 1848. They were all sparked by the French Revolution, and as Klemens von Metternich once said, "When France sneezes, Europe catches a cold" These revolutions are referred to as Decembrist, 1830 France, 1848 France, Frankfurt, and Hungary. The class broke into groups and we each analyzed the revolution that was given to us. After reading several primary sources and then creating a survey from the information, one group gave all the others a sheet with the information on it while they answered the survey. After all the groups had presented, we ranked each revolution on a scale from total failure to total success.
My group was given the revolution of 1848 France. The main events were during the months of February and June, when most of the action took place. The people were united against Louis Philippe's corrupt rule, and they desired to instate a French Republic. During the first fighting in February, thousands of citizens who had lost their jobs rose up in the streets and demanded a republic. There was not lots of conflict, however, as Alphonse de Lamartine described, "The people
were not numerous in the streets; they seemed to allow the invisible spirit of revolution to fight for them" (History of the Revolution of 1848 in France) Louis Philippe eventually stepped down from the throne, and the Second Republic was established. It was run mostly by the liberal, upper class of France. They also took away many jobs, and thus the working class revolted. There were many barricades built and lots of fighting this time, as said by Victor Hugo in Les Miserables, "Of what was the barricade made? Of the ruins of three six-story houses, torn down for the purpose, said some." However, this time the government crushed the revolt, and killed 1,500 people, and the Constitution for the Second Republic was written. The plan was for a legislature and a president, and Louis Napoleon was elected, as well as giving 9 million people the right to vote. In time, Louis Napoleon would get 90% of France to vote him as Empower, declaring himself Napoleon III. This led back to a monarchy, which was what the revolution was trying to get away from. Therefore, the revolution was technically a failure, but not completely.
Our survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VZLZM27
Contradictory to what many historians say, the revolutions of 1830 and 1848 were not all complete failures. For example, in 1830 France, they instated a new king that they wanted and suffrage was extended, albeit many people could still not vote. Also, in 1848 France, they essentially ended up back where they started, with a king even though they didn't want one. In Hungary, the rebels demanded an independent government and an end to serfdom. Many other areas of the Austrian Empire made similar demands as well. Originally, these demands were met, however Austrian forces soon defeated the rebels and took away their gains. None of these revolutions were successes, but they were neither the total failures that historians make them out to be.

The Congress of Vienna.

What should people in power do when their power is threatened? In class we tried to answer this question as we discussed the event that came during Napoleons conquest: The Congress of Vienna. This was held on September 1, 1814 as a meeting of representatives from all of the major powers of Europe. It was located in Vienna, Austria, and lasted until June 8, 1815. The leaders came to Vienna to discuss how to deal with Napoleon and how to fix Europe after he was gone. In class, we watched a video of actors playing Klemens von Metternich, Austria's Foreign Minister, while he goes to Napoleon who is asking for peace, while Metternich's demands are for Napoleon to give up his conquest and restore the old boundaries of Europe, or they will declare war. We then read an article about the Congress and the representatives that were present. They were all there because their power was threatened by Napoleon, who could potentially conquer them all.
When the major powers of Europe felt that their power was in danger, and that there was a risk of them all being conquered, they came up with a solution. Not just one, nut several, all applying to different problems that Napoleon had caused. One of these presented solutions was the Holy Alliance. This idea was initiated by Czar Alexander of Russia, and was a principle that stated that all monarchs of the major powers in Europe had divine right, or that their power as ruler came directly from God. This also meant that any revolution against the monarch was not only treason, but heresy for defying God's choice of ruler, leading to a more severe punishment. All of the major powers agreed with this, except for Britain who did not take part. This concept was used to lessen threats against their rule because nobody would rise up against the monarch, or they are technically rising up against God.
It is difficult to state whether the people at the Congress of Vienna made the correct choice when dealing with the many issues presented. However, with the situation of Napoleon conquering a large portion of Europe, these leaders made the correct choices that would protect their power. They even gave themselves more territory and authority, making it harder for them to lose their power to others. Their idea was to preserve the traditional monarchies of Europe, and to divide Europe into large, major countries that could withstand another invasion. Also, Napoleon was viewed as the enemy, and not France, so there was no severe punishment for the country or its people. There may have been a better solution, such as not combining smaller, minor countries into new ones or giving more rights to the people, but the only ones that had a say at the time were the powerful representatives of the nations. However, the powerful should be willing to sacrifice some of their power for the benefit of all, but the lower classes did not have say and therefore could not argue for equality.

Ideologies

In class, we discussed the question: What were the major political ideologies of the 19th century and how did they influence social and political action? An ideology is defined as "A system of ideas or ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic of political theory and policy" During the 19th century, there were three main ideologies. These were: Liberalism, Conservatism, and Nationalism. Liberalism is the ideology of wanting to benefit everybody, even if it means a little self sacrifice. Conservatism is about protecting the rights of each individual and preserving tradition. Nationalism is having pride in one's nation, and believing that each nation had a role to fill in history. We broke up into six groups, two for each ideology. We then studied our given ideology and created a presentation based on what we learned. After, the groups that had the same ideology presented their work and we decided which presentation had explained the ideology and its beliefs more thoroughly.
Our Presentation: https://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/nationalism/25483240/?s=NwBwk1&ref=app

The group I had was given the ideology Nationalism. We created a presentation using Educreations and explained what Nationalism is, and also examples of Nationalism throughout history. One example we used was when Napoleon Bonaparte came to power and decided to invade Germany, which at the time was just a bunch of separate, small areas that shared culture and ethnics, they decided to band together, seeing their disunity as a weakness. This is an example of Nationalism, where areas with similar culture, history, beliefs, and ethnics become one nation.Nationalism also had effect on the social and political action in Europe at the time. Nationalists in Britain and France wanted strong, expansionist foreign policies, while Nationalists in smaller areas, like Germany and Italy, wanted national unification and to expel foreign rulers, such as Napoleon. This ideology created the country Germany from a cluster of small states that would on their own be vulnerable, but together would become a stronger force in Europe.

The other two ideologies were Liberalism and Conservatism. Liberals believed that "everyone" had God-given rights, and not just the aristocracy or monarch. However, these rights did not include women or the poor. They also supported lots of innovation and reform, stating that tradition would only hold people back. They also had effect on the political standpoint of Europe, campaigning for constitutional monarchies and wanting an end to Church privileges. These Liberals came from the middle class of Europe, wanting to cut the gap between them and the upper class. Conservatives, on the other hand, wanted to preserve tradition and live by it. They thought that since the traditions had worked for centuries, why would they want to abandon them, including traditional monarchies and aristocracies. They also hated revolutions, most notably the French Revolution, because they are bloody and cause chaos. They were from the upper, wealthier class of Europe, and wanted to preserve the rights that they had which the lower classes didn't.

Ideologies Article:
http://www.edline.net/files/_5KHVp_/699aa9d9c545a3533745a49013852ec4/Ideologies_Summaries_PDF.pdf

How Should We Remember Toussaint Louverture?

“Whatever defamation of character my enemies are spreading about me, I do not feel the need to justify myself toward them. While discretion obliges me to remain silent, my duty compels me to prevent them from doing any more harm.” (Toussaint Louverture). Toussaint Louverture was a person remembered for many traits. He was the leader of the 1791 Haitian Revolution, and also eventually became the ruler of Saint Domingue, the french colony now known as Haiti. He also led the slave army against the British and the French armies when they invaded the island. But what exactly should Toussaint be remembered for? His liberation of the slaves of Saint Domingue, his leadership as the ruler of the colony, or his role as a successful military commander? The most important aspect was that he was the liberator of the slaves, as shown in his role in the revolution.

Toussaint Louverture played a key role in the slave revolt. In 1791, he served as a doctor to the soldiers. (Doc A) He also commanded a small squad of slaves. He later became a well known commander and became the ruler of Saint Domingue. At this time, slavery was abolished in France and all of its colonies, including Saint Domingue. But, when Napoleon came to power, he wanted to reinstate slavery and sent over 21,000 soldiers to Saint Domingue. But, Toussaint fought for the slaves again and defeated the French, although he was captured and died in jail. Even though Toussaint did not live, he help Saint Domingue gain its independence and end slavery, and liberated all of the slaves.

After Toussaint had first liberated the slaves, he did not stop there. When the French Directory became the government of France, they were going to reinstate slavery in Saint Domingue. Toussaint would not let his people go back to being enslaved, so he wrote a letter to the French Directory. (Doc B) In it, he stated “Could men who have once enjoyed the benefits of liberty look on calmly while it was taken from them!” He is telling the French Directory that if they wish to put slavery back, the former slaves will not just allow it to happen. He later states that “We have known how to confront danger to our liberty, and we will know how to confront death to preserve it” As the liberator of the slaves, he is threatening the french not to put slavery back, or they will fight for their independence again.

After the slave revolt of 1791, Louverture had to set up new laws for the colony. In The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801, it states, “There cannot exist slaves in this territory, servitude is therein forever abolished. All men are born, live and die free and French.” (Doc C) He is permanently abolishing slavery in Saint Domingue, and creating a free colony, but still under French rule. He is doing his role as the Liberator of slaves and officially freeing all people in Saint Domingue.

Although Toussaint Louverture possessed many traits, such as military leadership or skill in politics, he should mainly be remembered for liberating the slaves of Saint Domingue. He served in the army commanding the liberation army, threatened to fight the French again if they reinstated it, and officially abolished slavery in the colony. This shows that Louverture was a very important figure in liberating the slaves, and should be remembered for this feat among others.

Napoleon's Impact

    Napoleon Bonaparte was the greatest general of his time. He conquered vast amounts of land in Europe and set up new reforms throughout the continent. But what exactly were Napoleon's impacts on the social, political, and economic systems of Europe?
     Napoleon made many allies as well as enemies during his rule. One of his enemies was Madame de Stael, a member of the nobility. When Napoleon took over, she lost her social status, along with many other nobles. This made them extremely upset. Another person who was close to Napoleon was Marshall Michael Ney, an officer and one of Napoleon's most trusted generals. He say Napoleon as the legitimate dynasty of France and the sovereign to the country.
     When Napoleon conquered Europe, he put in many new reforms. He controlled prices and made new industry, and sold Louisiana to the United States. He reworked the entire map of Europe. Napoleon stole vast amounts of artwork from other countries. Also, he abolished serfdom and ended special privileges of the Church. When he invaded Egypt, he changed the government and founded the Institute of Egypt, which studied their ancient history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon

A Bite of Communism

    In a recent class activity, we learned about Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism by using an activity that involved Hershey's Kisses. Every student was given 2 pieces of chocolate, although 3 students were given 8 to begin with. Then, everyone got up and played rock-paper-scissors with another student. If you lost, you gave one piece to the person you played. If you won, they gave you a piece. Once you ran out of chocolate, you were out. The game stopped when there were about 5 people left who had all the remaining candy. This part was meant to represent Capitalism, where you take a gamble to try to make money, and you can make it big or get broke. The people who had no candy, meant to represent the poor, felt that it was unfair that only certain people had lots of candy. So, all of the candy was taken back, and everyone was evenly distributed the candy between everyone. This part was meant to represent when the poor would rise up against the rich and demand reform and money equality. This represents Socialism, where economic equality is achieved. We were then asked who would risk playing rock paper scissors again, and few people would. This means that in society, a classless society would be achieved, where nobody would risk trying to become rich because the poor would rise against them. They would agree to share all the resources, and since there is no government needed to regulate anything, this leads to Communism. This is Carl Marx's theory on Communism.
     Marx's theory on how the poor would help themselves is, in breif, that the poor would eventually rise up against the rich to try and make things more fair. After econmic equality would be reached, people would not accept sharp economic divisions anymore. Thet would create a Communism. However, another man at the time named Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations, a capitalist book. Smith is recognized as the father of Capitalism. He used the metaphor "The Invisible Hand" in his writing. His theory is that people would to become rich by working, and by doing this, the country would also benefit. The government would not be needed in the economic stage because the invisible hand would guide people. This is very different fron Marx's theory.
    I personally believe that Smith's theory on the economy is better. It does not require a huge revolt after a long period of poverty, like Marx's does. Smith's plainly states that if you work hard, you will not only help yourself but you will help your country as well.

The Lowell Experiment

     America and England are in the midst of a new era of production and innovation. The industrial revolution has come to both countries, but there are many costs. The factories that have been set up have extremely poor working conditions. In both American and British factories, there was a very high risk of death. The machines could end up being fatal if you weren't paying attention, and there was one case where somebody was even chopped in half. There also wasn't very clean air to breathe, as dust particles and cloth bits floated throughout the air. In the factories, it was extremely easy for a disease to go around, since many people were working close together. The workers were young women, or children, so death was even more of a possibility.
     Neither country had it much worse than the other, even though the English established their factories first, thus getting poor working conditions first. The factory owners wanted to maximize production, so they did not prioritize the healthy conditions. However, if a death occurred in a factory in America, it was much harder to replace that worker, since in England they had orphanages where they could just get new workers from. They did not have those in America, so they had to rely on farm girls to come to Lowell.

A Google Chat with MOSI

Last week, I was able to speak with the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, England via Google video chat. We spoke with Jamie, a museum curator, who showed us many of the industrial-era machines and described how they were used. To prepare for this, in class we did some looking around on the MOSI website to learn more about the machines they had. We also learned about some of the terms used in the mills, such as carding, slubbing, and roving. We then wrote down some questions that we wanted to ask Jamie in our notes for the chat.
     During the chat, Jamie described to us the textile process in the mills. It was a very dangerous and unsanitary process, but there was no faster way of making cloth at the time. The wool was cleaned, straightened, combined into slivers of cloth, twisted, and finally weaved into usable cloth. The new inventions of machines helped this process. They made producing cloth faster and cheaper. One of these machines was the Arkwright Waterframe, which was a water powered machine that made producing cotton even faster. Another was the carding engine, which sorted and cleaned the fibers into strands that could then be made into cloth. These machines were faster, but dangerous. People could have legs broken, limbs lost, and even killed. One person was chopped in half by a machine.
     Discussing the Industrial Revolution with an outside expert greatly widened my knowledge of this topic. I enjoyed speaking with Jamie about this topic. I think it would be fun to speak with him or another expert on topics throughout the year.

Here is a picture of Jamie from the MOSI:

The Industrial Museum

 For our first class project we constructed posters about an aspect of the industrial revolution. We were given about five different documents relating to the topic, and we had to analyze them and take notes. We had to make a "museum exhibit" and we had to be the curators. The analysis process is important for being a curator so that you understand the topic, its setting, viewpoint, and details. Our exhibit, shown to the left, is about the railroad and steamboat. We were given a diagram of the steam engine, which powered both methods of transportation by boiling water to turn motors. Our second source was a picture of workers cutting a path through the mountain and laying railroad tracks. Another source was a map of England, and highlighted regions that produced either coal, clot, or metal. The map also had lines showing major railroads and canals across England. We were also given two poems of opposite perspectives on the growing railroad industry, one supporting it, the other opposing it. A letter from Robert Fulton describing the steam boat, and how it can achieve speeds of 5mph. Our final source was a timeline of the progression of canals and railroads in England. We also came up with the title of our poster "All Aboard" because of the growing transportation industry. We hoped that it would draw attention to the exhibit and that people would learn how transportation evolved throughout the industrial revolution.

Other posters were based on different aspects of the industrial revolution. One of the topics was child labor. The children were chained and put in mines to do adult labor so they could help their family. Another was about the poor living conditions after factories and mills were made. Pollution started becoming an issue and people working there lived in squalor. There was also an exhibit about the new machines in the industrial ear. These increased production of wool in mills like the Spinning Jenny and the Power Loom.

A Step towards the Industrial Era

The Industrial Revolution was one of the most innovative times in history. Population was increasing greatly, production was expanded while manual labor was reduced. Transportation was faster, and an increased life expectancy. But what made this time period so "revolutionary"?
     In class we discussed this and split up into groups. Each group studied a different aspect of what made the Industrial Revolution what it was.
     One of the leading factors was a change in population. The Dutch combined small fields into large ones to increase crop yield, and used fertilizer to renew the soil. This led to more food, which led to people not dying of famine. The death rates declined, and families were healthier and could work more efficiently. Also, with the population boom, less people had to work.
     Another revolutionary concept was the development of new modes of transportation. Specifically, the railroad and canals. This allowed people to move larger amounts of products faster and easier over land and water.Railroads were built across countries and were widespread by 1870. Steam boats were also built and did not rely on the wind. They were able to carry much larger cargo loads and could travel at speeds up to 5mph.



A steam engine-powered industrial era locomotive, a brand new method of transportation.

Image URL:http://www.industrialrevolutionresearch.com/industrial_revolution_steam_engine.php

Great Teachers

Teachers play a big role in school. They lead your class and make sure you learn what you're supposed to and succeed. That's their job. But what makes a teacher great is when they do more than that. They learn the student's personalities and interact with them. They make the class fun. One of those classes that you see on your schedule and you can't wait to get to it, and that's the high point of your day. One of my favorite teacher's was Ms. Bailey. She was very lively and just a fun person in general. She taught us history in an entertaining way, and I feel like that helped me learn. Have a fun time with the students, throw a couple of jokes in or spark up an interesting conversation on world events or a debate or  whatever suits your fancy. School shouldn't just be black-and-white learning. I'm not saying just talk and don't learn anything. Still teach, but have fun with it.
     Students are the other half of the role in school. They learn the subject and how to do it and how to apply it to the real world. John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars but also the Crash Course videos posted a video to students telling them that the reason they go to school is not just to sit there for 7 hours and learn, but to set them on a path to improve the world. I'm taking an Intro to Engineering class this year so I can become some type of Engineer and contribute back to the world.
It's not just the teachers job in school but also the students to apply what they learn back into the world once they graduate and contribute back to society.

A Guide to Media Literacy and Internet Searching

The internet can be a pretty tricky place. Especially when you are searching for something specific. You have to always make sure that the website is safe and not trying to steal information or that it has credible and correct information. The class activities that we practiced helped make us aware of the do's and do-not's.
One of these activities was a Google a day, a website run by Google where they ask a question, and you have to figure out the answer to this question by doing a series of Google searches. Its quite fun and entertaining, as the questions are odd and not known to the common individual. But some questions are harder than others and it can get a bit frustrating. And when you solve the puzzle you get that feeling of accomplishment, but it also teaches you to search for a more specific topic, using keywords from the question in your search to narrow down the results.
A Google A Day can be found at this website: http://www.agoogleaday.com/#game=started
Another site used to benefit our internet searching abilities was the website for the "Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus". This site was used to validate reliable sources. It helps define Accuracy, Authenticity, and Reliability. Accuracy is how precise the information is. Authenticity is if the information isn't just copied from another website and Reliability is if you can trust the person telling you this information. Now, the website for the tree octopus clearly does not fit any of those qualifications, and thus could not be used as a reliable source. This author does not provide sufficient evidence that he can be trusted, as the picture of him is a sketch. Also, the information is not remotely accurate, as the octopus' natural predator is apparently the Sasquatch. Also, there is no creature called the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, which is a big giveaway. This website can be used as a model for websites that you shouldn't use. Make sure that the website is valid before you get your information from it.
The website for the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus can be found here: http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/