European History, Part 12

Question 1: Provide a brief overview of the Battle of Waterloo.

Answer 1: Napoleon Bonaparte was not only forced to resign his position as Emperor of France, but he was also forced to move to the island of Elba where he was supposed to remain in exile. Napoleon, however, left the island of Elba in late February 1815 and reclaimed the French throne by the end of March of the same year. Napoleon’s actions greatly alarmed the nations of Europe, as they feared that Napoleon would be able to reestablish his army and once again expand the French Empire’s influence throughout Europe. These fears led the nations of Austria, Prussia, Russia, and Great Britain to form an alliance that was designed to force Napoleon back into exile. Napoleon, in response, ordered his troops to march into Belgium to destroy the alliance. Napoleon’s forces managed to win a series of battles throughout Belgium, but they were eventually defeated by a combined British and Prussian force that was nearly twice the size of Napoleon’s army at the town of Waterloo. As a result, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena where he eventually died.

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Question 2: Explain the purpose of the Concert of Europe.

Answer 2: The Concert of Europe, which is also known as the Congress System or the Quadruple Alliance (which later became the Quintuple Alliance when France joined the Quadruple Alliance in 1818), was a military alliance formed by Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia in 1815. This alliance was created to enforce the decisions that the European nations made during the Congress of Vienna and to ensure that there was no way for Napoleon Bonaparte and other revolutionaries like him to cause any further harm to the monarchies of Europe. In fact, the Concert of Europe met several times during the early nineteenth century to discuss and take action against the revolutions that developed in Italy and Spain. It is important to note, however, that the Concert of Europe eventually fell apart in 1822 after the British refused to intervene in the affairs of other countries.

Question 3: Define the following terms: 1. Commercial Revolution 2. Capitalism

Answer 3: 1. The Commercial Revolution refers to the period immediately before the Agricultural Revolution (specifically during the mid sixteenth to early eighteenth centuries) in which the nations of Europe used the mercantile system to amass large amounts of gold and silver. This gold and silver was primarily acquired from the lands that the European nations conquered in North and South America, but the European nations used the mercantile system to keep the gold and silver in Europe after they acquired it.2. Capitalism refers to an economic system in which the individuals participating in the economy are allowed to invest their money or use their money to purchase land or goods for their own benefit even if those investments or purchases may not benefit the nation as a whole. Capitalism, which is primarily based on the laissez-faire system, typically allows the businesses within the economy to exercise a considerable amount of control over the economy.

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