Age of Revolutions Free Response

...

in Lombardy and Venetia. The revolt was only successful for Sardinia which was able to remain independent. The ruler of Portugal was also forced by his people to accept a constitution but it was later abolished. One truly successful action of the nationalists was the Treaty of Adrianople in 1829 which allowed Greece to become and remain an independent state from the Ottoman Empire. Nationalism could have claimed victory over the entirety of Europe had it not been for a few key factors. Many states had one thing in common, wanting to be united as a people. They had wonderful ideas on unification but had unclear goals on how they would per sue them. In addition, several nationalists had conflicting timelines, agendas and goals and often argued amongst themselves. Thus, the resolve of their groups were weakened and made it easier for people like the conservatives to pull in the reigns so to speak and take control over states once again. The nationalists would gain some power over their conservative overlords in the form of things like constitutional rights or causing rulers to flee and then lose their sweet taste of victory when they made it somewhat easy for conservatives to return to their thrones and or do away with all they had inculcated within their societies.

In conclusion, the above paragraphs state my reasons for stating why conservatism can claim victory over the revolutions of 1848. Conservatives emitted firm power by means of the Congress of Vienna and strong leaders like Nicolas 1 of Russia and Metternich. The nationalists came in at a close second with powerful ideas yet no plan. Despite their differences, both groups aided in the development of European culture.

...