RESTORATION, LIBERAL REVOLUTIONS AND UNIFICATION

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    Louis XVIII, King of France

    Restored to the French throne after Napoleon, tried to balance monarchy with some liberal reforms.
  • Battle of Waterloo

    Battle of Waterloo

    Final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by British and Prussian forces, ending the Napoleonic Wars.
  • Congress of Vienna

    Congress of Vienna

    A diplomatic meeting of European powers to restore monarchies and balance of power after Napoleon’s defeat.
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    Charles X, King of France

    Last Bourbon monarch; his conservative policies led to the July Revolution.
  • Independence of Belgium

    Independence of Belgium

    Belgium declared independence from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands following a nationalist uprising.
  • Independence of Greece

    Independence of Greece

    Greece gained independence from the Ottoman Empire after a long war supported by Britain, France, and Russia.
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    Louis Philippe, King of France

    Known as the “Citizen King,” he came to power after Charles X and was overthrown during the 1848 Revolution.
  • The Zollverein

    The Zollverein

    A German customs union led by Prussia that promoted economic unity and paved the way for political unification.
  • Revolution of 1848, Spring of Nations

    Revolution of 1848, Spring of Nations

    A wave of liberal and nationalist revolts across Europe demanding democracy and national independence.
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    France’s Second Republic

    Established after the 1848 revolution; it introduced universal male suffrage and elected Louis-Napoleon president.
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    France’s Second Empire: Napoleon III

    Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte established an authoritarian regime and modernized France after a coup.
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    Spanish Liberal Biennium

    A short period of progressive liberal reforms in Spain under the reign of Isabella II.
  • Battles of Magenta and Solferino

    Battles of Magenta and Solferino

    Key Franco-Piedmontese victories against Austria that advanced the unification of northern Italy.
  • Garibaldi conquered the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

    Garibaldi conquered the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies

    Giuseppe Garibaldi led the Redshirts to victory in southern Italy, crucial for Italian unification.
  • Victor Emmanuel II, King of Italy

    Victor Emmanuel II, King of Italy

    First king of a unified Italy, symbolizing national unity under a constitutional monarchy.
  • Danish-Prussian War

    Danish-Prussian War

    Prussia and Austria defeated Denmark and took control of Schleswig and Holstein, increasing German influence.
  • Austro-Prussian War

    Austro-Prussian War

    Also called the Seven Weeks’ War; Prussia defeated Austria and excluded it from German affairs.
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    Franco-Prussian War

    Conflict between France and Prussia; led to the fall of Napoleon III and the unification of Germany.
  • Wilhelm I, Kaiser of the Second German Reich

    Wilhelm I, Kaiser of the Second German Reich

    King of Prussia crowned Emperor of Germany after victory over France in Versailles.
  • Bloody Sunday massacre in St. Petersburg.

    Bloody Sunday massacre in St. Petersburg.

    Imperial troops fired on peaceful demonstrators, shattering public trust in the Tsar and sparking nationwide unrest.
  • Mutiny on the Battleship Potemkin.

    Mutiny on the Battleship Potemkin.

    Sailors rebelled against brutal discipline and poor conditions, becoming a powerful symbol of resistance to Tsarist authority.
  • October Manifesto issued by Tsar Nicholas II.

    October Manifesto issued by Tsar Nicholas II.

    The Tsar promised civil liberties and created the Duma in an effort to calm strikes and revolutionary pressure.
  • Germany declares war on Russia.

    Germany declares war on Russia.

    Germany’s action expanded the conflict and pulled the Russian Empire fully into World War I.
  • Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.

    Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.

    The killing of the Austrian heir by a Serbian nationalist triggered diplomatic crises and alliance obligations, setting off World War I.
  • Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.

    Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.

    This declaration followed failed diplomacy and marked the formal beginning of large-scale conflict in Europe.
  • Congress of Soviets endorses Bolshevik power.

    Congress of Soviets endorses Bolshevik power.

    The new government was legitimized by Soviet representatives, transferring authority to Bolshevik leadership.
  • Strikes and mutinies erupt in Petrograd.

    Strikes and mutinies erupt in Petrograd.

    Food shortages and wartime hardship led workers and soldiers to revolt, beginning the February Revolution.
  • Tsar Nicholas II abdicates the throne.

    Tsar Nicholas II abdicates the throne.

    Facing military collapse and mass protests, Nicholas II stepped down, ending the Romanov dynasty.
  • Lenin returns from exile to Petrograd.

    Lenin returns from exile to Petrograd.

    With German assistance, Lenin returned to lead the Bolsheviks and promote radical slogans like “Peace, Land, Bread.”
  • Bolsheviks seize the Winter Palace.

    Bolsheviks seize the Winter Palace.

    The Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government in a swift and organized uprising in Petrograd.
  • Armistice signed with the Central Powers.

    Armistice signed with the Central Powers.

    The Bolsheviks halted fighting in World War I to focus on internal political consolidation.
  • Czech Legion uprising begins.

    Czech Legion uprising begins.

    Former POWs rebelled along the Trans-Siberian Railway, helping trigger the Russian Civil War.
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    Russian Civil War between Reds, Whites, and others.

    Multiple factions fought across Russia, causing massive destruction, famine, and loss of life.
  • Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed.

    Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed.

    Russia exited World War I at the cost of vast territories, angering many Russians and former allies.
  • Execution of the Romanov family.

    Execution of the Romanov family.

    The Bolsheviks executed Nicholas II and his family to prevent their rescue by anti-Bolshevik forces.
  • Armistice ends World War I.

    Armistice ends World War I.

    The fighting stopped across Europe, and Russia’s Brest-Litovsk treaty was later canceled.
  • New Economic Policy (NEP) introduced.

    New Economic Policy (NEP) introduced.

    Lenin allowed limited private trade and farming to revive the economy after years of war and famine.
  • Formation of the USSR.

    Formation of the USSR.

    The Soviet Union was officially created, uniting several republics under Bolshevik control.
  • Death of Vladimir Lenin.

    Death of Vladimir Lenin.

    Lenin’s death led to a fierce power struggle that eventually allowed Joseph Stalin to rise.