History 2520 Europe in the Nineteenth Century: 1815-1914

Fall 2005 J. Sperber

Liberalism and Conservatism

Main lecture theme: How supporters of older political currents responded to new political developments after 1890

1. The Crisis of Liberalism

A. The old liberalism

i. An obsolete form of politics

ii. Issues going against the trends

iii. A decline of support

B. The new liberalism

i. New political styles

ii. Preserving some liberal ideas while changing others

2. National Examples of Liberalism

A. Italy

i. Crisis of the 1890s—Giovanni Giolitti

ii. Social and economic reforms

iii. Political reforms (transformismo)

iv. Limits to the new liberalism

B. France

i. The politics of the Radical Party

ii. The Dreyfus Affair and the separation of church and state

iii. Promised but undelivered social reforms (Georges Clemenceau)

iv. New social and economic issues

(a) Supporters and opponents of fiscal reform (Joseph Caillaux)

(b) Militarism and the “National Reawakening”

(c) The Radicals divided and on the defensive

C. Germany

i. New liberalism and the structure of the state

ii. Reforms and imperialism (Friedrich Naumann)

iii. At best, an ambivalent record

3. New Trends in Conservatism

A. Proto-fascisms

i. Intellectual characteristics

ii. A new political instrument—the Leagues (Action Française)

iii. Proto-fascists and real fascists

B. Christian Democracy

i. Leo XIII (De rerum novarum)

ii. Center Party (Germany)

iii. Ralliement (France)

iv. Limits to Christian Democracy

(a) The Papacy

(b) Catholics and Protestants

(c) Religion and social harmony

4. A Relative Success