The bourgeoisie and the liberal revolutions

During the 15th century, feudal power in Europe came to an end because the kings centralized political power; thus, Portugal, Spain, France and the United Kingdom, were built as monarchical nation-states under an absolutist regime, while in Italy the City-States were consolidated. At the same time, the bourgeoisie was strengthened by the discovery, conquest and colonization of America, Africa and Asia. The merchants achieved considerable economic gains by marketing various products of the new continent, including tobacco and silver; and also Asian items, such as spices and silk.

The period between the last quarter of the 17th century and the first half of the 19th century was the era of liberal revolutions in Europe and America, such as the English Revolution (1642-1689), the independence of the Thirteen Colonies (1776-1783), the French Revolution (1789-1804), the independence in Ibero-America (1810-1824) and the European revolutionary movements of the decades of 1820 and 1830, as well as those of 1848.

The revolutions reflected the interest of the bourgeoisie for a political transformation. This social class, which had been financially strengthened by commercial and financial activities, considered that it should have social recognition not only through the purchase of titles of nobility. In Europe, political institutions such as the British Parliament, the States-General in France and the Spanish Cortes limited political participation and the defense of their rights. In America, the political centralism of British and Spanish monarchs and politicians also failed to respond to the interests of regional bourgeoisies in their colonies. During the first lustrums of the 19th century, the French bourgeoisie took the model of the political transformations of its revolution to other European territories, and for that it used the Napoleonic wars. Subsequently, the oppositionists of liberalism, would react to these movements seeking to restore the old power of the monarchies.

In 1830, the French bourgeoisie sought greater political participation and achievement to establish a liberal monarchy. In contrast, in Belgium, Poland, Italy and Germany, the bourgeoisie had nationalist demands, struggled for its independence against foreign occupation and for establishing liberal governments. Belgium achieved its independence.

In 1848, the ideas of universal suffrage and rights for all clashed with absolutism and moderate liberals. In the movements against the regime the bourgeoisie and the workers were allied, and the latter claimed, for example, their right to strike and the reduction of the working hours in a day. The revolutionary movements took place in France, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Italy and the German confederation, where the unification of the German nation was sought.

Parallel to the political revolutions, economic transformation was promoted through liberalism and industrialization. The bourgeoisie resumed the economic thought of Adam Smith (1723-1790), who claimed that the development of the economy should be based on supply and demand; In addition, he suggested opening the borders for the free exchange of goods. The industrialization that was derived from the First Industrial Revolution (1780-1840) was financed with the profits obtained from the commercialization of sugar produced in America and sold in Europe, implied the transformation of society. In short, between 1776 1848 the bourgeoisie promoted political and economic revolutions that affected the European and American countries, which led to the beginning of the Contemporary Age.

All these changes reflected the demands of political and economic freedom of the bourgeoisie, the social group most strengthened by the transformations, since other groups, such as the nobility and the guilds, lost most of their privileges.