Scribd
Upload
240 views7 pages

The Conditions of Europe, America, and Spain

The 19th century was a time of revolutionary change across Europe and the world. Many countries overthrew absolute monarchies and moved towards more democratic governments. Spain's colonies in South and Central America gained independence, leaving the Philippines as one of Spain's remaining colonies along with Cuba and Puerto Rico. Representation in Spanish parliament was an important reform sought by Filipino reformists like Rizal, as it would have given Filipinos a voice and equal rights, but this representation was abolished and never fully restored. European powers like Britain and France expanded their colonial empires in Asia as Spain's power declined.

Uploaded by

Prensisme Allones
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
240 views7 pages

The Conditions of Europe, America, and Spain

The 19th century was a time of revolutionary change across Europe and the world. Many countries overthrew absolute monarchies and moved towards more democratic governments. Spain's colonies in South and Central America gained independence, leaving the Philippines as one of Spain's remaining colonies along with Cuba and Puerto Rico. Representation in Spanish parliament was an important reform sought by Filipino reformists like Rizal, as it would have given Filipinos a voice and equal rights, but this representation was abolished and never fully restored. European powers like Britain and France expanded their colonial empires in Asia as Spain's power declined.

Uploaded by

Prensisme Allones
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 7

The Conditions of Europe,

America, and Spain


Rizal’s Century The 19th Century
 The 19th Century was a century of change. During the last two decades of the previous
century, the age of enlightenment reached its zenith in France, culminating in the French
Revolution in 1789. in this age, ideas of freedom, liberty, and equality, and the belief in
the sovereignty of the people in determining government thundered all across Europe. The
French Revolution resulted in the toppling of the monarchy of King Louis XVI and the
ushering in of the French Republic. Through France was to slide back to monarchy
following the establishment of Napoleon Bonaparte’s French Empire and the restored
Bourbon dynasty, the ideas of philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
Montesquieu, Francois-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), and Englishman John Locke spread
around the world like a conflagration. The world was never the same again.
Rizal’s Century The 19th Century

 The struggle for equal rights has spread over the world. Europe went up in revolution
from 1848, with the regimes of the absolute monarchs in France and Austria being toppled
by people seeking more responsible governments. In 1861, the year of Rizal’s birth, Tsar
Alexander II emancipated Russian serfs. That year, the Italians, under Giuseppe
Garibaldi, threw out the Austrians and took over the papal lands. Italian nationalism
ended the domination of the church and united the various Italian states as one country.
Germany, on the other hand, was in the process of unification which lasted until 1871. In
the United States, President Abraham Lincoln emancipated the black slaves but triggered
the American Civil War which lasted from 1861 to 1865. at the south of the U.S. border,
Mexican troops dealt a humiliating defeat on the French-supported regime of Archduke
Maximilian.
Rizal’s Century The 19th Century

 In France, the regime of Napoleon III was crumbling after the debacle in Mexico. Later,
the French overthrew the monarchists and established a republic. At this time, however,
most of Spain’s colonies such as those in South and Central America, such as Mexico,
Chile, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, El Salvador,
Honduras, and others have won their independence from Spain through revolution. The
Philippines was one of Spain’s remaining colonies along with Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the
Spanish Sahara.
The Need for Reforms: Representation

 During Napoleon’s time, Spain was part of France’s alliance against Great Britain in the
Continental System. When this alliance faltered, Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808 and
installed his brother Joseph as king. The Spaniards resisted the French, and Spanish
patriots declared allegiance to their crown prince Ferdinand and gathered in the city of
Cadiz where they crafted a constitution. The constitution of Cadiz had a novel feature
allowing colonies to be represented in the Spanish parliament called the Cortes. The
Philippines therefore was given representation for the very first time, and Ventura delos
Reyes, a Spaniard born in the Philippines, was selected to represent the colony.
 However, after Napoleon was defeated, Ferdinand, who had become King Ferdinand VII,
abolished the Cortes, saying that the body encroached on powers he believed belonged
solely to him. The decision was unpopular as Spain’s American colonies began to revolt
and sought independence.
 In 1820, the Spanish people rose and held the king hostage. They forced him to
reconvene the Cortes and restore the representation of the colonies. The restoration of the
Cortes was short-lived as France, under the Bourbons, sent an army which restored
Ferdinand to absolute rule and caused the abolition of the Cortes. In 1833, Ferdinand VII
died, and the Cortes was again restored. However, at this time, the body held a secret
session in which it was decided that the Philippines should not be accorded representation.
From that time on, the Philippines had no representation in the Cortes.
 Representation in this body was one of the reforms demanded by reformists like Rizal. It
would have given the Filipinos the right to be heard in the body and equal rights with the
Spaniards. After Ferdinand VII died, the country was ruled by his daughter, Queen
Isabella II, whose rule was characterized by decadence and mismanagement. Other
European powers such as Great Britain and France became leading powers in the
continent.
Conditions in Asia in the 19th Century
 In Asia, there were renewed efforts of European penetration with the weakening of Spain
and Portugal and the rise of Great Britain and France. The British gained its colony in
Hongkong and forced China to open five ports to its traders following China’s defeat in
the Opium War of 1839-1842. China was humiliated with another defeat in the Arrow
War of 1856-1858 when the British, now joined by the French, forced China to open the
whole country to foreigners. Furthermore, Great Britain enlarged its colony in Hongkong
by taking over Kowloon. Japan was forced open by the Americans under Commodore
Matthew Perry in Yokohama a treaty port. India became a crown colony of Great Britain
in 1858 following the suppression of the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857. Burma became a colony
of Great Britain after three Burmese War 1824-1826, 1862-1863, and 1885-1886. Near
the Philippines, Indo-China became a protectorate of France following the suppression of
the kingdoms of Annam and Cochin-China. Filipino troops from Manila played a role in
the conquest of Indo-China for France. Malaysia became a protectorate and eventually
a colony of Great Britain while Indonesia was conquered by the Dutch of Netherlands.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy