Module 6: Revolutions and Unity

The ideas of the Enlightenment and the revolutions that took place in France and America inspired other countries to seek independence, especially those countries that were under colonial rule in Latin America.

In this module, you will explore the structure of colonial society in Latin America and look at the independence movements that took place in several of Spain and Portugal’s colonies. Divisions over how to deal with these social changes and new freedoms divided Europe as some wanted to restore monarchs and create a balance of power while others pushed for more changes and enlightened government.

The feelings of nationalism that emerged from revolutions like those in America and France spread to other areas as well. In places such as Italy and Germany, nationalists pushed to overcome earlier political divisions and to unite these countries into modern nation-states.

Pre-Assessment

Before you learn about major revolutions that ushered in many of the modern states you know today, check your knowledge about important geographic locations that you will explore in this module. In this non-graded activity, find each of the given locations on the map and click Submit. Click the player to get started.

 

 

Key Vocabulary

To view the definitions for these key vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.

balance of power	Giuseppe Garibaldi	nationalism
Congress of Vienna	liberalism	Otto von Bismarck
conservatism	Mestizo	Papal States
Count Cavour	Metternich	realpolitik
Creoles	Monroe Doctrine	Simon Bolivar
Father Miguel Hidalgo	Napoleon Bonaparte	Toussaint L’Ouverture
Franco-Prussian War	Napoleonic Code	viceroy