The 18th Century in Europe and America - Essay Example

There were fundamental differences between liberalism and conservative. The difference was seen in their idea of what was right for the citizens. One of the differences was in self-rule and determination. The conservatives were of the idea that self-rule and determination were not suitable for Europe. The idea was that such ideas were responsible for chaos and constant wars in Europe. For example, they cited the revolutionary America and France. The conservative believed the ideas were to stop if untold suffering and bloodshed was to end. Moreover, the ideas were seen as affecting lower classes which the conservatives believed they required nothing more than peace and stability. On the other hand, the liberals were of the idea that the time was ripe for the establishment of the national government. They believed the old order was responsible for the suffering and inequality that was rampant in Europe, at the period. They were against the domination of various regions by a few groups of rich and noble in the society. Therefore, they demanded representative government.

Secondly, there were differences based on the economic state of the region in the period. For example, the liberal idea was that there should be a free market in the region. As a result, they called for uncontrolled private enterprise and non-government interference in the economy. On the other hand, the conservatives were opposed to the idea. They believed that the government had to have a hand in the regulation of the market, as well as ownership of property. For example, they controlled the distribution of land.

Third, there were significant political differences between the opposing sides. The differences occurred in terms of the enjoyment of rights. The liberals spent most of their time fighting for rights. Moreover, they wanted a large portion of the middle class to be allowed to vote instead of concentrating it on a few aristocratic individuals. This is because only those who owned property could vote during the period. Hence, only the noble who had large chunks of land could vote at the detriment of the middle class most of which had no property. On the other hand, the conservative had differing ideas. They believed that civil rights were gained from the past and hence could not be guaranteed to everyone in society.

The underlying differences led to political actions over the period in the region. The encounters were in terms of violence and conflict. The encounters occurred as conservatives engaged in ways of suppressing the advent of liberal ideas. As a result, various revolts occurred in Europe inspired by the liberals. For example, there was a revolt in Spain as the ruling elite failed to accept a liberal constitution.

However, some of the conflicts led to the accommodation of liberal and conservative policies in Europe during the period. The radical reforms were in the political realm for the liberals. For example, in Britain, a policy was passed in 1932 that allowed the middle class to vote. Moreover, there was the rise to the power of liberal leaders. For example, there was an election of a liberal leader in France such as Napoleon Bonaparte. On the other hand, there was a crucial liberal policy at the beginning of the period. The policy was passed at a convention in Vienna that aimed to ensure there was a political union between several states in the region. The other policy was the accommodation of liberal ideas in some of the monarchs in Europe such as the passage of civil rights.

In conclusion, the differences in Europe were significant for changes experienced in the region over the period.