Queen Victoria's View on England during the Victorian Era

I am quite sad regarding my country at the moment. The newspapers have been calling this new era the "Victorian Era". While I should be flattered, I find myself sad. This era has brought nothing but trouble into my life. I was much happier during the Regency period. Britain has become much more Democratic during this time. I am proud of the Reform Bill of 1832, which has allowed more people to vote. I am also proud to state that this time period is the most prosperous period of British history. There is tremendous economic growth and lots of free trade. These are great reforms for my country, but my personal life has been in shambles. I have isolated myself from the rest of the world in order to properly mourn the death of my husband. So, I have left England at the mercy of two alternating Prime Ministers: Gladstone and Disraeli. I am very fond of the tory Disraeli and his Big England Policy, but I cannot stand the whig Gladstone and his Little England policy. I hope Disraeli will be more popular with the English people, as well. He will do great things for this country, including the expansion of our borders.

A Native African's View on the Partition of Africa

The Partition of Africa by the European countries is outrageous and infuriating. My fellows tribesmen have lived on this continent, following our own customs, for centuries. Who do the Europeans think they are to come and tell me that I am uncivilized because of my traditions? The African tribes have learned how to survive in this land. I am positive that the imperialists would not last long in Africa before dying from disease or getting eaten by wild animals. The Swahili city-states, strongholds of technology and wealth, have recently been destroyed by imperialists. There is virtually nothing left of these great cities; it is a absolute tragedy. Although the evil destroyers soon died from malaria, nothing will ever bring back the treasures that were lost in the Swahili city-states. I have gotten word that the Europeans have met at a Berlin Conference to "divide" Africa among themselves. It seems quite horrific to me that they think they've the right to do this. There were zero African delegates at the conference. From what I have heard, the countries of Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, and Spain were present at this meeting. These countries are now going to try to impose their languages, religions, and customs on the native people of Africa.

A Middle Class Woman's View on the Changing Family in the 1800s

Many changes have taken place when it comes to love and marriage. It seems as though marrying for convenience has been overtaken by marrying for love. Premarital sex has greatly increased. As a result, the births of illegitimate children has also increased - however after 1850 it started decreasing again. This shows that the working classes have finally gained some sort of intelligence. However the men in this society have not made so much progress. So many young men have turned to prostitution! This has led to increased sexism. Thus, many women have stopped working outside the home - that is except for all those lower class women. The rest of the female population has returned to the home to rear her children. After a while these women became tired of being inferior. They started to fight for their rights!
--from the diary of a middle class woman

Science and Thought

During this time in history scientific thought began to yield beneficial change in society. In other words, theoretical knowledge began to be applied in everyday uses. Louis Pasteur and his process of Pasteurizing milk is a prime example of this shift in modes. Even while practical applications were being developed, however, theory was still advancing at a rapid pace. the Law of Conservation of Energy - stating that energy can neither be created nor destroyed - proved to people that the world is government by strict unchanging laws. Even the process of systematic research and development (R&D) was developed at this time. In the end, science began to triumph over religion as reason began to replace faith.
Social Scientists, such as Marx, began to study society as a whole from children to crime rates. Everything was represented statistically and analysts spent a good portion of their lives study trends. One significant analyst was Auguste Comte. Comte noted that explanation of things, such as cosmic patterns, shifted from theological (will of God) to metaphysical (orderly nature) to scientific (unchanging laws). His method of reason was known as the Positivist Method, more commonly known as the Scientific Method. During this time Darwin also published his thesis On the Origin of Species by the Means of Natural Selection. This document led to great outrage, and also to the concept of Social Darwinism.
The triumph of science also led to the Realist literary movement. In Realism authors strove to depict things as they were in real life without mixing in romanticized views and only using hard science. The pioneer of this movement was Emile Zola with her literary manifesto.

Metternich's View of Conservatism

Hello, I am Prince Klemens von Metternich. I am a wealthy aristocrat from Austria. My position is the Austrian foreign minister. You've probably heard of me, because I led the Congress of Vienna. I would like to state precisely why I support Conservatism. First, tradition is extremely important and I strongly believe in the ideals of the monarchy and nobility. There are many problems in the world today that have started with the lower classes. In my opinion, all of these problems were promoted because of liberalism. I fear that liberalism will cause a great war and ultimately lead to the breakup of Austria-Hungary. To prevent liberalism from spreading, I have created the Holy Alliance, which will monitor any liberal or radical ideas. I've also established the Carlsbad Decrees, which intervene and repress ath any sign of liberalism. I firmly stand by my belief that tradition (and conservatism) will keep peace throughout Europe. Conservatism is practical because it favors obedience to political authority. Another main tenet of this ideology is the belief that organized religion is crucial to the order of a society. In conclusion, conservatism is by far the best ideology because it allows countries to remain peaceful. The only thing a radical idea does is stir up trouble.
Sincerely,
Prince Klemens von Metternich
(an aristocrat)

Austria-Hungary's thoughts on Russia

During the time of the French Revolution and the Congress of Vienna, Austria was distraught over Russia's influence in Poland (Grand Duchy), Central Europe, and Prussia. During the debates in the C.O.V., Russia was Austria's main rival in negoatiations. Russia's strength seemed to grow over the years and the balance of power was tipping gradually in their general direction. Austria-Hungary felt weak in comparison. Furthermore, Russia had somewhat of an influence over King Frederick William III, king of Prussia. Prussia was somewhat of a buffer state between Austria-Hungary and Russia.

Britain's Impact on Austria during Napoleonic Era

The British and Austrian soldiers fought together to try to save the Netherlands from falling under Napoleon's rule. Prussia, Spain, and most of the German states had all backed down from this endeavor. These two countries were prominent members of the Second and Third Coalitions against the French Empire. Overall, Britain and Austria rarely came into close contact with each other on the battlefield. They were both devoutly against Napoleon and his troops, but were often involved in different battles. For instance, Austria was not a main contender at the Battle of Waterloo, while Britain played a major role in it. On the other hand, Austria fought against Napoleon in his invasion of Russia, but Great Britain was not involved at all. At the Congress of Vienna, Metternich of Austria was the host to other statesmen including Castlereagh of Britain. Both countries came out of the wars with nationalism and power.