ution and disorder erupted all over Europe. Yet no war was precipitated between major powers. By 1850, the revolutions were over and any victories were a faint memory for most countries. Craig described this time as follows:
"After all the rhetoric and the resolutions and the bravery on the barricades and in the field the continent of Europe seem to be, on the whole, unchanged. The attempt to liberalize and federalize the Hapsburg empire had failed as ignominiously as the movement to unify Germany; both Kremsier and Frankfurt were might-have-beens. The Bourbons were back in Naples and the pope was back in Rome. Austria was supreme in northern Italy; her influence in Germany was restored" (142).
Two factors strongly influenced the European states to resolve their disputes without returning to full-scale war. First, they were exhausted financially from the Napoleonic Wars. Over the years (1803 to 1815) these wars had been fought, various combinations of the European nations (Austria, Great Britain, Russia, Prussia, Holland, Spain, and Sweden) came together at six different times to form coalitions against France. These efforts failed. Napoleon's army was finally defeated by the British military in 1815.
The wars had been extremely unprofitable for all of the European nations. Britain was the most economically sound country. They were significantly better off than their European neighbors financially. This economic strength was due to their earlier industrialization. Britain had continued to gain power as a naval, commercial and colonial power throughout the 18th century following a reorganization of the British government. With this change, the government system was controlled primarily by the landowners. British subjects were governed by a constitution and a Parliament. This system generated an atmosphere of political tolerance, intellectual freedom and rule of law that did not exist in other European natio...