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In the aftermath of Napoleon's defeat, the great powers of Europe came together to define the new political order. For fifteen years, the plans devised at the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) succeeded in reinstating and maintaining Europe's monarchies, while suppressing the ambitions of liberals, nationalists, and workers. However, in 1830 and again in 1848 the aspirations of these groups exploded in revolutionary action. All of these would-be revolutions were eventually put down, but the message that an expansion of the political sphere was coming could not be denied. In fact, nationalism drove much of the political change in the two decades following the revolts of 1848. Austria-Hungary was reorganized to give special status to large minority groups. The states of Italy were brought together in a unified country in 1861. And finally, the German states were unifed under Prussian leadership in 1871. The unification of Italy and Germany were part of a larger pattern. Throughout Europe, the power of the state increased at the same time as more and more people were brought into the political process. Between 1848 and 1914, France became a republic again, Britain moved closer to democracy, serfdom was abolished in Russia, and Spain and Portugal moved towards modernization of their governments. By 1914, almost all European men had the right to vote.
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