ABSTRACT
As shown in Chapter 13, the industrial and the political revolutions had complex consequences, principally in western Europe, although changes made themselves felt in central and eastern Europe as well. Ideologically, conservatives and liberals in particular became the main opposition groups within the newly created constitutional, partly democratic political systems. The former, those who basically rejected the consequences of the revolutions, preferred to see the old power structures maintained or restored as much as possible. They also advocated vigorous government. The latter argued that social progress was best served by as free a play of social forces as could be realized without society degenerating into chaos; in their opinion, liberalism also implied the limited interference of government in economic, social and certainly cultural affairs.
