Leiden University Student Repository

Harte, Charlotte (2015)

The Belgian Revolt in British politics, 1830-1834.

Master thesis | History (MA)

Nineteenth-century British politics cultivated the idea that it was Britain’s responsibility to enforce its virtues upon the rest of the world. Domestic and foreign issues became linked by fundamental themes as new forces of liberalism, political reform and religious pluralism challenged the old English regime. The Belgian Revolt, and its diplomatic and political aftermath, had a tremendous impact on the ideological struggle in Parliament. The opinion and interest for the Belgian case and the appropriate British response to it led to many intense parliamentary debates in the years 1830-1834. Furthermore, the Belgian question influenced discussions on other significant issues in British politics, such as parliamentary reform, repeal of the union with Ireland, collaboration with the Concert of Europe, France and the Holy Alliance. As foreign policy and domestic affairs became integrated through fundamental themes, an ideological struggle erupted and political parties presented...Show moreNineteenth-century British politics cultivated the idea that it was Britain’s responsibility to enforce its virtues upon the rest of the world. Domestic and foreign issues became linked by fundamental themes as new forces of liberalism, political reform and religious pluralism challenged the old English regime. The Belgian Revolt, and its diplomatic and political aftermath, had a tremendous impact on the ideological struggle in Parliament. The opinion and interest for the Belgian case and the appropriate British response to it led to many intense parliamentary debates in the years 1830-1834. Furthermore, the Belgian question influenced discussions on other significant issues in British politics, such as parliamentary reform, repeal of the union with Ireland, collaboration with the Concert of Europe, France and the Holy Alliance. As foreign policy and domestic affairs became integrated through fundamental themes, an ideological struggle erupted and political parties presented themselves as more patriotic than their rivals. Consequently, the Belgian question became the battleground on which English intellectual, cultural and moral ideas were projected.Show less

Belgian Revolt 1830

nineteenth-century British politics

patriotism

British national identity

liberalism

parliamentary debates 1830-1834

British foreign policy

Parliamentary reform

Concert of Europe

Balance of power

Author

Harte, Charlotte

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Europaeum programme European History and Civilisation: Leiden-Oxford-Paris programme

Supervisors

Duindam, J.F.J.

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en