Europe in 1789

In 1789 the French Revolution began. Not only did it have profound and lasting effects on the political future of France, it began a series of drastic changes in the systems of power and alliances across Europe. From the initial fighting within France, revolutionary ideas permeated across the border and forced many kingdoms throughout Europe to stamp down on political opposition and put aside their differences to unite against France’s expansionist ambitions in the Revolutionary Wars under Napoleon. The somewhat archaic forms of government in many states across Europe were highlighted by the new ideals that emerged from revolutionary France. In 1806 The extensive Holy Roman Empire and its vast number of individual entities was dissolved as a result of political changes and secularization which came about during the Revolutionary Wars. The French Revolution marked the beginning of the end of feudalism and promoted the rise of nationalism in many countries.