In the first half of the 1800s, a wave of violent uprisings swept Western Europe. This "age of revolutions" was fueled by the political ideas of the French Revolution and the economic problems caused by the Industrial Revolution. The rebels were soon crushed, but the uprisings sent a chilling message to rulers across Europe. The winds of liberalism and nationalism also swept across the Atlantic, igniting wars of independence in Latin America.
After 1815, the clash of people with opposing ideologies plunged Europe into an era of turmoil that lasted more than 30 years.
Revolutions broke out across Europe in 1830 and 1848, but most failed to achieve their goals.
In the early 1800s, many new nations emerged in Latin America as independence movements freed people from European rule.