1820erne

1820erne, or the 1820s, designates the decade spanning 1820 to 1829. It was a period of transition following the Napoleonic Wars, marked by the uneasy balance between conservative rule and growing liberal, nationalist, and reformist currents. The decade saw the consolidation of many state structures while new ideas about constitutions, rights, and national identity began to take hold in various regions.

In Europe, the period was dominated by a conservative order headed by the diplomatic framework of the Congress of Vienna, often called Metternichian conservatism. Nevertheless, liberal tendencies resurfaced in several places: Spain experienced the Trienio Liberal (1820–1821), and the eastern Mediterranean witnessed the beginning of the Greek War of Independence in 1821. Romanticism also flourished as a cultural force, feeding nationalist sentiment and new ways of perceiving history and culture.

In the Americas, the decade was decisive for sovereign status. Mexico achieved independence from Spain in 1821, and Brazil declared independence in 1822. The United States pursued westward expansion and articulated a hemispheric policy with the Monroe Doctrine in 1823, while many other Spanish American territories moved toward republican or constitutional forms of government.

Technology and economy began to transform daily life more rapidly. The Industrial Revolution progressed in Britain, with advances in machinery and energy use, and transportation began to change with the 1825 opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the first steam-powered public railway. These developments laid groundwork for broader economic modernization in the ensuing decades.

The 1820s thus set the stage for subsequent reforms, nationalism, and industrial growth that shaped much of the 19th century.