1820s1830s

The 1820s and 1830s cover the decades from 1820 to 1839, a period of political liberalization, nationalist movements, and rapid industrialization after the Napoleonic era. Some states expanded political participation and constitutional government, while others faced tensions over empire, slavery, and boundaries. Global populations urbanized as new technologies and markets transformed economies and society.

In Europe the Concert of Europe sought to preserve the post-Napoleonic order amid rising liberalism and nationalism. The 1820s saw liberal uprisings in Spain and Italian states; the Greek War of Independence began in 1821 and led to a recognized Greek state in the 1830s. In 1830 France experienced the July Revolution, and Belgium followed with a successful revolt that year.

Across the Atlantic, most of Latin America achieved independence by the 1820s, while the United States underwent political realignment in the Jacksonian era. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 shaped domestic and hemispheric policy. The 1830s brought the Indian Removal Act and growing disputes over federal authority and slavery, culminating in the nullification crisis (1832–33).

Economically the period featured sustained Industrial Revolution growth, especially in Britain, with mechanization, urbanization, and early rail development. Culturally, Romanticism influenced literature and the arts, and reform movements—such as abolitionism—gained momentum in several regions, signaling deeper social change that would unfold in the mid-19th century.