REVOLUTIONS OF 1848
Why Revolution?
What was going on in Europe in 1848 that inspired Revolution? Who led Revolutions?
IN FRANCE
Louis Philippe rule eventually aroused opposition.
1. Republicans opposed monarchy
2. Liberals deplored the government’s conservative policies, press
Censorship, corruption and voting restrictions
3. City working men suffered poor economic conditions and had no vote.
4. Louis was forced to flee by Paris mobs
Revolutionists proclaimed the 2nd French republic which
Guaranteed universal male suffrage
Louis Napoleon was overwhelmingly elected President- WHY?
IN AUSTRIA
Inspired by the French success Austrians revolted.
Austrians demanded democracy
Czechs and Italians wanted national independence
As did the Hungarians (lead by Louis Kossuth)
Problem was the different groups quarreled
Among themselves and thus divided they were captured singly.
Austria received help from Russian troops
To ease tensions the Hapsburg emperor abolished serfdom
but annulled the liberal constitution which had been formed
Metternich (who at this point was 75 years old but still had influence in Vienna)
“I am not a prophet and I do not know what will happen, but I am an old physician and can distinguish between temporary and fatal diseases. We now face on of the latter.”
IN ITALY AND GERMANY
-Revolutions for democracy and natonalistic ideas were crushed
-Sardinia-Piedmont retained new liberal constitution
-Prussia adopted a constitution but it was not democratic
-Idea of nationalism and unification spread
So What?
Results….
1. It was the end of the Metternich policies in Austria
2. Created uiversal male suffrage in France
3. Marked the last effort of Europe to overthrow reactionary
Governments by revolution alone, and new moves will be peaceful and gain democratic ideals
4. Other groups will look to war and diplomacy to
achieve independence and unity, especially in Germany and Italy
5. Marked the 1st time workers put forward organized demands for political rights
6. Radical peasants in France ended the myth of the conservative peasantry (remember the French Revolution)
7. Most of the Revolutions were independent phenomenons, but were common in the emergence of mass politics.
8. Goals of revolutions: Middle class rights, universal male suffrage, liberal reform, freedom of the press, and to a lesser degree women’s suffrage
9. European peace ended temporarily by internal revolutions
10. Britain was counter-example, liberals avoided conflict at all cost, and promoted compromise, not revolution
11. Counter-revolutions exiled thousands, spreading ideas of Republicanism, nationalism and socialism around the world.
12. Most of the revolutions were unsuccessful however and the “Spring of Peoples” became the winter of the Conservatives. WHY? Why were revolutions unsuccessful? And how did revolutions change national politics in Europe?