Transcript The Revolutions ofThe turning point at which history failed to turn… - George Macaulay Trevelyan, 1937

The Revolutions of
1848
The turning point at which history failed to
turn…
- George Macaulay Trevelyan, 1937
Causes of upheaval
 Considered the watershed political event of the 19th
century.
 1848 revolutions influenced by romanticism, nationalism,
and liberalism, as well as economic dislocation and
instability.
 Only Britain and Russia avoided significant upheaval.
 Neither liberals or conservatives could gain permanent
upper hand.
 Resulted in end of serfdom in Austria and Germany,
universal male suffrage in France, parliaments
established in German states (although controlled by
princes & aristocrats), stimulated unification impulse in
Prussia and Sardinia-Piedmont.
 Last of liberal revolutions dating back to the French
Revolution
France 1848:
The February Revolution
 Working class and
liberals unhappy with
King Louis Philippe,
esp. his minister
Francois Guizot (who
opposed electoral
reform).
 King dismisses
Guizot, but riots break
out.
 King forced to
abdicate on Feb. 24.
Francois Guizot
The Provisional Government
 Second French Republic declared by
Chamber of deputies.
 Moderate republicans led by liberal Alphonse
Lamartine (allied w/ bourgeoisie)
 Socialists led by Louis Blanc
 national workshops created by Blanc to
provide work for the unemployed
 Reforms: abolished slavery in the empire, 10 hr
workday in Paris, abolished death penalty.
 April elections for new Constituent Assembly
resulted in conflict between moderate
republicans (who won) and socialists
The June Days Revolt
 Workers attempted to create a revolutionary
republic after Blanc was dropped from
assembly.
 Results in “June Days” Revolution
 Cause: gov’t closed national workshops
 Marked beginning of class warfare in France
 Workers sought war against poverty and
redistribution of income.
 Barricades put up in streets to oppose gov’t
forces (Hugo’s Les Miserables based on this)
France 1848
The Second Republic
 General Louis Cavaignac:
assumed dictatorial powers &
crushed revolt (10,000 dead)
 Victory for conservatives
 Nov 1848 – constitution provided for
elected president and one-house
parliament
 Election of 1848: Louis Napoleon
Bonaparte (1803-1873) defeated
Cavaignac
 1852: Louis Napoleon consolidates
power and becomes Emperor
Napoleon III
Louis Napoleon
Bonaparte
Revolution in Austria, 1848
 Habsburg empire was vulnerable to revolutionary
challenge
 Ethnic minorities sought nationalistic goals:
Hungarians, Slavs, Czechs, Italians, Serbs, Croats,
and others. (More non-Germans than Germans lived in
the empire)
 Austrian gov’t was reactionary; liberal institutions were
non-existent.
 Social reliance on serfdom doomed masses of people
to a life w/o hope.
 “February Revolution” in France sparked rebellion for
liberal reforms.
Vienna, 1848
 March 13 – rioting breaks out in
Vienna
 Austrian empire collapsed;
Metternich fled
 Constituent assembly meets.
 Serfdom (robot) abolished,
revolution withers.
 Revolutionary gov’t failed to
govern effectively
 Ferdinand I abdicates,
Habsburgs restored royal
absolutism under Franz Joseph
(r. 1848-1916).
Franz Joseph
Hungary, 1848
 Louis Kossuth (1802-1894)
Hungarian (Magyar nationalist)
leader demanded independence.
 March laws provided for
Hungarian independence.
 Austrians invade, Hungarian
armies drove within sight of
Vienna.
 Slavic minorities resisted Magyar
invasion and Hungarian army
withdrew
 Austrian and Russian armies
defeated Hungarian army.
 Hungary would have to wait until
1866 for autonomy
Louis Kossuth
Bohemia, 1848
 Prague Conference developed notion of
Austroslavism: constitution and
autonomy within Habsburg empire.
 Pan-Slav Congress failed to unite Slavic
peoples in the empire.
 Austrian military ultimately attacked
Prague and occupied Bohemia and
crushed rebellion.
Upheaval in Italy, 1848
 Italian nationalists and liberals seek to end
foreign domination of Italy
 Milan, Lombardy and Venetia seek expel
Austrian rulers
 Bourbon rulers in Kingdom of Two Sicilies and
House of Savoy in Sardinia-Piedmont grant
liberal constitutions.
 Sardinia-Piedmont declared war on Austria.
 Beginning in May, revolutions suppressed.
Italy, 1848
Giuseppe Mazzini
 Giuseppe Mazzini established
Roman Republic in 1849
protected by Giuseppe
Garibaldi
 Pope Pius IX forced to flee
 Austrian General Radetsky
crushes Sardinia-Piedmont;
regains Lombardy and Venetia.
 French troops take back Papal
States.
 Victor Emmanuel II takes
throne in Sardinia-Piedmont.
Italy, 1848
 Causes for failure:
 Rural people did not
support revolutions,
focused mainly on
urban middle classes.
 Revolutionaries not
united, fear of radicals
among moderates
leads to collapse.
 Lack of leadership
and administrative
experience among
revolutionaries.
Giuseppe Garibaldi
The German States, 1848
 Revolutions inspired by 1848
revolutions in France
 Liberals demanded
constitutional government and
a union or federation of
German states.
 Frederick William IV rejected
liberal constitution; imposed
conservative one that
guaranteed royal control of
gov’t (lasted until 1918).
Frederick William IV
Frankfurt Parliament
 Liberal, romantic, & nationalist
leaders called for elections to a
constituent assembly, from all
states in the German Bund, for
the purpose of unifying the
German states.
 Sought war with Denmark to
annex Schleswig & Holstein;
Prussia declared war on
Denmark
 Presented constitution for a
united German federation.
 Selected Prussian King
Frederick William IV as
emperor; he declined claiming
“divine right of kings”
Collapse of the Revolution
 Debate over whether or not to include Austria
and who would rule (Hollenzollerns or
Habsburgs?)
 Failure of Prussia and Austria to support
unification movement resulted in its collapse
 Frederick William’s attempt to unify Germany
ended in failure, he dissolved the Parliament
and created a constitution of his own for
Prussia.
 This created a two-house parliament, but gave
the king ultimate authority.
Collapse of the Revolution
 Prussia attempted to create a north German
confederation that it would dominate.
 Austria opposed, demanding Prussian
allegiance to the Bund (that Austria dominated)
 Nov. 1850 - “Humiliation of Olmutz”: Prussia
dropped plan to unify Germany, leaving Austria
as dominant German state in the Bund.
 Prussia would seek revenge in 1866 (AustroPrussian War)
Britain, 1848
 The Chartists
 Movement reached its
height with the Kennington
Common demonstration on
April 10, 1848.
 Could have been the
prelude to revolution in
Britain, but meeting was
peaceful.
 Leaders did not follow-up
on the meeting and
Chartist movement died.
Kennington Common
demonstration on April 10, 1848
1848 – The Consequences
 The revolutions failed to pull popular support from
working classes.
 Middle classes led the revolution, but as it turned
more radical, they held back.
 Were they were successful, old guard was left in
place and they turned against them.
 Nationalism divided more that united.
 Some gains lasted (abolition of serfdom, etc.)
 In the longterm, most liberal gains would be
solidified by the end of the century, Germany and
Italy would be unified, and the Austrian Empire
would collapse at the end of World War I.