1. The Revolutions Of 1848

2. The turning point at which history failed to turn.
--- George Macaulay Trevelyn [1937]

3. Pre-1848 Tensions: Long-Term
Industrialization
Ideological Challenges
Romanticism
Repressive Measures of restored monarchs

4. Pre-1848 Tensions: Short-Term
Agricultural Crises
Poor cereal harvests
Potato famine
Financial Crises
Urban & Agricultural workers and the middle classes are now joined in misery

5. Centers of Revolution in 1848

6. FRANCE: The Giant Sea Snake?

7. FRANCE

8. Louis Philippe, “The Pear,” 1848

9. Prince Louis: Not Too Steady!
Victor Hugo & Miguel de Girardin try to raise Prince Louis upon a shield. [Honoré Damier’s lithograph published in Charavari, December 11, 1848].

10. The February Revolution
Working class & liberals revolt
Protests break out
Troops open fire on peaceful protestors.
National Guard defect to the radicals.
King Louis Philippe loses Paris and abdicates on February 24.

11. The “June Days” Workers in Paris rose up
Wanted a redistribution of wealth.
Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables

12. Paris: To the Barricades Again!

13. The 2nd French Republic (1848-1852)‏
General Louis Cavaignac
Nov., 1848  a new constitution provided for:
An elected President
A one-house legislature
The Republic by Jean-Leon Gerome

14. President Louis Napoleon
The December election:
The “law and order” candidate, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte wins

15. 1851 Coup d’Etat
President Louis Napoleon declared a hereditary 2nd French Empire
A national plebiscite confirmed it

16. The HAPSBURG EMPIRE

17. The Austrian Empire: 1830

18. Ferdinand I (1793-1875)‏ Culturally and racially heterogeneous.
Very conservative monarchy
Serfdom
Corrupt and inefficient

19. Austrian Students Form a Militia

20. Vienna, 1848: The Liberal Revolution
The Austrian Empire collapses
Metternich fled.
Constituent Assembly met
Serfdom abolished.
BUT…
The revolutionary government failed

21. The New Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I [r. 1848-1916]

22. The Hungarian Revolution

23. Lajos Kossuth Hungary declares independence from Austria
Austrian & Russian armies invade and defeat the Hungarian army

24. Tsar Nicholas I (r )‏
He raised an army in response to a request from Franz Joseph

25. Bohemia, 1848 Bohemia was split between Pan-Slavs & Pan-Germans
Prague Conference:
Developed the idea of Austro-Slavism
The Austrian military ultimately attacked Prague, occupied Bohemia & crushed the rebellion.
The Prague Barricades

26. Revolution in Romania

27. The German States

28. Germania

29. Frederick William IV of Prussia (1840-1861)‏
Anti-liberal, but an ‘Arthurian’ medieval romantic.
Relied on Junker support
Prussia in the mid- 19c:
Efficient
Good economy
Strong military

30. The Germans Follow the French
After the February French revolutions, there were many riots in minor German states.
Austria and Prussia expected to intervene to crush these revolts, BUT:
Vienna Revolution  led to the fall of Metternich.
Berlin riots
King Frederick William IV withdraws the troops and hand the liberals a big victory
Other Princedoms collapse

31. Funeral for Berlin Freedom Fighters

32. The Frankfurt Assembly
Liberals form German National Assembly in Frankfurt:
Universal suffrage
Delegates mostly from the middle class
Debate over the nature of the state  monarchy of Habsburgs or Hohenzollerns?
They chose the Austrian Habsburg Archduke John rather than the King of Prussia
But they failed to gain the loyalty of the Prussian Army

33. Frankfurt Assembly Meets

34. A Citizen Militia on Parade in Berlin

35. The “Three Germanies”

36. Austria & Prussia Reassert Control
Austria re-gained control of Vienna
Prussia opposed The Frankfurt Assembly
Radicals took to the barricades again
The Prussian army crushed radicals
April, the Assembly collapsed

37. A New German Confederation
Frederick William IV of Prussia wanted to rule a united Germany
1850  the German Confederation was re-established
Prussia was forced to accept Austrian leadership of Central Europe

38. Liberalism Discredited in Germany
Rule of force was the only winner
A massive exodus of liberal intelligentsia
Militarism triumphs

39. THE AFTERMATH

40. Democrats Swept Out of Europe

41. The Communist Manifesto
Karl Marx
Friedrich Engels

42. Why did the 1848 Revolutions Fail?
Lacked popular support
Began by middle classes led these revolutions, but turned radical
Nationalism divided more than united
Some gains lasted [abolition of serfdom, etc.]
And long term, most of the liberal ideas happen by the end of the 19c:
The unification of Germany and Italy.
The collapse of the Hapsburg Empire at the end of World War I

43. The Bottom Line It looked like the Conservative forces had triumphed.
BUT…
Economic/social problems continued to challenge the ruling order
Conservatives would have to make concessions in order to stay in power
Many of the limited Liberal achievements remained permanent