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    Revolution of 1848 Euro

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    A Paper detailing the long-term effects and implications on the development of European society, culture, and governance which resulted from the Revolutions of 1848 across the continent. Affected areas covered include France, England, Germany, and Spain. Pertinent to any discussion of European history, or history which covers the early modern period.

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    Revolution of 1848 Euro

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    ABC
    298 views4 pages
    A Paper detailing the long-term effects and implications on the development of European society, culture, and governance which resulted from the Revolutions of 1848 across the continent. Affected areas covered include France, England, Germany, and Spain. Pertinent to any discussion of European history, or history which covers the early modern period.

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    A Paper detailing the long-term effects and implications on the development of European society, culture, and governance which resulted from the Revolutions of 1848 across the continent. Affected areas covered include France, England, Germany, and Spain. Pertinent to any discussion of European history, or history which covers the early modern period.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    298 views4 pages

    Revolution of 1848 Euro

    Uploaded by

    ABC
    A Paper detailing the long-term effects and implications on the development of European society, culture, and governance which resulted from the Revolutions of 1848 across the continent. Affected areas covered include France, England, Germany, and Spain. Pertinent to any discussion of European history, or history which covers the early modern period.

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    The Revolutions of 1848

    1848 proved one of the most tumultuous year in European history. Uprisings
    in countries across the continent, from France and Prussia to Austria and Italy,
    erupted from the welling mass of popular discontent and set the stage for the
    possibility of cataclysmic change across the European landscape. However, while
    these uprisings enjoyed early success, each inevitably collapsed without achieving
    significant change. They enjoyed the initial gains as a result of the emerging forces
    of liberalism and nationalism, which coupled with the frustrations of the working
    class over agricultural and industrial developments to propel large numbers of
    people into quick action. The varied aims of the groups, lack of organization and
    leadership, and class tensions ultimately doomed the uprisings as they splintered
    and were subsequently defeated.
    Early success greeted many of the uprisings of 1848, which seemed poised to
    push for lasting change in European society, as a result of strong sentiments that
    propelled large swathes of the population into action. Liberals, feeling oppressed
    and ignored as a result of the political stagnation, and nationalists, upset over
    ethnic conflicts due to the Congress of Vienna, successfully rallied many members
    of the working and middle class to push towards more democratic forms of
    government and rights for citizens. These predominating feelings compelled many
    citizens to act, enabling short-term gains. The ubiquity of these ideas across Europe
    allowed the people to act quickly, preventing their opposition from effectively
    formulating counters to their actions, as many people already harbored
    discontented sentiments. When added to the dissatisfaction already smoldering
    from the periods of famine in the 1840s and unemployment due to new industry, a
    powder keg was lit in Europe. As such, the rapidity of action allowed for early gains

    in areas of political and social rights. Austria succeeded in abolishing serfdom


    throughout its empire and adopted a new constitution. The Prussian Assembly, as
    well, employed the deeds of liberal forces to hold an election granting autonomy to
    the Polish minority and enacting the 1850 Constitution, which allowed for political
    representation. Additionally, the citizens of France, the birthplace of the revolutions
    of 1848, succeeded in gaining universal male suffrage after their revolts forced the
    abdication of Louis Philippe. Parisians also gained national workshops designed to
    aid the plight of the working class in their economic condition. Yet, many of the
    factors which served to allow the uprisings to achieve early successes sowed their
    seed of destruction.
    While the revolutions achieved varying levels of success, each invariably
    deteriorated as time progressed as a result of the lack of leadership, varied aims,
    and class tensions, resulting in little change to the status quo in Europe. These
    uprisings encompassed very different demographics within each of the nations:
    socialists, liberals, nationalists, bourgeoisie, and various radical groups. The
    differing agendas of each of these groups served to undermine the overall success
    of the revolution, as each pushed for gains in different areas. Nationalism, though a
    useful catalyst in beginning the uprisings, impeded the goals of the people as a
    result of each nationalist group looking out for its own interests, often to the
    detriment of other peoples. Over time, the revolutions fragmented to an even
    greater degree due to the lack of concerted effort and allowed for conservative
    forces to put each down separately rather than face the entire mass of popular
    discontent. Additionally, the lack of overall organization served to hurt the viability
    of the revolutions. Although the uprisings emerged within a relatively short
    timeframe, no person or group stepped forward to direct the efforts of the people.

    Many efforts within the same country did not even communicate, such as those
    occurring those within the German states. The lack of organization significantly hurt
    the uprisings by removing any chance for a unified effort within the people against
    the states, maximizing the power of the revolts. Similarly, with no centralization,
    the revolutions possessed no significant armed forces, and often failed to gain the
    backing of the army within each of their respective nations. This allowed the armies
    within each state to put down many of the revolutions after a short time. Further, in
    a manner similar to the French revolution, many citizens withdrew their participation
    after minor concessions had been gained, leaving predominantly radical forces
    which alienated themselves from the rest of the public. The fear of radicalism
    coincided with tensions between the middle and lower classes to diminish the
    efficacy of the 1848 uprisings. The members of the middle class feared the
    possible usurpation of power by the lower classes as the uprisings progressed.
    Violent action subsequently damaged the success of the people by estranging many
    moderates to an even greater degree. The withdrawal of support by large groups
    within the population allowed conservative forces to easily put down what remained
    of the revolutions. Often, more oppressive forces than were present previously
    assumed powers to defeat the uprisings, resulting in powerful centralized
    governments in France under Louis Napoleon and Austria under Franz Joseph.
    The uprisings of 1848, occurring across the European continent, promised to
    be a means to social and political change for decades to come. Beginning with the
    February Revolution in France, popular discontent swelled during 1848 in what
    seemed would inevitably culminate in significant gains for the citizens of Europe. In
    reality, the uprisings enjoyed only early success before collapsing sans major
    change. The driving forces of liberalism and nationalism allowed for rapid action

    among wide numbers of the population as they harnessed their frustrations to


    achieve early successes in political and social realms. However, the paucity of
    organization and leadership, varied aims within each faction, and tensions between
    the classes caused each uprising to, in turn, fail.

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