The Revolutions of 1848

Toward the middle of the 19th century, France was not the only

country to have found itself embroiled in uprisings, revolts, and

revolutions. The Revolutions of 1848, as they are now

remembered, were a series of political upheavals that took place

throughout the continent of Europe. Although they were

widespread, many of these revolutions fizzled out and collapsed

within a year of their start date. The countries to find themselves

in the midst of revolution included France, Germany, Poland, Italy,

Denmark, and the Austrian Empire.

The primary causes for these revolutions stemmed from

dissatisfaction with the monarchies which were at the helm of

each country. The citizens were tired of feeling oppressed and

controlled, and there was a widespread demand for democracy,

versus a monarchy. Others were overwhelmingly angry at how

neglectful their country’s monarchy could be, as food shortages

and economic turmoil spread throughout various areas.

A strong sense of nationalism, in this case referring to the

support of a country’s own political independence, was growing

due to the fact that some countries had leaders belonging to other
nations (for example, when Napoleon Bonaparte of France made

his brother the King of Spain). Finally, the people had a demand for

various liberties, such as freedom of the press.

Like many revolutions both past and modern, the leaders were

groups of reformers and middle class workers, typically from

urban areas as well as from the rural farmlands. These were the

groups of people who felt misunderstood and disconnected from

their monarchs, and it was a source of tension for them to see

their country’s leaders living so lavishly while they endured

famines.

Although many consider the revolutions to be failures, there were

some positive outcomes which resulted. For one, serfdom was put

to an end in Austria. This is the practice by which an individual, the

serf, must work land and render services to the lord, who owned

the land. Serfs had very few rights and were treated poorly.

Denmark experienced an end to its monarchy under which the

country had been ruled for almost 200 years.

Due to the fact that there were some divisions within the factions

of people uprising, it was easy for counter-revolutions to quash

their efforts thanks to a lack of organization and disagreements

among the individuals. By the time the revolutions were finally

stopped, thousands of people had lost their lives in the conflict.

Today, there is widespread debate as to the success of the

revolutions, with some historians pointing out that, if nothing else,

the revolutions served to inspire reforms which would take place

in the latter half of the century.