The Revolution(s) of 1848 and the Transformation of Liberalism

Lecture 18

Terms:
The June Days (Rev. of 1848 France) Springtime of Nations (Rev. of 1848 in Central/Eastern Europe) John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

Paris: 1848

The February Revolution (Paris, 1848)

Revolution begins due to economic downturns and crop failures that left the peasants and the poor working classes starving and middle classes still alienated from politics Barricades go up and monarchy abolishedestablish provisional government and call it the Second Republic
Establish universal manhood suffrage (!) Abolition of slavery Establish principle of right to work (national workshops for unemployed) New taxes on upper/middle classes to fund this (social reform)

 Powder keg ignitesbarricades go up once again, now solely working class Scares the hell out of the upper and middle classes and call this an affront on the protection of private property and call for the workshops to be closed Thus the bourgeoisie in turn support party of order and crushing of revolution (including its old arch enemy the nobility) Re-enter: Napolon (or his whiny nephew)its quite ironic The first red scare Marx is watching this in Paris at the time!!!!

June Days
(June 1848, Paris)

Takes over in a coup detat (1851) supported by the monarchist right and the upper class Seen as the only one who can restore order and end the instability in France which had continued since the overthrow of the monarchy in February AND prevent a protocommunist revolution. BUT: also supported by a good proportion of the industrial working class due to his vague indications of progressive economic views.

Dej Vu: Napolon III

Also widely supported by the peasants because his name meant something to them and they remember Napolon fondly
Promises to make France great again (doesnt deliver) Basically runs off his uncles name who in popular memory was credited with raising the nation to its pinnacle of military greatness and establishing social stability after the turmoil of the French Revolution. Crowns himself emperor one year later

The revolutions of 1848-49 spread

The Springtime of Nations in Central Europe (liberal nationalism!)

Germania: A liberal unified Germany?

Caricature of Metternich fleeing Vienna

Giuseppe Garibaldi: symbol of Italian unification

Berlin 1848

King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia

Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria

The German Confederation

March Revolution (German States)

Industrialization not as far along in Germany as in England and Francestill areas of practically feudalism!
People demand take to the streets in March calling for popular suffrage and a unified Germany (its Germanys 1789!) Prussian King Wilhelm IV forced to yieldpromises free elections and constitution GERMANYS 1789???? 550 delegates meet in Frankfurt to draw up constitution and new German state

Frankfurt: 1848

Grossdeutschland vs. Kleindeutschland

a.k.a. What do we do with Austria? (What they fight about in Frankfurt for 11 months)

I will not accept this crown from the gutter disgraced by the stink of revolution, baked of dirt and mud.
--King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia

Right: caricature of the King slamming the doors on the liberal parliamentarians

Results
Crushed by the old order after about a year in countries involvedbut not a restoration like 1815 Rulers recognize from now on that masses and nationalism can no longer be completely suppressed as during the Age of Metternich LIBERALISM FAILS TO UNIFY GERMANY AND ITALY! Fear of lower class masses instilled into the liberals/middle classesNO LONGER LEFT WING but rather they prefer the status quo Two front battle turns into three front No longer just liberals and conservatives Conservatives, liberals, (early) socialists (working classes) One victory for the people: feudalism finally abolished in most of Europecapitalism now rules the day (except in Russia)

John Stuart Mill

(1806-1873)

On Liberty(1859) is considered founding text of political liberalism as it develops a century after the Enlightenment and French Revolution Fierce individualism (contrast to continental emphasis on collective) Advocate of utilitarianism Second generation of liberalism Advocate of womens rights (extremely rare) and gay rights (unheard of)

Today this would be called libertarianism

The only part of the conduct of anyone, for which he is amenable to society, is that which concerns others. In the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is, of right, absolute. Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.

Mills response to the conservatives:

I never meant to say that the Conservatives are generally stupid. I meant to say that stupid people are generally Conservative. I believe that is so obviously and universally admitted a principle that I hardly think any gentleman will deny it.

Letter to the Conservative MP, Sir John Pakington (1866)

Left: Harriet Taylor (Mill) Above: Mill with his stepdaughter, Helen Taylor

The Reform Act of 1867

Excerpts from Judge Vaughn Walkers August 2010 ruling overturning Proposition 8 (the prohibiting of gay marriage in California passed by voters in November 2008) in the spirit of J.S.M.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/Prop8ruling.pdf

Tradition alone, however, cannot form a rational basis for a law. Judge Walker

The entire history of social improvement has been a series of transitions, by which one custom or institution after another, from being a supposed primary necessity of social existence, has passed into the ranks of a universally stigmatized injustice and tyranny. John Stuart Mill