The Year of Revolutions

 The people across Europe (and other places) revolted and attempted to overthrow their governments or initiate major reform  Revolutions occurred in more than 50 countries STOP! Say something...

1. Urban Workers:  the working class, toiling in the factories, were extremely unhappy  Their working and living conditions were awful and they demanded change  Angered by the massive divide between rich and poor

2. The Countryside:  Population growth from industrialization had led to food shortages  1845 and 1846 saw a Potato Blight and starvation across Northern Europe (The years of the Irish potato Famine)  Farmers were upset as nobles tried to re- establish their dominance after the French Revolution

3. The Impact of Ideas  The French Revolution had spread ideas throughout Europe  Also, with a more educated population, the works of 19 th century philosophers were being read and discussed  The Big ideas.... Liberalism! Nationalism! Democracy! Socialism!  In February 1848, Karl Marx published his “Communist Manifesto”

A Quote from “Society was cut in two: those who had nothing united in common envy, and those who had anything united in common terror."

 Louis Philippe was replaced in France by a democratic government  However, within four years Louis Napoleon returned France to monarchy

 After Napoleon, Germany was divided in 39 states... Most of which experienced revolution  The revolutions were fueled by Nationalism and Freedom of Speech concerns  However, the Working Class and Middle Class could not come together to form functioning governments  By the end of the year, conservative forces had re-established all of the German princes

 The Austrian Empire was hit hardest by Revolution  Each of the different races within Austria rose up in nationalist revolutions (Romanians, Italians, Czechs, Slovaks, Serbs, Poles, Ukrainians etc.)  The largest group was the Hungarians, the demonstrations were so large that they were promised a constitution and an elected parliament  Metternich was forced to resign!  However, with help from Russian troops, the Austrians managed to crush each of these rebellions and bring Hungary back under control  However, the passive aggressive actions of Hungary in future years led to a compromise... The Formation of the Austria-Hungarians Empire. Hungary was given special privileges within the Empire (1867)

 Denmark  Switzerland  Poland  Ukraine  Brazil  And many others!

 Although 1848 was the most turbulent year in History – very little was actually accomplished  None of the Revolutions had any lasting success  Ultimately, the forces of the Old Regimes all re-established themselves and the most of the people of Europe were still desperate for freedom!

 Why do we bother talking about this?  Let’s think about it... If you were a European leader and you experienced this, what would you do know?  The repression of the congress system had clearly failed  You don’t want to go through this again! In groups, please discuss strategies that you might employ to create a lasting peace and stability.