revolutions of 1848. background revolutionary political and social ideologies combined with economic...
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Revolutions of 1848
Background• Revolutionary political and social
ideologies combined with economic crises and romantic impulses
• Only most advanced and most backward escaped untouched
• Governments toppled• National independence, liberal-
democratic constitutions and social reform—goals of this generation
• The revolutions failed…why?
France Louis XVIII’s Constitutional Charter of 1814 was basically a liberal constitution (Napoleonic Code)
• a) economic and social gains gained during the revolution were protected - free press, religionb) intellectual and artistic freedom was permittedc) real Parliament was created
The old aristocracy were a small minorityMany Ultra-royalists wanted revenge
•1815 the Ultras won control of government1816 Louis dissolved government - new election produced a more moderate government
Charles X changed the situation
•He was a supporter of the Old Regime and repudiated the Constitutional Charter
Censored the pressinsurrection in Paris and in • “three glorious days” the
government collapsed• Charles fled and Louis Philippe I
(cousin) was placed on the throne• Louis Philippe accepted the
Constitutional Charter, the red, white, and blue flag, and admitted he was merely
• “king of the French people”
Revolutions of 1848 “Springtime of the peoples”Political and social upheaval
•romantic movement caused the revolutions
•Only reforming Britain and Russia remained untouched
•Bad harvests increased prices, caused unemployment and movement to the cities - revolution was expected
In the 1830s Louis Philippe’s “bourgeosie monarchy” characterized stubborn inactivity and had more enemies than friends
In France, 1840-1
• Republicans asked for reformsBut, also had terrible harvests and food shortages
• 1846 workers demanded the right to vote - more bad harvests
• Premier François Guizot banned a huge reform banquet in Paris
• Crowds marched in protest
France continued
• National Guard was ordered to stop the protest
• Soldiers refused to disperse the crowd
• The king fired Guizot• Soldiers panic and open fire
killing 40
The Barricades • Feb 22, 1848 barricades went up in
Paris. Louis abdicated in favor of his grandson
• The Chamber of Deputies formed a Provisional Govt. and declared the Second Republic
• Government had two groups:a) moderate Republicans led by
poet— de Lamartineb) Socialists led by Blanc
The socialists dominated the cities, the Republicans dominated the countryside
Beginning of the Second Republic
The people started to draft a constitution for the Second Republica) every male was given the voteb) slaves in the colonies were freedc) abolition of the death penaltyd) 10 hour work day for ParisYet there were internal problems for the revolutionary coalition
Constituent Assembly • The people elected a new
Constituent Assembly with 500 moderate republicans, 300 monarchists, 100 radicals
• A moderate was Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
• The countryside was seized with a hatred of Paris
• In May, workers invaded the Constituent Assembly - failedThe Govt. responded by using the National Guard
The government started to arrest radical republicans •Close the National Workshops
June the Assembly voted to close the workshops for 3 days
•all unmarried males would be drafted into the armyThe people went wild
June Days• After three terrible “June
Days” with thousands of deaths the republican army under General Louis Cavaignac stood victorious
•The revolution had been a spectacular failure, press was censored, clubs outlawed, and the right to assembly was removed
Louis Napoleon (nephew of Bonaparte) was elected in Dec. 1848
• His name and desire for peace at any cost allowed him to win the election
• * France was different from other countries because nationalism was not a key issue
Austria 1848
• polyglot of different cultures, languages, peoples
• few liberals, but they did want political change
• Czechs also wanted more rightsNobody really opposed the Habsburg rule just the Habsburg autocracy
Began in Hungary after the February riots in France•Louis Kossuth led the Hungarians demanding a) national autonomyb) full civil libertiesc) universal suffrage
Habsburg emperor Ferdinand promised reform - Metternich fled in disguise to London• The monarchy was forced to
abolish serfdom - robot - Austria was overwhelmingly agricultural
• The free peasants had no interest in politics and seemed like an ally for the government
• Revolutionary leaders wanted a unified Hungary
• They acted as if the monarchy did not exist
“March Laws”
• delegates in the Hungarian Diet were elected by male property owners- Emperor would remain king but there would be a separate army and Hungary would deal with her own foreign policy
Other minorities• Croats, Serbs, and Rumanians
protested• The Habsburg monarchy exploited
these problems and was soon in an armed struggle
• When the urban poor revolted the middle class panicked
• Emperor Ferdinand regained his courageBut his brother’s wife, archduchess Sophia provided the rallying point
Abdicated in favor of her son Francis Joseph
• Powerful nobles organized with Sophia to crush the revolution
• Francis Joseph became emperor in Dec. 1848
• Nicolas I of Russia helped by sending 130,000 Russian troops to Hungary
• The Habsburg ruled Hungary like a conquered territory
Prussia
• Burschenschafen - members of student fraternities wanted a united GermanyCarlsbad Decreea) abolished free pressb) outlawed fraternities Basically allowed arch-conservative Metternich to control Germany
Prussia was different because there was the additional goal of unifying the 38 states of the confederation
• Therefore the events were actually on two separate levels
• After Austria, Prussia was the most influential German kingdom
• The fall of Louis Philippe encouraged the Germans to seek liberal reforms
• When these were not granted a social war exploded
Frederick William IV • promised a liberal constitution and
the creation of a new German stateThe workers wanted more - the middle class wanted less
• The workers demanded:a) universal suffrageb) minimum wagec) 10 hour work dayd) a ministry of laborOtto von Bismarck joined the Conservative clique around the king
The Frankfurt Assembly • had no real political power
Depended upon the states to supply the power
• Met in 1848, mostly professional people• wanted a liberal, self-governing,
federally unified Germany• They wanted no armed conflict• They feared the Chartists ideas in Britain
and the June Days in Paris• Radical riots broke out in Frankfurt in
September, the Assembly suppressed the riots – they used the Prussian armyThe big question was ‘what was Germany?’
The Frankfurt Assembly – • initially convened to write a constitution
became absorbed with the war with Denmark over Schleswig and Holstein
• Frederick VII nationalistic king of Denmark had tried to integrate both provinces into Denmark - the Germans revolted
• The National Assembly called on Prussian troops to help in the name of GermanyPrussia went to war with Denmark
• The National Assembly also wanted to unite the German-speaking provinces of Austria into a new Germany
Austria refused• In 1849 the Assembly gave King
Frederick William of Prussia emperor of the new German national state - minus Austria and Schleswig-Holstein,
• he refused• Frederick William with the army • disbanded the Assembly and
claimed divine right to rule“crown from the gutter”
• He tried to get the German kings to acknowledge him as emperor - they refused
• The Austrians with help from Russia forced him to renounce unification in 1850
• The German Confederation was re-established
In what ways sense were the decades between 1830-1848 thought to be the golden age of the bourgeoisie?
1. Liberalism influential2. Working class power not yet high3. Capital accumulation rapid4. Political influence gaining5. Capitalist share of profits great
What general conclusions can be drawn about Europe 1815-1848?Consider the Metternich system, the industrial revo, the isms, revolutions and the bourgeoisie
The bourgeoisie was gaining, the workers were trying to get some rights, but the conservatives were keeping both at bay on the Continents until 1848
What actions of Charles X (Artois) invited the July Revolution of 1830?• Repressive policies• Conservative practices• Foe of liberalism• Restricted suffrage to upper middle class• Dissolved Chamber of Deputies• Allowed Church to reassert power
What events precipated Charles X abdication?
• Censorship of the press• Dissolved Chamber• Revolution of workers, artisans,
students, writers—to streets and barricades
The crowning of Louis Philippe by the Chamber of Deputies in 1830 is reminiscent of what analogous event in England?
• Glorious Revolution 1688
The Revolution of 1830 produced what kind of government in France?• Constitutional Monarchy
All the revolutions failed
•To be continued…several years later