1848 Revolts

Causes

1. food shortages

2. Trade and Industrial production was depressed

3. Liberals pushed their demands

• Nationalism

Grain and potato harvest was poor

Famine was widespread especially in Ireland

Unemployment

Little aid for poor

Wretched living conditions for working class and urban artisans

Representative government

Civil liberty

Unregulated economy

Repeal of Corn Act gave hope

Germans, Italians, Hungarians, Czechs wanted own country

Pattern:•Middle class Liberals wanted representative governments, civil liberties, and unregulated eco•To put pressure on the conservative government, liberals allied with urban working class who wanted better working and economic conditions•Tactics of working classes were violent•Alliance of liberals and workers overthrew conservative governments•Alliance between liberals and workers dissolved due to violence•Conservatives and liberals crushed working class

FRANCE {Find the Pattern}

Starts in Paris

Liberals opposed corruption of Louis Philippe and Guizot with political banquets demanding more middle-class participation in government

Poor harvests brought high food prices and unemployment to working class so lower classes allied with middle class and Parisian workers took to the streets, barricading themselves and clashing with troops. Guizot resigned and Philippe abdicated

Liberals led by Lamartine organized a temporarily government and called for an election to a constitutional assembly.

Lower classes, led by Louis Blanc wanted social reform as well and demanded representation in new cabinet. Liberals organized national workshops and relief for unemployed. [joined with lower class]

Members to the National Assembly were mostly moderates and conservatives who had little sympathy for expense of national workshops

Government troops and Parisian unemployed workers and artisans clashed. The Assembly closed the workshops to new members and planned to remove all workers JUNE DAYS.

General Cavaignac moved in to destroy barricades and over 400 were killed while troops hunted down 3,000 others.

The Bourgeoisie changed alliances to conservative government to protect property, especially with the election of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte.

France traded liberal reform for a dictator as Louis Napoleon disbanded the assembly and president. When the French protested 200 were killed, 26,000 arrested and 10,000 deported to Algeria.

Women

Did not fare well during 1830 and 1848

Vesuvians - radical middle and lower classes

Voix des femmes - conservative feminists who cooperated with male politicians but were doomed when some members tried to organize workers.

Austria {Look for the Pattern}Vienna

Hungarian Nationalist, Kossuth demanded Hungarian Independence and was joined by students. Soldiers could not put down the rebellion, Metternich fled, and Emperor Ferdinand promised a liberal constitution.

Students formed democratic clubs and continued to protest. Now the emperor left and Vienna was governed by a committee of 200 concerned with workers’ rights.

Fearing the serfs would join, Serfs in Austria and Hungary were freed.

New Assembly was writing a constitution while radical lower class pressed for more demands. King returned, crushed the revolt and abdicated to Francis Joseph

Magyar [Hungarian] Revolt

Started by liberals with nobles’ support who wanted aristocratic rights guaranteed against a central government. Diet passed the March Laws: equality of religion, jury trials, election of a lower chamber, free press, equal taxation. Emperor Ferd approved

Also wanted a separate Hungarian state within the Austrian Empire and they annexed Transylvania, Croatia, and bordering territories. But the people living in Transylvania and Croatis (Serbs, Romanians, Croatians) did not want to be Magyarized.

Austria sent Count Joseph Jellachich to aid the nationalist groups and defeat the Magyars. March Laws would have governed with liberal political structure but would not have given self-rule to other nationalist groups in their borders.

F. Joseph rescinded the constitution-joined with Russia to squelch any more rebellion.

Czech Nationalism

Czechs demanded to join with Bohemia and Moravia to form a self- ruling Slavic state within the Hapsburg Empire. Czechs called a Pan Slavic Congress of Slavs, Poles, Ruthenians, Czechs, Slovaks, Croats, Slovenes, and Serbs. The congress issued a manifesto for a Slavic state and end to repression of all Slavic peoples by Austrian, Hungarian, German and Ottoman rule.

But on the last day of the conference, a radical revolt began in Prague and General Prince Alfred Windischgraetz moved in to suppress the uprising. Middle class was happy to see the radicals suppressed as were Germans living in the area.

Northern Italy

Revolt in Milan drove out the Austrians. King Charles of Piedmont (Italian) aided the rebels but was defeated when Austrian troops were reinforced.

Liberal and Nationalist Italians turned to Pope Pius IX to unite Italy but as luck would have it, in Rome a radical assassinated Count Rossi, a liberal minister to the Pope who was forced to appoint a radical ministry. When Pope Pius fled, radicals proclaimed a Roman Republic.

Roman radicals forced Charles to fight Austria but he was defeated at the Battle of Novara and Charles abdicated in favor of his son Victor Emmanuel II. Now the Republic would not have the support of Piedmont and had to defend itself. French troops defeated the Roman Republic and restored the Pope who became an ultra conservative.

Prussia

Frederick William IV gave limited reforms as a result of riots in Berlin. He called a constituent assembly to write a constitution and would move to German unification. To do this he appointed Hansemann as cabinet leader (liberal)

The assembly however was made up of radicals and democrats so the conservative King and supporters ignored them and replaced the liberal cabinet leader with a conservative one. Then the king dissolved the assembly and issued his own constitution. All males could vote but voters were divided into 3 classes based on wealth. 5% of population elected 1/3 of the Parliament. Ministers, army and officers corps swore allegiance to the King.

Frankfurt Parliament

Representatives from ALL German states met to reorganize German Confederation and write a constitution for ALL of Germany.

Conservatives annoyed because it upset monarchy AND working class angered because the constitution would not allow protection of guilds. The liberals who wrote the constitution wanted a free market. With liberals and working class split, conservatives took advantage.

Assembly called in troops to stop rioting of working class who had barricaded themselves. Assembly also faced problems over who should lead unification; Austria or Prussia?

Liberals wrote a constitution and offered crown to Prussian King who rejected it.