Economy and Society in Europe During 1848 Essay

The Revolutions of 1848 have been described as the “greatest revolution of the century”1. From its mild beginnings in Palermo, Sicily in January 1848, it did not take long to spread across the rest of Europe (Britain and Russia were the only countries not to experience such revolutions). “In 1848 more states on the European continent were overcome by revolution than ever before and ever since”2. The Revolutions became more radical but after June 1848 these revolutionary events began to overlap with those of counterrevolutionary actions, thus enabling the old regimes to return to power. 1848 was described as “a sunny spring of the peoples abruptly interrupted by the winter of the princes”3.

The Revolutions of 1848 During the year of 1848, a revolutionary tide broke out in Europe.

In the late 1700s the invention of new machines launched the first wave of industrial revolution. New technology

The most successful steam engine, built by Thomas Newcomen, was used to clean water out of the mines, which meant more coal to power more steam engines, which led James Watt to see the opportunity for improvement. Watt’s newer engine made railroads and steamboats possible. Actually almost all electricity all over the world, whether from coal or nuclear power is just a steam engine, which shows how truly revolutionary the steam engine was.

History shows that throughout revolutions, though varied outcomes, all originated with the oppressive treatment of civilians and the consequensive rebellion. Revolutions like the French, American, and Mexican all came about as a result of the enlightenment era. as a result, these countries, “suffered weak economies due to a lack of political experience. “

Throughout history, the world has seen revolts. Revolutionaries attempting to overthrow the government. But only a few are called revolutions, because they succeeded in overthrowing their government. In this paper, I will examine the 5 revolutions that we have studied thus far: American, French, Haitian, Mexican, and Russian revolutions, and whether they fundamentally changed their respective societies. The revolutionaries promised change that would benefit the people, but when one looks closely, it can be clearly seen that there was little change in the hierarchy, but it was a different group of people in charge. Even when it seemed the revolutionaries had followed through, it proved to be a broken promise, as things went back to the

The steam engine was one of the most important technologies of the Industrial Revolution, although steam did not replace water power in importance in Britain until after the Industrial Revolution. From Englishman Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric engine, of 1712, through major developments by Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer James Watt, the steam engine began to be used in many industrial settings, not just in mining, where the first engines had been used to pump water from deep workings. Early mills had run successfully with water power, but by using a steam engine a factory could be located anywhere, not just close to water. Water power varied with the seasons and was not available at times due to freezing, floods and dry spells.

The Industrial Revolution is considered as the age that a lot of technological innovation that led to modern technology has brought. The age completely transforms the use of human labor and animals to machines. The flying shuttle, invented by John Kay, has changed the way cloth and thread manufactured and also created job opportunities for many women and children. Iron production was also another key innovation by Abraham Darby, who came up with the idea of using coke instead of charcoal in the production of cast iron. The steam engine, which invented by Thomas Newcomen and improved by Abraham Darby later, was another success of this age. The invention of steam facilitated the movement of goods and services across cities and powered equipment

The socioeconomic conditions that provided the catalyst for the French Revolution and the conditions that existed in19th century imperial Russia, are strikingly similar. Both societies for better or worse functioned under the authority of an absolute monarchy with an inherent structural inequality between the ruling class, and a majority disenfranchised agrarian peasantry. Russia and France differed significantly in economically due to the fact that both revolutions were separated by more than a century of industrial development. However and interestingly both events have as a foundational basis the oppression and reaction of a lower class to spark revolutionary upheaval.

The Revolutions of 1848 were a series of rebellions throughout Europe in 1848 and the Arab Spring Movement was a wave of protest, riots, and civil wars in the Arab World during the 21st century. The Revolutions of 1848 and the Arab Spring Movement are two of the largest revolutionary waves in human history. The Revolution of 1848 and the Arab Spring Movement not only affected the people involved, but everyone around the world was affected in some type of effect due to these events. While the Revolutions of 1848 and the Arab Spring Movement both had similar ways of stopping protest and rebellions using authorities’ power, they differed in the goals that the rebels had in mind for the governments.

The Industrial Revolution was a very impactful period of time where many great inventions were created to aid daily life. However, the Industrial Revolution couldn’t have been possible without the first invention which was the piston steam engine. That is why the steam engine was the invention that started the whole revolution. There wouldn’t be the spinning jenny or the steamboat without it. The steam technology that was used in the first steam engines were simple to modify which created many possibilities to innovate. The piston steam engine sparked the Industrial revolution as cars would not have been invented without it, it enabled travel, and enabled factories to relocate from rivers. Travel was extremely limited however, once the steam

Extremely unbalanced economy, uneven distribution of wealth and power between social classes alongside political repression and military defeat were all contributing factors to the social unrest in Russia. Social classes played an important role since the Tsar only satisfied the Upper Class resulting in a lavish lifestyle for them meanwhile 87.5% lived in extreme poverty. The contrast between classes and the different standards of living is what truly catalysed the social unrest. In 1902 bad harvests and economic slumps meant starvation was a battle that peasants had to face everyday and by 1904 conditions took a turn for the worse

A few major events that occurred around 1848 in Europe that provide important background information for this document include The Revolutions of 1848. During this time food shortages, overpopulation, and unemployment were a big factor. In 1845, food become very expensive to buy because of crop failures that year. Staple foods were even being destroyed by disease putting Europe in disarray. Most families with many children looked upon them to help in the fields, keep food on the table, and take care of family members later in life. On top of food shortages unemployment was becoming a problem as well. As page 710 states, “High food prices also drove down the demand for manufactured goods, resulting in increased unemployment” (MoW 710). As these problems were happening on February 23, 1848 forty to fifty demonstrators were killed by King Louis-Philippe’s soldiers who were nervous from the crowd. After this event the king fled to England so a new government was issued. With this new republican government problems were slowly getting better. “The government allowed Paris officials to organize a system of “national workshops” to provide the unemployed with construction work” (MoW 710). Shortly before this last event happened a revolt took place in Palermo, Sicily in January of 1848. The fight was against the Bourbon ruler (MoW 711). This forced a battle between the

The 1800s in Europe saw the foundation being laid for revolution in several countries, such as France, Austria, and Germany. Bad harvests had led to economic instability, and incomes were not growing with industrialization. In France in 1814, the Bourbon monarchy was restored and a constitution was passed that protected some of the gains made by lower and middle classes during the French Revolution. Voting, however, was still very restricted, with only a third of a percent of the total French population holding voting rights. This, along with the fact that the government had not done much to help the struggling economy, was enough to spark a revolution in 1848. Led by the liberal intellectuals and the working middle class, the revolutionaries demanded the end of the monarchy and established an executive committee to take its place. A constitution was passed, giving more rights to the people, like abolishing slavery and giving every man the right to

The canalization of rivers, the steam engine, and railways were key components of the development of industry [2]. The extensive canal system was created around the mid 1700s to move goods and supplies inland. This system was cheaper and quicker than shipping goods over land [3]. The steam engine, however, was the driving force behind the Industrial Revolution. Prior to the invention of steam power, factories were located along rivers and used water for power. The development of a practical, efficient steam engine and its application to industry and transportation was a great leap in progress for industrialization. The steam engine’s application was limitless, and it was responsible for lifting industries from infancy to adolescence. Steam engines were used to develop machines that operated factory systems, pumps for mines, faster ships, and locomotives. A steam locomotive was able to carry raw materials and products very quickly. The expansion of the uses of the steam engine created the steam locomotive and a greater need for a railroad system. As a result, Railroads multiplied rapidly in England from 1,000 miles in 1836 to more than 7,000 miles by 1852 [4]. Machinery took the place of the work of many humans and made the work easier on others.