Revolutions of 1848: Spring of the Peoples

A revolution, by definition, is the overthrow of one government followed by replacement with another. The American Revolution against the British during 1775 to 1783 and the French Revolution pitting the French people against their own government during 1789 to 1799 were both very important political and social turnovers. This movement towards the establishment of a constitutional government influenced political thought throughout the world. By closely examining three of the main causes of these revolutions, it is clear that although the two revolutions have their differences, the basis of cause for the revolutions have, overall, much stronger similarities.

     This division amongst revolutionaries was further heightened by the continued existence of social and economic problems throughout Europe. It was these social problems which had helped bring about the 1848 Revolutions in the first place. In the 1840s there was increased food shortage and business failure along with high unemployment, which had increased the dissatisfaction with the existing conservative or moderate regimes. Although this economic discontent had not been enough on its own to bring about the 1848 Revolutions, it definitely played a key part in their development and their collapse. These problems were still apparent in 1848 and consequently took some of the focus away from the revolutionaries’ cause. Along with the growing strain on food supplies and the increase of unemployment, Europe was also suffering from cholera and the plague. The plague had spread across Europe, starting

The Great Mahele was an act proposed in 1848 allowing Hawaiian land to be privately owned, and the rest redistributed. The occurrence of this event not only affected Hawaiians back then, but still to this day impacts them. The King continued to divide land for the government and maka’ainana could get land for active labor. The king also shared his land between himself and 245 more ali’i; his land- “Crown Lands” and ali’i- “Konohiki Lands” (Mahele Notes). The Mahele of 1848 was a land division separated into 4 different categories: land belonged to the king, land belonged to the ali’i or chiefs, land that could be purchased by the foreigners who lived in Hawaii, and land worked by the commoners or maka’ainana. The Mahele was unjustified because

The People of France in the last part of the 18th century were experiencing severe food shortages, increasing the cost of living, and political leaders who were doing very little to fix the state of chaos in which most people found themselves. In both rural and

Throughout history, humanity has always yearned for better. When a leader, as an individual or an entire government, ceases to fuel their nation’s drive for better, the citizens take it into their own hands. From this sovereignty of the people, the idea of revolution is born. This idea has become prominent many times. One can analyze a country like France. Due to the government’s selfish actions, the third estate revolted. In countries like Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico, the citizens were tired of strict rule from a power that is an ocean away. This caused the people in Latin America to revolt against their leader, Spain. Although the French and Latin American Revolutions both were inspired by the American Revolution and Enlightenment ideas, the French Revolution was vastly unsuccessful compared to the Latin American Revolution which brought freedom to many countries.

Europe underwent a wave of revolutions during the 19th century. This series of political upheavals was known as the Revolutions of 1848. The Revolutions of 1848 were a series of republican revolts against European monarchies. The revolutions began in Italy, in January 1848, and eventually spread to the rest of Europe. The Revolutions of 1848 were significant because they were the most widespread and violent political movements of Europe in the 19th century. Ultimately, the ideas of conservatism, liberalism, and nationalism impacted the Revolutions of 1848.

The French Revolution of 1789 was inarguably a significant turning point in the history of Europe. However, there have been historical debates over the major contributing factor that had caused the French Revolution. Many historians have argued that the French Revolution was sparked by the emerging new age ideas of Enlightenment in the 18th century, which encouraged people to think logically and critically about their society. Many notable writers such as Diderot and Voltaire began to publicly criticise the social structure and the governance of France. (Darlington et al., 2004, p.25) But other historians argue that ideas affected the way people saw

The French Revolution was quite different than the American Revolution predecessor. The American Revolution expressed the tensions of a colonial relationship with a distant imperial power, the French insurrection was driven by sharp conflicts within French society. Members of the titled nobility - privileged, prestigious, and wealthy - resented and resisted the monarchy's effort to subject them to new taxes. Educated middle-class men such as doctors, lawyers, lower-level officials, and merchants were growing in numbers and sometimes in wealth and were offended by the remaining privileges of the aristocracy, from which they were excluded. Ordinary urban men and women, many of whose incomes had declined for a generation, were hit particularly hard in the late 1780s by the rapidly rising price of bread and widespread unemployment. Nowhere did the example of the French Revolution echo more loudly than in

Before the time where an urge to revolt arose, the wealthy had the power. As part of their power, they had to keep things running smoothly. Unfortunately, their ideas of the world as a better place was making the working class do all the labor and in return giving them the least amount of reward possible so they could take most of the revenue into their own hands. The upper class made decisions for the feeble lower class and then it was up to these unstable people to produce the result desired. As far as the bourgeoisie were concerned, there was not anything wrong in the way they were going about life. This was one of the biggest problems at the time. The bourgeoisie

7. The causes of the peasants’ uprising known as the Great Fear of 1789 was the peasants impatience and want to take matters into their own hands because they were furious with being forced to deal with the most of the taxation, the church tithes, and the nobles abusing their privileges effecting their lives. The cause that pushed them over the edge to begin the uprisings was the rise in the price of bread. The outcomes of the uprising were the destroying of feudal documents, enclosed lands raided, and most importantly the Nation Assembly having no choice but to issue a decree on August 4, 1789 that abolished all noble privileges including the hunting rights, the fees for legal cases judged in a lord’s court, forcing peasants to work on roads, along with the abolishment of tithes.

The French Revolution (1789-1814) was a period that affected the outcome of world history tremendously. This is considered a major turning point in European history which has led to dramatic changes in France and other regions of the world. Various social and political issues led to the start of the revolution. Politically, France suffered under the rule of Louis XVI, who ruled by absolute monarchy. Many people had their natural rights renounced and weren’t able to have a political voice. Socially, France had divided its population within 3 estates (classes). French citizens took it upon themselves to remodel their country 's’ political structure. The French Revolution had encountered both positive and negative effects. However, many Europeans viewed the Revolution as much more than just a bloody massacre. The French Revolution was used to demonstrate new ideology that would emphasize the principles of liberty and equality throughout Europe.

began to turn it’s gears starting in Italy with a local revolution in Sicily in January 1848 and,

The Role of Ideology in the Revolutions of 1848 Year 1848 is described as “mad year” – mad with fight for freedom. Already its first months, in almost all parts of Europe, brought explosion of aims and aspirations, which were accumulated during the after-congress period. Revolutionary movements spread throughout the whole Europe, apart from Russia, where the system of serfdom did not allow any revolts, and Great Britain, where the reforms were carried out in non-revolutionary channels. Despite the differences in social, economic and political structures of European countries, the revolutions of 1848 were characterised by uniformity, and their ideology was a common denominator. There were

The one constant theme from any period in history we examine seems to be that of change. As Europe began to take shape, it did so with an expansion and contraction rate that was dramatically impacted by changes in political organizations, positive and negative economic forces, and through shifts in social structure. The path to the creation of the European empires was a long and tedious journey. Sixth century feudalism gave way to the creation of a central authority. The thirteenth century was scarred by the Black Death but it brought about economic changes that would resonate well into the Renaissance period of the fifteenth century. Nation-states began their formation as the need for a centralized government dictated. With each step

Often called “the People’s Spring”, the Revolutions of 1848 marked a time of political and social turmoil widespread across the European continent. It is during this time we see monarchies overthrown, the formation of new countries, and “radical ideologies” such as Nationalism, and Liberalism become the beliefs of the middle-class. The populations of European countries were growing at a rate never seen before. The masses started becoming agitated with the current monarchial system of government ruling across Europe in the nineteenth-century, and wanted change that would bring about individual freedom and equality. It is well known that the Revolutions of 1848 were multi-casual, and that there was not just one factor that can be