History UsefulNotes / RevolutionsOf1848

* Not every European country had a revolution in 1848. Russia, Portugal, Spain, and the Ottoman Empire, being on the peripheries and thus slightly out of sync with the rest of Europe, were among the most notable European countries to be left out of the party. The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden-Norway also didn't have a revolution, but the monarchs of those countries prudently adopted constitutional reforms to avoid unrest, becoming parliamentary monarchies on British lines.

* Not every European country had a revolution in 1848. Russia, Portugal, Spain, and the Ottoman Empire, being on the peripheries and thus slightly out of sync with the rest of Europe, were among the most notable European countries to be left out of the party. The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden-Norway also didn't have a revolution, but the monarchs of those countries prudently adopted constitutional reforms to avoid unrest.

* In France, King Louis Philippe was overthrown and the Second French Republic was proclaimed. After some wrangling, France was declared a presidential republic. An election for president was held, which was won by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte (the nephew of ''the'' UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte) basically by inventing right-wing populism. France managed to stay a republic until 1851, when Louis-Napoleon noticed that his term was starting to run out. He decided the solution was to follow in his uncle's footsteps and become emperor. As Napoleon III, he ruled France until his defeat in the UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar of 1870.

* ''VideoGame/AviaryAttorney'' is set in the leadup to the French Revolution of 1848, with the revolution proper kicking off in the game's final act. At one point, a side character decides to escape the chaos...to Austria. Whoops.

* Duncan's podcast ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'': Season 7 (July 2017-March 2018) is about the Revolutions of 1848. As with the UsefulNotes/FrenchRevolution, Duncan left it open-ended, but surprised himself by not taking as long as he expected. Still, at 32 episodes, it's the third-longest season after the French Revolution (Season 3, 53 episodes + 4 supplementals) and [[UsefulNotes/RomanovsAndRevolutions Russian]] [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober Revolutions]] (Season 10, with over 40 episodes ''before'' 1917).

* Creato/MikeDuncan's podcast ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'': Season 7 (July 2017-March 2018) is about the Revolutions of 1848. As with the UsefulNotes/FrenchRevolution, Duncan left it open-ended, but surprised himself by not taking as long as he expected. Still, at 32 episodes, it's the third-longest season after the French Revolution (Season 3, 53 episodes + 4 supplementals) and [[UsefulNotes/RomanovsAndRevolutions Russian]] [[UsefulNotes/RedOctober Revolutions]] (Season 10, with over 40 episodes ''before'' 1917).

* In the United Kingdom, Britain managed to avoid full-fledged revolution, as middle-class demands for political reform had been largely sated by the Reform Act 1832, but did see massive working-class demonstrations under the Chartists. Ireland, meanwhile, had just experienced the worst year of the UsefulNotes/IrishPotatoFamine, so insurrections were small and localised. Ireland's only contribution to the 1848 Revolutions was the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Ireland_rebellion Young Irelanders' Rebellion]], also known as "the Battle of the Widow McCormack's Cabbage Field", which gives you a clue as to how big it was. More notably, the Irish Tricolour was also flown for the first time, a gift from French '48ers.

* Not every European country had a revolution in 1848. Russia, Portugal, Spain, and the Ottoman Empire, being on the peripheries and thus slightly out of sync with the rest of Europe, were among the most notable European countries to be left out of the party. Great Britain managed to avoid full-fledged revolution, as middle-class demands for political reform had been largely sated by the Reform Act 1832, but did see massive working-class demonstrations under the Chartists. The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden-Norway also didn't have a revolution, but the monarchs of those countries prudently adopted constitutional reforms to avoid unrest.

* Speaking of the Americas, the United States was indirectly affected -- not so much by the revolutions themselves as by their aftermath. After the revolutions failed, many European radicals, seeing the US as a model for the sort of countries that they wanted to build, fled there, where a number of them became involved in the American anti-slavery and labor movements. Germans made up an especially notable cohort of such "Forty-Eighter" immigrants, settling primarily in the Midwest (providing the source of the large German populations and influence of German culture in places like UsefulNotes/{{Cleveland}}, [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Cincinnati]], UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}},[[note]]Where Forty-Eighter influence is generally credited with the success of the "sewer Socialists" a generation or two later[[/note]] and UsefulNotes/StLouis) and the [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas Hill Country]]. They overwhelmingly supported the Union side in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, and several figures from radical democratic Left of 1848 Germany became significant figures in the Union Army (most notably Friedrich Hecker and Gustav Struve, who led armed rebellions in 1848 for a centralist republican Germany).[[note]]Interestingly, there was one ''counter''-Forty Eighter in the senior ranks of the Confederates; Camille de Polignac, the third son of Jules de Polignac, the hated final prime minister of Charles X of France, was a general in the Confederate Army. Also interestingly, Prince Philippe, Comte d'Paris, the eldest grandson of Louis Philippe and heir to the Orléanist July Monarchy, fought as a field officer for the Union in Virginia.[[/note]] (In Texas, this brought [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nueces_massacre violent retaliation]] from the secessionist government.) In turn, the influx of immigrants fueled the rise of nativism and anti-Catholicism, with the "Know Nothing" movement emerging in response.

* Creato/MikeDuncan's podcast ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'': Season 7 (July 2017-March 2018) is about the Revolutions of 1848. As with the UsefulNotes/FrenchRevolution, Duncan left it open-ended, but surprised himself by not taking as long as he expected. Still, at 32 episodes, it's the second-longest season after the French Revolution (though he has said Season 10, the Russian Revolution, will be even longer than the French).

* Not every European country had a revolution in 1848. Russia, Portugal, Spain, and the Ottoman Empire, being on the peripheries and thus slightly out of sync with the rest of Europe, were among the most notable European countries to be left out of the party; Great Britain managed to avoid full-fledged revolution, as middle-class demands for political reform had been largely sated by the Reform Act 1832, but did see massive working-class demonstrations under the Chartists. The Netherlands also didn't have a revolution, but constitutional reforms were made there as a means of avoiding unrest.

* When news of the fall of the July Monarchy hit UsefulNotes/{{Vienna}}, the great city of the Habsburg Empire went into revolt practically overnight. Before anyone knew it, the Viennese had forced the complete collapse of the Imperial ministry. They particularly sent Count Klemens Wenzel von Metternich--the arch-conservative Foreign Minister and ''de facto'' Prime Minister of the Empire--into exile, dismantling his pervasive [[BigBrotherIsWatching mass surveillance]] and intrusive PoliceState in the process. For a moment in the late spring-early summer of 1848, it looked like Vienna was on the verge of transforming the Empire into a democratic constitutional monarchy. However, that didn't last very long...

* When news of the fall of the July Monarchy hit UsefulNotes/{{Vienna}}, the great city of the Habsburg Empire went into revolt practically overnight. Before anyone knew it, the Viennese had forced the complete collapse of the Imperial ministry. They particularly sent Count Klemens Wenzel von Metternich--the arch-conservative Foreign Minister and ''de facto'' Prime Minister of the Empire--into exile, dismantling his pervasive [[BigBrotherIsWatching mass surveillance]] and intrusive PoliceState in the process. They were on the verge of transforming the Empire into a democratic constitutional monarchy. However, that didn't last very long...

* At the same time, the Austrian Empire was also threatened by Italian nationalists. Though Austria's Italian possessions were relatively small potatoes compared to the Austrian German and Hungarian ones, the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia (which is what Austria called its chunk of Italy) was extremely rich, providing one-third of the Empire's tax revenue despite only having one-sixth of the Empire's population. When the two major centers of Austrin Italy (Milan and Venice) revolted and successfully drove out their imperial garrisons, the Kingdom of Sardinia invaded to support them, beginning the [[UsefulNotes/WarsOfItalianIndependence First Italian War of Independence]]. UsefulNotes/ThePapalStates initially supported the Sardinians, but later UsefulNotes/ThePope decided that Catholic countries going to war with each other was a no-no. Outraged, the nationalists ousted the Pope and proclaimed a new Roman Republic. In the end, the Austrians regained control of their Italian possessions and the Papal States were restored.

* Nationalist revolts threatened to tear apart the multiethnic Austrian Empire. Austria's dominant ethnic minority, the Hungarians, rebelled in the hopes of forming their own separate country. Weirdly foreshadowing 1956, the Russians invaded to put down the Hungarian Revolution. With Habsburg rule over Hungary restored, the Austrian Empire had been saved from fracturing... [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI for now]].
* At the same time, the Austrian Empire was also threatened by Italian nationalists. Hoping to begin the process of creating a united Italy and taking advantage of Austria being destabilized by revolution, the Kingdom of Sardinia invaded Austria's Italian possessions, beginning the [[UsefulNotes/WarsOfItalianIndependence First Italian War of Independence]]. UsefulNotes/ThePapalStates initially supported the Sardinians, but later UsefulNotes/ThePope decided that Catholic countries going to war with each other was a no-no. Outraged, the nationalists ousted the Pope and proclaimed a new Roman Republic. In the end, the Austrians regained control of their Italian possessions and the Papal States were restored.

* Speaking of the Americas, the United States was indirectly affected -- not so much by the revolutions themselves as by their aftermath. After the revolutions failed, many European radicals, seeing the US as a model for the sort of countries that they wanted to build, fled there, where a number of them became involved in the American anti-slavery and labor movements. Germans made up an especially notable cohort of such "Forty-Eighter" immigrants, settling primarily in the Midwest (providing the source of the large German populations and influence of German culture in places like UsefulNotes/{{Cleveland}}, [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Cincinnati]], UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}},[[note]]Where Forty-Eighter influence is generally credited with the success of the "sewer Socialists" a generation or two later[[/note]] and UsefulNotes/StLouis) and the [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas Hill Country]]. They overwhelmingly supported the Union side in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, and several figures from radical democratic Left of 1848 Germany became significant figures in the Union Army (most notably Friedrich Hecker and Gustav Struve, who led armed rebellions in 1848 for a centralist republican Germany).[[note]]Interestingly, there was one ''counter''-Forty Eighter in the senior ranks of the Confederates; Camille de Polignac, the third son of Jules de Polignac, the hated final prime minister of Charles X of France, was a general in the Confederate Army. Also interestingly, Prince Philippe, Comte d'Paris, the eldest grandson of Louis Philippe and heir to the Orléanist July Monarchy, fought as a field officer for the Union in Virginia.[[/note]] (In Texas, this brought [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nueces_massacre violent retaliation]] from the secessionist government.) In turn, the influx of immigrants fueled the rise of nativism and anti-Catholicism, with the "Know Nothing" movement emerging in response. Forty-Eighters also went to Australia in sizable numbers, playing a key role in that nation's wine industry in particular (which has a strong German/Central European stamp to this day).

* In France, King Louis Philippe was overthrown and the Second French Republic was proclaimed. An election was held, which was won by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, the nephew of ''the'' UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte. France managed to stay a republic until 1851, when Louis-Napoleon noticed that his term was starting to run out. He decided the solution was to follow in his uncle's footsteps and become emperor. As Napoleon III, he ruled France until his defeat in the UsefulNotes/FrancoPrussianWar of 1870.

* It's a coincidence that Creator/KarlMarx and Friedrich Engels wrote ''The Communist Manifesto'' in 1848, but it nevertheless discussed the factions involved in the revolutions. That "Guizot" guy mentioned as chasing the specter of communism was one of the first forced out of office by the 1848 revolutions basically days after the book was published. Similar things applied for Metternich. Unsurprisingly taking the side of the socialists, Marx and Engels argued that the ''bourgeoisie'', i.e. the liberal republicans, would eventually have to be overthrown by the ''proletariat'', i.e. the working classes.

* Speaking of the Americas, the United States was indirectly affected -- not so much by the revolutions themselves as by their aftermath. After the revolutions failed, many European radicals, seeing the US as a model for the sort of countries that they wanted to build, fled there, where a number of them became involved in the American anti-slavery and labor movements. Germans made up an especially notable cohort of such "Forty-Eighter" immigrants, settling primarily in the Midwest (providing the source of the large German populations and influence of German culture in places like UsefulNotes/{{Cleveland}}, [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Cincinnati]], UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, and UsefulNotes/StLouis) and the [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas Hill Country]]. They overwhelmingly supported the Union side in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, and several figures from radical democratic Left of 1848 Germany became significant figures in the Union Army (most notably Friedrich Hecker and Gustav Struve, who led armed rebellions in 1848 for a centralist republican Germany).[[note]]Interestingly, there was one ''counter''-Forty Eighter in the senior ranks of the Confederates; Camille de Polignac, the third son of Jules de Polignac, the hated final prime minister of Charles X of France, was a general in the Confederate Army. Also interestingly, Prince Philippe, Comte d'Paris, the eldest grandson of Louis Philippe and heir to the Orléanist July Monarchy, fought as a field officer for the Union in Virginia.[[/note]] (In Texas, this brought [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nueces_massacre violent retaliation]] from the secessionist government.) In turn, the influx of immigrants fueled the rise of nativism and anti-Catholicism, with the "Know Nothing" movement emerging in response. Forty-Eighters also went to Australia in sizable numbers, playing a key role in that nation's wine industry in particular (which has a strong German/Central European stamp to this day).

* Speaking of the Americas, the United States was indirectly affected -- not so much by the revolutions themselves as by their aftermath. After the revolutions failed, many European radicals, seeing the US as a model for the sort of countries that they wanted to build, fled there, where a number of them became involved in the American anti-slavery and labor movements. Germans made up an especially notable cohort of such "Forty-Eighter" immigrants, settling primarily in the Midwest (providing the source of the large German populations and influence of German culture in places like UsefulNotes/{{Cleveland}}, [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Cincinnati]], UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, and UsefulNotes/StLouis) and the [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas Hill Country]]. They overwhelmingly supported the Union side in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar, and several figures from radical democratic Left of 1848 Germany became significant figures in the Union Army (most notably Friedrich Hecker and Gustav Struve, who led armed rebellions in 1848 for a centralist republican Germany).[[note]]Interestingly, there was one ''counter''-Forty Eighter in the senior ranks of the Confederates; Camille de Polignac, the third son of Jules de Polignac, the hated final prime minister of Charles X of France, was a general in the Confederate Army. Also interestingly, Prince Philippe, Comte d'Paris, the eldest grandson of Louis Philippe and heir to the Orléanist July Monarchy, fought as a field officer for the Union in Virginia.[[/note]] (In Texas, this brought [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nueces_massacre violent retaliation]] from the secessionist government.) In turn, the influx of immigrants fueled the rise of nativism and anti-Catholicism, with the "Know Nothing" movement emerging in response. Forty-Eighters also went to Australia in sizable numbers, playing a key role in that nation's wine industry in particular.

* Speaking of the Americas, the United States was indirectly affected -- not so much by the revolutions themselves as by their aftermath. After the revolutions failed, many European radicals, seeing the US as a model for the sort of countries that they wanted to build, fled there, where a number of them became involved in the American anti-slavery and labor movements. Germans made up an especially notable cohort of such "Forty-Eighter" immigrants, settling primarily in the Midwest (providing the source of the large German populations and influence of German culture in places like UsefulNotes/{{Cleveland}}, [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Cincinnati]], UsefulNotes/{{Milwaukee}}, and UsefulNotes/StLouis) and the [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas Hill Country]] and overwhelmingly supporting the Union side in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar. (In Texas, this brought [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nueces_massacre violent retaliation]] from the secessionist government.) In turn, the influx of immigrants fueled the rise of nativism and anti-Catholicism, with the "Know Nothing" movement emerging in response. Forty-Eighters also went to Australia in sizable numbers, playing a key role in that nation's wine industry in particular.

* The first two episodes of Series 3 of ''Series/{{Victoria}}'' are set against the backdrop of these revolutions, with a particular focus on the French one. The main plot is concerned with the Chartist movement and Queen Victoria's response to it. In the third episode, some of the aftermath is dealt with in a subplot about Hungarian revolutionary Lajos Kossuth's visit to Great Britain. The show also uses the revolutions as an excuse for Princess Feodora to move into Buckingham Palace and become a regular for the duration of Series 3.

* Not every European country had a revolution in 1848. Russia, Portugal, Spain, and the Ottoman Empire, being on the peripheries and thus slightly out of sync with the rest of Europe, were among the most notable European countries to be left out of the party; Great Britain managed to avoid full-fledged revolution but did see massive demonstrations under the Chartists. The Netherlands also didn't have a revolution, but constitutional reforms were made there as a means of avoiding unrest.

* Speaking of the Americas, the United States was indirectly affected -- not so much by the revolutions themselves as by their aftermath. After the revolutions failed, many European radicals, seeing the US as a model for the sort of countries that they wanted to build, fled there, where a number of them became involved in the American anti-slavery and labor movements. Germans made up an especially notable cohort of such "Forty-Eighter" immigrants, settling primarily in the Midwest and the [[EverythingIsBigInTexas Texas Hill Country]] and overwhelmingly supporting the Union side in UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar. (In Texas, this brought [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nueces_massacre violent retaliation]] from the secessionist government.) In turn, the influx of immigrants fueled the rise of nativism and anti-Catholicism, with the "Know Nothing" movement emerging in response. Forty-Eighters also went to Australia in sizable numbers, playing a key role in that nation's wine industry in particular.

* Creato/MikeDuncan's podcast ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'': Season 7 (began airing July 2017) is about the Revolutions of 1848. As with the UsefulNotes/FrenchRevolution, Duncan has announced that the Season will take as long as it takes.

* ''VideoGame/AviaryAttorney'' is set in the leadup to the French Revolution of 1848, with the revolution proper kicking off in the game's final act. At one point, a side character decides to escape the chaos...to Austria. Whoops.
* ''Literature/FreedomAndNecessity'' takes place shortly after these revolutions.

* Creato/MikeDuncan's podcast ''Podcast/{{Revolutions}}'': Season 7 (began airing July 2017) is about the Revolutions of 1848. As with the UsefulNotes/FrenchRevolution, Duncan has announced that the Season will take as long as it takes.
* The first two episodes of Series 3 of ''Series/{{Victoria}}'' are set against the backdrop of these revolutions, with a particular focus on the French one. The main plot is concerned with the Chartist movement and Queen Victoria's response to it. In the third episode, some of the aftermath is dealt with in a subplot about Hungarian revolutionary Lajos Kossuth's visit to Great Britain. The show also uses the revolutions as an excuse for Princess Feodora to move into Buckingham Palace and become a regular for the duration of Series 3.

* UsefulNotes/AllTheLittleGermanies attempted to unite into one country through liberal reform. This so-called "liberal nationalism" failed, paving the way for UsefulNotes/OttoVonBismarck[='s=] more warlike approach. Incidentally, this revolution is the first time that a black, red, and gold tricolor was used as the German flag.

* The first two episodes of the third series of ''Series/{{Victoria}}'' are set against the backdrop of these revolutions, with a particular focus on the French one. The main plot is concerned with the Chartist movement and Queen Victoria's response to it. In the third episode, some of the aftermath is dealt with in a subplot about Hungarian revolutionary Lajos Kossuth's visit to Great Britain.