The revolutions that broke out in Europe in the first half of the 19th century as the so-called revolution of 1848, were political, social and nationalist movements:
1. Politician , destined to reform the State constitution in a democratic sense, for the greater participation of the people in the government.
2. Social , in search of an improvement of the proletarian class, sunk in misery by the abrupt implantation of machinery in industry, which brought the unemployment of thousands of workers, reduction of wages and greater rigor in working conditions.
3. Nationals , aimed at achieving the union (unifications arose) and independence.
Let's look at the 1848 Revolution in the following countries:
In France
King Louis Philippe I, imposed by the 1830 revolution, did not rule constitutionally nor did he satisfy the desires of the French people. On the contrary, he showed himself an enemy of all reform, since he suppressed civil liberties and, above all, refused to grant universal suffrage. Then, the people of Paris rose up in arms on February 23 and 24, 1848, and then forced Luis Felipe I to abdicate.
A government meeting, chaired by Lamartine, proclaimed the Republic (the second republic) . The recently elected national assembly sanctioned the republican system of government, establishing universal suffrage (the right that every citizen has to cast their vote in political elections, that is, to elect their rulers).
In the elections for President of the Republic, Luis Napoleón Bonaparte, nephew of the Great Corzo, was triumphant.
In Austria
Austria, Metternich's homeland, had to endure a series of insurrections on its own territory, in Vienna, in Bohemia, and in Hungary.
In Vienna, the insurgents forced Metternich to resign (March 1848), who barely saved his life. He must have fled, disguised as a laundress, in a car. Taking refuge in England, he died some time later. Emperor Ferdinand I, who had prohibited even mentioning the word constitution in his presence, had to grant one, which established universal suffrage, parliamentary rule, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly.
In Bohemia, the Czechs, who constituted a different nation from the Austrians, tried to recover their old freedoms, lost at the time of the Thirty Years' War, Ferdinand I pretended to grant autonomy to Bohemia, but he sent an army that crushed the Czechs. rebels in Prague (June 1848).
In Hungary. the patriot Luis Kossuth proclaimed the independent republic of the Mangroves. The Austrian forces were defeated by the insurgents, and the new emperor, Franz Joseph I (1848-1916), who had just succeeded his uncle Ferdinand I, requested the support of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. This, which feared that an independent Hungary would cause an uprising in Poland, sent an army of 150,000 men, which defeated the mangroves (August 1849). Kossuth fled to Turkey; other leaders were executed.
Francisco José then abolished the Constitution granted by his predecessor to the Austrians themselves, and reinstated absolutism throughout the empire.
In Italy
The action of Mazzini and his society. The young Italy provoked liberal insurrections in the peninsula, which began by establishing the regime of constitutional government in most of the states:Sicily, Sardinia, Tuscany and Church States. But the fall of Metternich also gave the revolution a nationalist and anti-Austrian character. All of northern Italy rose up against their oppressors. Venice expelled its imperials, and the director of the uprising, the young lawyer Manin, proclaimed the Republic of San Marco. The people of Milan also threw out foreigners. Enthusiasm was general. Everywhere waved the green, white and red flag, emblem of the new Italy.
The King of Sardinia, Carlos Alberto, then declared war on Austria. Troops arrived from all over the peninsula to reinforce their troops. But almost immediately the incipient national unity was broken. Pope Pius IX stated that he could not participate in a war against Catholic Austria. The King of Naples ordered the return of his troops, and in the meantime, more than 120,000 Austrians attacked and defeated the Piedmontese, who requested an armistice (August 1848) after Custozza's defeat. The king abdicated in favor of his son Victor Manuel II, who signed peace with Austria (March 1849).
Months later, Louis Napoleon reestablished Pope Pius IX in his absolute power, and ended the Roman Republic, which Mazzini had founded. In short, the revolution failed, because Austrian domination and the absolutist regime were reestablished in Italy.
In Germany
The German liberals demanded a constitution, parliaments, freedom of the press and respect for the rights of citizens. The main result of the German movement of 1848 was the election, by universal suffrage, of a parliament, imitation of the French constituent, which met in Frankfurt. The Frankfurt parliament tried to unify Germany. Some deputies were in favor of Austria continuing to form part of the new State to be created, of Greater Germany, as they called it, while others fought for its elimination, and for the constitution of Little Germany, presided over by Prussia. The latter triumphed, and the King of Prussia, Frederick William IV, was elected Hereditary Emperor of Germany (1849). Unexpectedly, the new ruler refused the position, because "it was a street crown, Luis Felipe style, kneaded with clay and wood." Shortly after, his soldiers dispersed the Frankfurt parliament. Thus, the possibility of German unity by peaceful and democratic means disappeared.
Olmutz Throwback
Federico Guillermo tried, by the account of him, to realize the German unit, excluding Austria. He invited, for this, the main States. But Franz Joseph I threatened him with war if he persisted in such attempts, and made him sign the Olmutz Convention (1850), by which he renounced his unitary claims.
The German confederation was reinstated in Frankfurt, as before 1848, and the Diet declared abolished all the constitutions that had been granted by the various German states. As in Italy, reactionary and absolutist politics once again prevailed.
Political significance of the 1848 revolution
The revolution of 1848 had a great impact not only in France and Europe, but in the world.
This movement meant:
1. The triumph of the Republican system in France, as well as the establishment of universal suffrage.
2. The appearance of socialist ideas , by the work of Karl Marx, who in his famous work "Capital" has revolutionized the concepts of capital, work and wealth , thus giving rise to the so-called class struggles (between capitalism and the Proletariat), exacerbated in current times.
3. Socialist ideas have greatly influenced the conquest of favorable rights for the working class.
4. The invigoration of the nationalist desire and the unification of some peoples. Aspirations that achieved their happy realization years later.