Introduction
The 1848 Revolutions were a groundbreaking series of political upheavals happening almost simultaneously throughout Europe. The revolts were liberal and nationalistic, aiming to topple the old European monarchies to establish more modern democratic nation-states. While the aims of the revolutions are clear, their causes and the reasons they failed are complicated. However, it is possible to disseminate the complex series of events that led to the revolts and what led to their failures.
Causes of the 1848 Revolutions
Urban Worker Hardships and Industrialization
One of the most prevalent causes of the revolutions was the state of urban workers throughout Europe. Due to rapid population growth in rural areas, many people moved to cities to find work. However, due to industrialization, many of these people were left unemployed, and those who managed to find a job worked 12-15 hours per day (“Revolutions of 1848”, 2022).
Moreover, industrialization caused many occupations to become redundant, leaving even more people unemployed. Due to harvest failures and the economic Panic of 1847, the food prices soared, forcing urban workers to spend more than half of their income on food (“Revolutions of 1848”, 2022). The food itself seldom included meat, mostly consisting of bread and potatoes. Furthermore, due to the increased demand for food, the demand for manufactured goods decreased, leading to even more layoffs in the industrial sector and further discontent among the proletariat. Hence, due to industrialization, workers were left either unemployed or overworked, and with harvest failures and an economic crisis, the urban workers radicalized.
Rural Poverty, Famines, and Feudal Pressures
Another cause for the start of the 1848 Revolutions was the poor living conditions of the rural population of Europe. An increase in the rural population had caused shortages in food, migration to other countries, and pressure on land. A potato blight in Northern Europe in 1845 and 1846 led to a subsistence crisis, spurring the looting of manorial potato stockpiles in Silesia in 1847 (“Revolutions of 1848”, 2022).
The Great Irish Famine was the most severe example of the blight’s consequences, although it also led to famines in Scotland and continental Europe (“Revolutions of 1848”, 2022). Moreover, the loss of communal lands led many peasants to wood theft, consequently leading to tens of thousands of convictions. The above-mentioned erupted in protests and food riots throughout Europe. The loss of common lands, forest regulations, and lingering feudal systems, particularly the labor obligations that persisted among the serfs and downtrodden peasantry of the Habsburg lands, were central to long-term peasant concerns. Hence, famines, feudal forest regulations, and the loss of common lands were the reasons the rural population radicalized.
The Spread of New Political Ideologies
The final major event that caused the 1848 Revolutions was the spread of new political ideologies throughout Europe. Disruptive ideals like democracy, liberalism, nationalism, and socialism gained favor despite the aggressive efforts of established and conservative powers to hold them down (“Revolutions of 1848”, 2022). They requested male suffrage, a constitution, freedom of the press and expression, freeing peasants, organizing a civilian militia, and economic liberalization.
Additionally, they sought the removal of trade restrictions and monarchical power structures in favor of the creation of republican states or at least the limitation of monarchs’ power. The most active political blocs were the nationalists, democrats, liberals, and socialists. The nationalists demanded the unification of the people with common ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and the socialists wanted more power for the workers (“Revolutions of 1848”, 2022). The democrats demanded universal male suffrage instead of the electorate based on property ownership, and the liberals wanted a republican government and the freedom of individuals and the press (“Revolutions of 1848”, 2022). Hence, the spread of new political views was another catalyst for the 1848 Revolutions.
Fragmentation and the Revolutions’ Ultimate Failure
However, while the causes of the Revolutions can be seen as noble by today’s standards, they have eventually failed. The failure of the 1848 Revolutions to unite many political factions behind a single cause ultimately led to their fragmentation and the eventual restoration of order. An example is how the urban workers failed to connect with the peasantry to form a united front.
Even when peasant complaints erupted in 1848, metropolitan revolutionary forces were frequently cut off from them. For instance, according to the Austrian democrat Hans Kudlich, his initiatives to inspire the peasantry had “disappeared in the great sea of indifference and phlegm” (“Revolutions of 1848”, 2022). Hence, the leading cause of the failure of the 1848 Revolutions was their unorganized nature and inability to form a united front.
Conclusion
Hence, the 1848 Revolutions were a complex series of events. Numerous events and processes throughout Europe caused them. Industrialization caused unemployment and famines, which caused the proletariat to radicalize and take up arms against the establishment. Similarly, harvest shortages caused food riots among the rural population, which ignited the malcontent among the peasantry in addition to the loss of common lands and feudal forest regulations.
Lastly, the popularity of democracy, liberalism, nationalism, and socialism spurred the resentment of authority against the monarchical governments of Europe. However, the Revolutions were eventually subdued due to their inability to form a cohesive resistance against the establishment. However, the revolutions set up a valuable precedent and inspired future changes and reforms around the globe, leading to the comfortable and free life many can enjoy today.
Reference
Revolutions of 1848. (2022). Scholarly Community Encyclopedia. Web.