revolutions of 1848
A scene from a barricaded street in Paris, 1848. In France, the catalyst for the revolutions in the rest of Europe, the monarchy was replaced by the Second Republic, with Louis Napoleon as president from 1852.
Series of revolts in various parts of Europe against monarchical rule. Although some of the revolutionaries had republican ideas, many more were motivated by economic grievances. The revolution began in France with the overthrow of Louis Philippe and then spread to Italy, the Austrian Empire, and Germany, where the short-lived Frankfurt Parliament put forward ideas about political unity in Germany. None of the revolutions enjoyed any lasting success, and most were violently suppressed within a few months.
| Some concessions were made to both liberal and nationalist movements, and 1848 is regarded as ending the conservative domination of Metternich. |
)
