Revolutions of 1848

by Priscilla Robertson

This social history of Europe during 1848 selects the most crucial centers of revolt and shows by a vivid reconstruction of events what revolution meant to the average citizen and how fateful a part he had in it. A wealth of material from contemporary sources, much of which is unavailable in English, is woven into a superb narrative which tells the story of how Frenchmen lived through the first real working-class revolt, how the students of Vienna took over the city government, how Croats and Slovenes were roused in their first nationalistic struggle, how Mazzini set up his ideal republic Rome.

Genres: History, European History, Nonfiction, Politics, Germany, France, War

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1952

Reviews

[Lauren Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this a very good analysis of the period, surprisingly even for a 60 year old book. Smart, even handed. In her conclusion, she discusses the disillusionment and how it helped to lead to WWI.

[Lee Harrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a genealogy enthusiast I discovered many immigrant families that arrived in America in the 1850’s. Many of these were from the various principalities which eventually formed the nation we now know as Germany. I became curious about this. Why did so many German families leave their homes to resettle in the US in that particular era?
There are probably many answers to the question but when I asked someone at one of the historical societies where I was doing my research she mentioned the revolutions in Europe. This was something I had never heard about before. Many European monarchies experienced democratic rebellions in the late 1840’s and early 1850’s.
The wave of revolution began in 1848 in France and eventually spread to Italy, Germany, Hungary and many other nations. The desires were basically the same and the outcomes quite similar as well. In most cases the people wanted more freedom from oppression and more of a say in the way their countries were governed. Also in most cases the revolutions failed to totally replace the existing government but succeeded in winning concessions of autonomy from the monarchy. Even Great Britain had to do some political restructuring to give the people more power.
This book does a nice job of describing the progression towards rebellion in several European states and introduces the reader to the leaders of each rebellion explaining the personalities and motivations which drove events to an inevitable climax.

[lukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veľmi chutná doporučujem každému ľahká a plná infosiek, napriek tomu že je z 1950 stále modernejšia ako niektoré dnešné výtlačky, nebráni sa triednemu boju

[Pete Dolack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best work on the Revolutions of 1848 that I have read. The focus is on history from below (although there is plenty of material on monarchs, powers behind thrones and generals) to give a reader a good sense of what life was like for the average person, and why so many became involved in so many national uprisings.

Obviously this is not a book with happy endings; the author details the bitter, blood-soaked end of attempted revolutions across western and central Europe, and the ways that monarchs and generals were able to reassert their ancien régimes. But history is what it is, and this book does just what its subtitle says: a necessary social history from an author sympathetic to those attempting to create a better world.

A very lively written social history. I picked up this book at random in a used bookstore, and needed only a few minutes to decide I wanted to read it. I am glad I did.

[Lucille Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather dense social history of the revolutions of 1848 in France, Germany, the Austrian Empire, and Italy. Interesting to use social masses as the primary unit of analysis, yet it often fails to capture the spirit of the people and too often falls into "great man" history. Nonetheless, an admirable and engrossing effort about what might be termed a failed democratic wave.

[Jake Berlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

a fascinating tour of the major revolutions of '48: france, [germany], the austrian empire, and [italy]. full of incredible anecdotes (the upside of being a social history), but also occasionally missing the broader explanations that would help tie things together. the cast(s) of characters is large, but ultimately worth it for the detail.