After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, constitutional monarchies ruled in Britain and France, while absolutism continued in Central and Eastern Europe under monarchs and in the Balkans under the Ottoman Empire. By 1848, nationalist groups struggling for freedom and political radicals had sparked revolution in major European cities including Paris and Berlin. While the 1848 revolutions did not immediately impact politics, they were emotionally powerful experiences for those who participated in or witnessed the violent battles in city streets between revolutionaries and government forces.

1. Nick Stout, 2018

2. After the Congress of Vienna concluded in 1815, constitutional
monarchies ruled in Great Britain and France. In Central and
Eastern Europe, however, absolutism monarchs retain power,
while in the Balkans (including modern-day Greece) the
Ottoman Empire ruled. Bit by bit, groups of people who
identified themselves as ethnic (culturally-based) nations began
to struggle for freedom. By 1848, the revolution had reached
Europe’s major cities including Paris and Berlin, where
political radicals and working class men and women died in
battles in the streets. While the revolution of 1848 had little to
no impact on the European political structure at the time, they
were emotionally powerful experiences for the people who
participated in and witnessed them.

3. Explain factors that motivated the
revolutions of 1848
Describe the scenes at the barricades in
France and Berlin
Summarize both the principles underlying
France’s Second Republic and the goals of
German liberals

4.  The revolution of 1848 were dangerous, emotionally
intense experiences for the men and women who
participated in them. Conservatives supported the
monarchies that governed France and Prussia.
However, groups of working-class men and women
(along with radical nationalists) rose up against the
governments of these countries. The revolutionaries
created defensive barricades by throwing furniture and
other debris into poles in the streets. They collected
whatever arms they could and traded volleys of fire
with government forces. The revolutions had no
significant impact on governments at the time, but the
memory of the violence would affect Europeans for
decades.

5. Today you will be looking at four
documents and answering questions to
prepare for a discussion. The first
document we will do as a class the
following three you will be doing individual.
The questions will serve as jumping points
to understand the documents, as well as, a
springboard for a discussion that will
follow.