Brief Essay on the results and importance of the Revolution of 1848 in Europe

The most important event of the reign of Louis Philippe, the king of France was the outbreak of a revolution in February 1848. The people of France were impatient of the internal and external failure of Louis Philippe and, therefore, they had to rise against him.

Louis Philippe had to abdicate the throne in favour of his grandson and he fled to England. The patriots of France proclaimed a Republic in the country. Thus, the nature, importance and result of this revolution were quite different from those of the July Revolution of 1830.

The scope of the revolution was not limited to France only, but almost all countries of Europe were affected by the tide of this revolution.

Though the revolution failed and autocratic rule was again established in the European countries, none can deny that the political life of the continent was greatly affected by the sweep of this revolution.

Some changes were introduced in the politics of Europe, which turned the history of Europe into a new direction in the long run. The following were the main results of this revolution which proved it to be an important event of the history of Europe:

Abolition of Reactionism and Despotism

Before the outbreak of the Revolution of 1848, the administrative system of the countries of Europe was based on the principles of reactionism and despotism. Metternich, the chancellor of Austria was the leader of the reactionary powers.

Being greatly excited by the success of the revolution in France, the patriots of other countries, too, rose against their despotic rulers. It can undoubtedly be stated that the excitement of the revolutionaries shook the very foundation of the reactionary principles.

It was due to this revolution that Metternich, the well-known figure of the European politics, who for thirty-nine fears had stood at the head of the Austrian states and successfully handled the politics of all countries of Europe, was forced to resign.

The autocratic rulers of Europe were very disheartened at the downfall of Metternich because he was the representative of the reactionary institutions. Although the rulers quelled the revolutions in their respective states with the help of military, their success could not remain permanent.

Their roots had already been shaken by the patriotism and liberalism of the revolutionaries. The downfall of Metternich was the signal of the end of the whole system prevailing in the continent at that time. C. D. Hazen has rigidly remarked:

“The effect produced by the announcement of Metternich’s fall was prodigious. It was the most astounding piece of news Europe had received since Waterloo. His fall was correctly heralded as the fall of a system hitherto impregnable.”

Rise of Militarism

The Revolution of 1848 gave a new experience to the nationalists. As a result of this revolution the spirit of militarism grew in Europe. Before 1848, revolutionaries believed in liberal measures and, as such, they always adopted a democratic liberal attitude towards the fulfillment of their demands.

They reached the conclusion that it was possible to achieve their goal through democratic and constitutional measures. Hence, they placed their faith in the military power.

Cavour, the prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia, resolved on solving the problems of Italy by developing military power. He wanted to unify the provinces of Italy into one nation.

For this purpose, it was essential to remove the influence of Austria from Italy. So, he paid his attention to strengthening armed forces of his state. In the same way, the patriots of Germany, after having failed in 1848, used military power in the unification of Germany.

Bismarck, the chancellor of Prussia, was no believer in the democratic and liberal measures. He always adopted military measures and made Germany into a great nation. He always said:

“The great questions of the time are not to be solved by speeches and parliamentary notes, but by blood and iron.”

Thus, it is clear that the development of the spirit of militarism was a signal of the ushering in of a new era in the field of national unity.

Development of Constitutional Governments

The Revolution of 1848 brought about a change in the system of administration prevailing at that time in the countries of Europe. The spirit of national integration grew steadily in all countries and the constitutional system of administration was recognised in place of the absolute monarchy.

The constitutional governments were established in Switzerland, Holland, Denmark and some other countries. The era of constitutional reforms began in England with the outbreak of this revolution.

Though the people of England had been clamoring for parliamentary reforms since long and some reforms were also introduced in this field in 1832, a new spirit was growing in England as a consequence of the Revolution of 1848.

We have already seen that the revolutionaries, along with the propagation of the feelings of national unity and fraternity, favoured the political rights of the common people.

Therefore, a revolution broke out in England for parliamentary reforms. The passing of the Second Reform Act of 1867 was the direct result of this revolution. In this way a constitutional system of government was developed in almost all countries.

Rise of the Labouring Class

It is a notable fact that the labouring class occupied a prominent place in the politics of Europe after the Revolution of 1848. The working men of France were greatly aggrieved with the administrative policy of Louis Philippe.

Owing to the adverse effects of the Industrial Revolution, their economic status, not only in France, but in every country of Europe, was gradually deteriorating. Some socialist leaders like St. Simon, Louis Blanc and others presented before them some new doctrines regarding the reorganisation of the society.

They emphasised the nationalisation of industries. Being stirred by these new messages, the labourers began to clamour for their legal right and share in the industry.

Their organisations became strong and they achieved great success against the capitalists in the revolution. After 1848, the labourers, under the guidance of their able leaders, began to increase their strength.

The governments of the different countries of Europe now had to pay their attention towards the interests of the labouring class. Before this, these people were always ignored. But after 1848, this class achieved a considerable progress due to its efficient leadership and strong organisation and unity.

The labour was considered to be an important factor of production and the governments of different countries recognised the importance of this class.

Not only this, the governments took responsibility for the security of their rights and interests. In this way, the rise of the labouring class was an important result of the Revolution of 1848.

Beginning of the Era of Common People

From this point of view, the Revolution of 1848 was more significant than the July Revolution of 1830. Before 1848 the scope of revolutionary activities was limited to some leaders only.

Those leaders had to propagate the ideas and necessity of revolution among the common people. Without the propagation of the new ideas the common people remained quite ignorant of things and indifferent about their condition.

They did not even realise their political rights. It was also the duty of the selected leaders to make the people realise their rights, interests and privileges. But the Revolution of 1848 produced some basic changes in this respect.

The spirit of national consciousness was astir in the whole of Europe. The people came to realise their rights and interests. Not only this, they also came to realise that the main obstacle in the path of achieving those rights was the existing political system of the countries.

They were highly excited and motivated to change the administrative setup in such a way that the interests of the common people might be secured. In other words, it may be concluded that the era of common people began in Europe after the Revolution of 1848.

Now the people were not to be prepared and instigated for any revolution by the leaders. In fact, the period after 1848 was the period of national awakening in the history of Europe.

The scope of revolutionary activities did not remain limited to some leaders only, but it became universal. The spirit of national consciousness, which stirred some leaders only, now moved all and sundry.

Rise of Nationalism

The Revolution of 1848 helped greatly in the propagation of the programme of national integration. We have already discussed that the success of this revolution shook the roots of reactionism and despotism in Europe.

Consequently, the spirit of nationalism of the people was highly stirred. By that time, the national leaders held their meetings at a very secret place. To participate in the national movements was treated as a political crime.

But after 1818, the people began to participate in the national agitations openly. They had come to realise the significance of nationalism. They came to know that their fundamental rights might only be secured by supporting the principles of liberalism and nationalism.

Though the feeling of nationalism could not develop in Europe in 1848, being suppressed by the autocratic rulers of different countries, none can deny the fact that in spite of the failure, the spirit of nationalism could not be subdued absolutely.

Under the resurgence of this spirit, Germany and Italy gradually became strong under the leadership of Prussia and Sardinia respectively.

The movements for national unification of these two countries gained momentum day by day; and at last, twenty-two years after the outbreak of this revolution, the work of national unification of Germany and Italy was completed in 1870.