1848: The year that paved the way for modern European democracy

Beginning in 1848, a series of revolts broke out across Europe engulfing the continent in a power struggle for democratic representation.

Starting in Italy in January of that year, the movement quickly spread to France in February and then through the rest of Europe.

Although initially met with success, in many countries these insurrections met with incredible resistance from the more conservative elements of society and were ultimately defeated with a few key exceptions, namely France where the monarchy was toppled in favor of the Second Republic.

Elsewhere insurrectionaries were not so lucky in direct pursuit of their goals.

In Austria, a pragmatic bunch of newer ministers managed to parley new constitutions saving the Austrian monarchy from the fate of its French counterpart.

In Prussia, King Frederick buckled in the face of public pressure and hoisted the black, red and gold flag that came to symbolize German unity.

The collective independent kingdoms of the greater German speaking world then agreed to convene three constituent assemblies in Berlin, Vienna, and Frankfurt where more democratic constitutions were to be drafted for Prussia, Austria and the collective German states.

In Italy a nationalist agitation began under the auspices of the Sardinian king before becoming a full blown revolution leading to the declaration of a short-lived republic in 1849.

All the while back in the Austrian Empire, Hungarian factions lobbied for greater autonomy and Hungary succeeded in organizing itself autonomously.

Triumphs aside, these revolutions were more often than not over before they began as the monarchies of Europe were able to retain the loyalty of their armies who they began to deploy by mid-summer in their best efforts to quash any resistance to their rule.

By the end of the year, absolute monarchy was successfully re-established in the collective German states, the Austrian Empire, and Italy in part thanks to the ability of the ruling elite to rally the middle classes and the clergy against the dark specter of the socialism espoused by the insurrectionary lower classes.

This is exactly what happened in France with a counter-revolution that successfully toppled the Second Republic through a coup d’etat against the assembly on the part of Prince Louis-Napoleon and re-established the hereditary empire under Napoleon III in 1852.

However, the forces of restoration did not roll back all of the reforms brought forth by the Second Republic as universal male suffrage was retained.

This was echoed with the continuation of the Prussian Constitution of 1850 which established the elective assembly and in Sardinia, the Constitution of March in 1848 which were all retained while the signorial rights were not restored in the Austrian Empire.