Your assignment is to study the Revolutions of 1848 and to conduct a student-led discussion that reflects your studies.
Main questions:
- Why and how did a wave of revolution sweep Europe in 1848? What were the grievances and demands of the protestors?
- What methods did the revolutionaries employ to reach their objectives?
- Assess the impact of the following on 1848: industrialism, liberalism, nationalism, class consciousness, socialism, utopianism, urbanization, democratization, and positivism.
- How, why, and to where to the Revolution spread?
- Compare and contrast the Revolutions in Italy, France, Hungary, and German states. Why was there no significant Revolutionary movements in Britain and Russia? Note: for purposes of this assignment, disregard other revolutionary states.
- Who were the key people and events? Make an identification list.
- What were the results of the Revolutions of 1848? Historian A.J.P. Taylor once called 1848 a moment when “history reached a turning point and failed to turn.” Were the Revolutions of 1848 an utter failure? What is the legacy of this movement?
- How did 1848 effect the Rise of the Modern State?
Mandatory Resources:
- Start with Wikipedia. After reading the broad view of 1848, visit the “main articles” for the Revolutions in Italy, France, Hungary, and German states.
- Charles Fourier: Theory of Social Organization, 1820
- Four short primary source documents on Revolutionary France
- The Carlsbad Decrees, 1819
- Secondary Source: Revolution and the National Assembly in Frankfurt am Main
- Photo: 1848 in Germany
—>You will submit notes on 1-6 above. Consider the questions while reading and taking notes.
Very, Very Strongly Recommended Resource:
- BBC4 Discussion: Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss 1848 (45 minutes). This is an ideal model for the class discussion. Bragg and three history lecturers. I hope you all listen to as much of this as you can make time for.
Suggested Resources:
- Chartism: The People’s Petition, 1838
- John Stuart Mill: Liberalism Evaluated, 1873
- Thomas Carlyle: Signs of the Times: The “Mechanical Age
- Frederich Engels’ Speech at the Graveside of Karl Marx, 1883
- Percy B. St. John, a French eyewitness to the events of 1848
Optional Resources – The Modern Connection: 1848 vs. 1989 vs. 2011:
- Every Revolution Is Different, Anne Applebaum at Slate
- 2011: The Arab World’s 1989 or 1848?, Mark Katz at George Mason University
- Eric Hobsbawm on 2011: ‘It reminds me of 1848…”
- 1848 vs. 2011, cool infographic from Time
Evaluative Rubric:
____/15 Quality and Quantity of Notes from Resources (due on day one of discussion)
____/10 Individual Participation in Discussion (sliding scale)
____/5 Class grade: quality of discussion (to what extent does the class offer valid and nuanced responses to the given questions?)
____/30 Total
