jan 1, 1848 - Springtime of Nations

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The philosophical, economic and political changes across much of the world throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, did not go unnoticed. A surge in nationalism across Europe since the time of Napoleon, had penetrated every empire. While some sought irredentist claims to enlarge their nations, others sought to achieve their own independence from larger empires.

In Italy, revolutionaries sought to create a unified Italian nation and political and social reforms, seeking an end to centuries of division and absolutist rule.

In France, the July monarchy of Louis-Philippe and the Orleanists was overthrown, and the French Second Republic was declared in its place, under the presidency of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, nephew of the late Emperor.

Across the Austrian Empire; Hungarians, Slovenes, Poles, Czechs, Croats, Slovaks, Ukrainians/Ruthenians, Romanians, Serbs and Italians rose up with their own demands and even Austrian Germans sought political changes. Of these the Hungarian revolution would be the most stubborn and dangerous for Austria, though this too was defeated.

In Prussia an attempt was made to force the King into creating a single, unified German nation, which he is said to have rejected as he would not "accept a crown handed to him from the gutter".

While most of these revolutions failed, the massive outpouring of expression and support by both working class and middle class citizens against the traditional elites forced them to acknowledge that changes needed to be made.

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