History 101 Lecture 18

7/28/2019 History 101 Lecture 18

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The Revolution(s) of 1848

and the Transformation of

Liberalism

Lecture 18

Terms:The June Days (Rev. of 1848 France)

Springtime of Nations (Rev. of 1848 in

Central/Eastern Europe)

John Stuart Mill, On Liberty


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Paris: 1848


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The February

Revolution(Paris, 1848)

Revolution begins due to economic downturns and crop failures that left the

peasants and the poor working classes starving and middle classes still

alienated from politics

Barricades go up and monarchy abolishedestablish provisional governmentand call it the Second Republic

Establish universal manhood suffrage (!)

Abolition of slavery

Establish principle of right to work (national workshops for unemployed)

New taxes on upper/middle classes to fund this (social reform)


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June Days(June 1848, Paris)

Powder keg ignitesbarricades goup once again, now solely workingclass

Scares the hell out of the upper andmiddle classes and call this anaffront on the protection of privateproperty and call for the workshopsto be closed

Thus the bourgeoisie in turnsupport party of order andcrushing of revolution (including itsold arch enemy the nobility)

Re-enter: Napolon (or his whinynephew)its quite ironic

The first red scare

Marx is watching this in Paris at the

time!!!!


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Takes over in a coupdetat(1851) supported

by the monarchist right and the upper class

Seen as the only one who can restore order

and end the instability in France which had

continued since the overthrow of the

monarchy in February AND prevent a proto-

communist revolution.

BUT: also supported by a good proportion of

the industrial working class due to his vague

indications of progressive economic views.

Also widely supported by the peasants

because his name meant something to them

and they remember Napolon fondly

Promises to make France great again

(doesnt deliver)

Basically runs off his uncles name who in

popular memory was credited with raising the

nation to its pinnacle of military greatness and

establishing social stability after the turmoil of

the French Revolution.Crowns himself emperor one year later

Dej Vu: Napolon III


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The revolutions

of 1848-49 spread


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The Springtime of Nations in

Central Europe (liberal nationalism!)

Caricature of

Metternich fleeingVienna

Germania: A liberal

unified Germany?

Giuseppe Garibaldi:

symbol of Italian

unification


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Berlin

1848


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King Friedrich Wilhelm IV ofPrussia Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria


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The German Confederation


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March Revolution (German States)

People demand taketo the streets in Marchcalling for popularsuffrage anda unifiedGermany (itsGermanys 1789!)

Prussian KingWilhelm IV forced toyieldpromises freeelections andconstitution

GERMANYS1789????

550 delegates meet inFrankfurt to draw upconstitution and new

German state

Industrialization not as far along in Germany as in England and

Francestill areas of practically feudalism!


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Frankfurt: 1848


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Grossdeutschlandvs. Kleindeutschland

a.k.a. What dowe do with

Austria?

(What they

fight about inFrankfurt for

11 months)


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Right: caricature of the King

slamming the doors on the

liberal parliamentarians

I will not accept this crown

from the gutter disgraced

by the stink of revolution,

baked of dirt and mud.

--King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia


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Results Crushed by the old order after about a year in countries

involvedbut not a restoration like 1815

Rulers recognize from now on that masses and nationalism

can no longer be completely suppressed as during the Age of

Metternich

LIBERALISM FAILS TO UNIFY GERMANY AND ITALY!

Fear of lower class masses instilled into the liberals/middle

classesNO LONGER LEFT WING but rather they prefer

the status quo

Two front battle turns into three front

No longer just liberals and conservatives

Conservatives, liberals, (early) socialists (working classes)

One victory for the people: feudalism finally abolished in most

of Europecapitalism now rules the day (except in Russia)


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John Stuart Mill(1806-1873)

On Liberty(1859) is considered founding

text ofpoliticalliberalism as it develops acentury after the Enlightenment and

French Revolution

Fierce individualism (contrast to

continental emphasis on collective)

Advocate of utilitarianism

Second generation of liberalism

Advocate of womens rights (extremely

rare) and gay rights (unheard of)

Today this would be called libertarianism

The only part of the conduct of anyone, for which he is amenable to

society, is that which concerns others. In the part which merely

concerns himself , his independence is, of r ight, absolute. Over

himself , over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.


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Mills

response to

the

conservatives:

I never meant to say that the

Conservatives are generally

stupid. I meant to say that stupid

people are generally Conservative.

I believe that is so obviously and

universally admitted a principle

that I hardly think any gentleman

will deny it.

Letter to the Conservative MP,Sir John Pakington (1866)


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Left: Harriet Taylor (Mill)

Above: Mill with his step-

daughter, Helen Taylor


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The Reform Actof 1867


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http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/Prop8ruling.pdf

Excerpts from Judge Vaughn

Walkers August 2010 ruling

overturning Proposition 8 (the

prohibiting of gay marriage inCalifornia passed by voters in

November 2008) in the spirit of

J.S.M.

Tradition alone, however, cannot form a rational basis for a law.

Judge Walker

The enti re history of social improvement has been a ser ies of

transitions, by which one custom or insti tution after another, from

being a supposed pr imary necessity of social existence, has passed

into the ranks of a universally stigmatized injustice and tyranny.

John Stuart Mill
http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/Prop8ruling.pdfhttp://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/Prop8ruling.pdf

Documents

History 101 Lecture 18