Social Class Revolution Of 1848 Analysis

The Revolutions of 1848 were a series of conflicts that began in Paris, France in February of 1848, and spread all over Europe during the next year. These revolutions shook the very foundation of political and social order in the countries that were involved. They took place in France, Italy, the Habsburg Empire, and much of Germany. These series of political upheavals throughout Europe were primarily caused by the severe food shortages which led to famine and increased food prices, economic suffering in commercial industries, widespread unemployment, systems for relief of the poor were inadequate, and background factors such as the Enlightenment, rise of liberalism, and the American, French, and Latin American Revolutions. Throughout the Revolutions …show more content…
The middle class is standing at a much higher elevation than the working class, perhaps to show patriarchy. During the Revolutions of 1848, the liberals had acted as leaders for a time, promising change and relief from the lower classes’ suffering. The middle class is also shown, in the painting, to be wearing elaborate, expensive clothing while the lower classes are shown wearing the basic necessities and sometime even rags, once again showing the clear distinction between the social classes. The middle class is also shown to be just standing guard while the lower class is shown to be cooking food and preparing food, no one is idle. This could show that the working class in actuality did much of the fighting while the liberal, middle class just supported the revolutions which, in return, offered no immediate relief to the working class. Through the apparent division of social standing, the author, Edouard Ritter, shows the truth behind the revolutions and why they eventually failed. The clear division between both the social classes offers the idea that even though the liberals appealed to put pressure on the governments to the working class, the alliance did not last primarily because of the different goals and motives as well as the different methods to bring about changes. The author also seems to convey through the painting that while the elements of a successful revolution seemed to be present when the revolution began, it was eventually revealed that the most important element success for was missing: a common