The revolutions of 1848 failed. They were successful to a certain extent in bringing change in their respective countries, such as introducing constitutions in France and reforms such as in Italy, where the Kingdom of Naples introduced agricultural reform. However, examples such as the German states where there was a failure to reach a new constitution and the Austrian empire where the conservatism returned, illustrate how the failures significantly outweighed the successes. There are three main reasons that can be argued for the reason why this overall failure of the revolutions happened. The strength of the forces of reaction, the weaknesses of the revolutionaries and the regional variations can be seen to have all contributed to this result.
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Class divisions played a key role in plaguing many of the revolutions. This is prevalent in the German confederation where there was much division amongst the revolutionaries. It failed in uniting those involved in the Frankfurt Assembly, as they reflected the many different interests of the German ruling classes. The first conflict arose over the goals of the assembly. The moderate liberals wanted to draft a constitution to present to the monarchs, and in contrast, the smaller group of radical members wanted the assembly to declare itself as a law-giving parliament. This lead to confusion and created a weakness of the government, which could easily be exploited. The leaders also had opposing views on if they wanted a Germany which included Prussia and Austria, or a Germany simply made up of the German states, a GrossDeutschland or KleinDeutschland. This inefficiency and chaos of the government made it an easy picking for the Austrian army, who took control again and drove out the city government within five days. The unity and strength that the leaders of the Frankfurt Assembly lacked, that was essential for the revolution to succeeded, was the main reason for the failure of the revolution in Germany. This type of failure is also shown in France where after the proclamation of the Second Republic in France, the republicans and the socialists could not remain united. They could not decide if they wanted change more politically or socially. This created a split between the two meaning that, like in Germany, it allowed Louis Napoleon to step in the remove the the revolutionaries’ government. These examples show how the disagreement and consequently, the weakness of the revolutionaries in both France and the German Confederation were the reason the breakdown of the respective revolutions. This is more of a reason for the
Class divisions played a key role in plaguing many of the revolutions. This is prevalent in the German confederation where there was much division amongst the revolutionaries. It failed in uniting those involved in the Frankfurt Assembly, as they reflected the many different interests of the German ruling classes. The first conflict arose over the goals of the assembly. The moderate liberals wanted to draft a constitution to present to the monarchs, and in contrast, the smaller group of radical members wanted the assembly to declare itself as a law-giving parliament. This lead to confusion and created a weakness of the government, which could easily be exploited. The leaders also had opposing views on if they wanted a Germany which included Prussia and Austria, or a Germany simply made up of the German states, a GrossDeutschland or KleinDeutschland. This inefficiency and chaos of the government made it an easy picking for the Austrian army, who took control again and drove out the city government within five days. The unity and strength that the leaders of the Frankfurt Assembly lacked, that was essential for the revolution to succeeded, was the main reason for the failure of the revolution in Germany. This type of failure is also shown in France where after the proclamation of the Second Republic in France, the republicans and the socialists could not remain united. They could not decide if they wanted change more politically or socially. This created a split between the two meaning that, like in Germany, it allowed Louis Napoleon to step in the remove the the revolutionaries’ government. These examples show how the disagreement and consequently, the weakness of the revolutionaries in both France and the German Confederation were the reason the breakdown of the respective revolutions. This is more of a reason for the