1848 residue

 While reading various chapters of a book on the revolutions that occurred in Europe in 1848, I came across these comments from Carlo Cattaneo in an address to the Hungarian Diet. For centuries Poland, Hungary, and Venice had stood together against the Turks. Now the same nations should stand shoulder to shoulder against the new common enemy Russia, who sent troops into Hungary, Romania and other places.  

Earlier blog  eastern europe next

Cattaneo's reference to Venice, rather than Italy, was due to Venice being nearly an Austrian zone at the time.

Nicholas1 got in over his head during the 1848-time frame. The money Russia loaned Austria for his intervention in Hungary, was never repaid.

July 21, 2022

 While reading a recap of the repercussions of 1848, particularly in Germany, I came across this Bismarck comment uttered in 1862: "the great questions of the age are not decided by speeches and majority decisions - that was the big mistake of 1848 and 1849 - but by blood and iron."

Aug, 13, 2022

Forest of Bayonets is a powerful chapter title for the story of Alexander Herzen, a Russian embarking on a European journey in January1847 through Russia's frontier with Prussia. 

Sept 17, 2022

 Wilhelm Wichmann spoke for many Protestant liberals who admired constitutional and free-trading Prussia when he blasted: "Austria is the only state capable of placing real obstacles in the path of German unification and, in fact, has already done so."

Nov 13, 2022

A historical reminder: From 1835-48 the Emperor of the Hapsburg Empire was the mentally disabled Ferdinand who once yelled at his courtiers, ‘I am the Emperor and I want dumplings!’ and was loved by many of his subjects, who referred to him as ‘Ferdy the Loony’. Metternich was the mover and shaker. 

Dec 26, 2022

I began reading a book on the history of Denmark and am surprised at how big it was around the Middle Ages. Also, The Danish absolute monarchy which was introduced by Frederik III with a coup in 1660, was abolished in 1848 with a peaceful revolution after the death of Christian VIII.  By June 5, 1849 it had its first free constitution.

March 12, 2023

A reminder of reactions to protests:  Since Austria’s Italian provinces were among its most lucrative sources of taxation, the Italian nobility organized a boycott of tobacco on January 1,1848 to reduce the Viennese treasury's revenue. And they knew that the tobacco tax was a source of resentment among Lombardy’s lower income citizens. In response, the Austrian garrison encouraged by their officers took up smoking, waving their cigars in the faces of the citizens.

March 26, 2023

  Prince William, the supreme commander of the Prussian forces and also known as the ‘grapeshot prince’ because he was rumored to have given the order to fire on the Berliners on March 18,1848, was intent on punishing Rastatt, the location of the final resistance of the German revolution of 1848-9. Karl Schurz was one of the rebels who escaped and a few years later made his way to the USA. He fought as an officer in the Union army in the Civil War, served as Senator from Missouri, and later became Secretary of the Interior under President Hayes.

July 16, 2023

  In 1848 in Banat, a mixed Serb, Romanian, and German region in southern Hungary, the Serbs and the Romanians nearly came to blows since the Romanian contingent wanted a separate Orthodox Church from the Serbs.

Aug 3, 2023

Lessons from 1848: Some counter- revolution proponents felt Germany and Austria had a mission to spread German culture, language, etc, along the Danube to the Black Sea.

Sept 12, 2023

1849: Napoleon III forestalled an Austrian invasion, by intervening to restore Papal authority to Rome.

Oct 10, 2023

 Metternich was ‘intolerably loose and giddy with women". Diplomatic chatter from the 1800s.

Oct 26, 2023

 Rome 1848: Accusations of Mazzini being a ‘communist’ or a latter-day Robespierre.  However, Mazzini worked hard to show Catholic sensibilities by attending Easter Mass at Saint Peter's.

Dec 1, 2023

 Radetzky was born in Bohemia and was 82 in 1948 when he served as Field Marshal and one of the saviors of the Habsburg Empire.

Jan 1, 2024

 Five great powers in 1848 - Austria, Prussia, Russia, France and Britain.

  Magyars' resentment against what they saw as German dominance and overbearing Habsburg authority was brewing in the empire.

Feb 6, 2024

Tsar Nicholas I who feared the1848 revolutionary virus would contaminate Russia, proclaimed: "Saddle your horses gentlemen! A Republic has been declared in France"

March 28, 2024

Reading 1848 Austria- Habsburg Empire, a polyglot assembly of territories containing eleven different nationalities.