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The "Spring of Nations", Revolutionary Europe in 1848
A map illustrating the series of republican revolts and political upheavals against European monarchies in 1848, also known as the People's Spring or the Spring of Nations. The widespread violent unrest started in Sicily and, within a short time, spread to France, Germany, Italy, and the Austrian Habsburg Empire, only to simmer out at the western boundaries of Tsarist Russia.
The movement spread due to popular opposition to the rigidly maintained conservative order, borders, and regimes set up in 1815. This was a bid for broader political participation, greater social equality, and the assertion of national self-determination. All the revolutions eventually ended in failure and repression, followed by widespread disillusionment among liberals, and yet the events of 1848 left a dramatic impact on the future of Europe, fuelling the rise of nationalism and preparing the stage for the revolutions to come.
