 Revolutions in Vienna

 Revolutions in Budapest

 Revolution in Prague
 Territories:
 Austria proper (German)
 Bohemia and Moravia (Czechs, Slovaks and Germans)
 Hungary (Magyar, Serb and Croat)
 Galicia (Ruthenians and Poles)
 Transylvania (Roumans)
 Illyria and Dalmatia (Serbs and Croats)
 Lombardy and Venetia (Italians)
1. News of the fall of the Orleans monarchy in France; Louis Phillipe
2. Nationalism in Hungary – Hungary had a separate Diet, Magyar nobility had
demanded some form of freedom from their Austrian overlords -
‘from the charnel-house of the Viennese system, a pestilential breath steals over
us which paralyses our nerves and deadens our national spirit’ .
Louis Kossuth’s flaming speech, 3rd March 1848 on hearing the news of the fall of the
French monarchy
3. Urban problems: unavailability of work to absorb excess labour

4. Liberalism – demand for constitution, civil rights, limited power of monarchy

 12th March – university students draft petition : press freedom, jury trials,
emancipation of the serfs and constitutional government sent to emperor’s uncle
Archduke Ludwig
 13th March – meeting of Austrian Diet to debate reforms attracted huge crowd
 Meeting ended due to chaos
 Mob sensing victory headed for Imperial Palace
 Crowds target was Metternich
 Troops fired, 4 dead
 Metternich resigned
 15th March – emperor promised new constitution
 After Metternich’s fall – Emperor Francis I granted these
demands which became known as the March Laws
1. Freedom of the press
2. A responsible ministry for Hungarians in Budapest
3. An annual parliament in Budapest
4. Political and religious equality before the law
5. A national guard
6. Abolition of privilege
7. Abolition of serfdom
8. A jury system with equality of representation
9. A national bank
10. Formation of a National Guard made up of Hunarians
11. Political prisoners to be freed
12. Changed suffrage requirements; enfranchised small
property owners
 The Magyars with Kossuth had won a vital victory
 However, the Croats and Slovenes demanded their own
independence from Hungary
 Leaders of the Croats – Francis Deak, Count Szechenyi
 Kossuth resisted this move – ‘Ironic’
 The Croats elected their own parliament which met at
Agram
 They refused to accept that the magyar language was
official language
 Count Jellacic, Emperor’s governor for Croatia became
their leader
 He convinced the Croats that if they opposed the magyars
the Emperor would grant their demands
 July 1848 – Jellacic led a Croat army, supported by Gen
Windischgratz with an Austrian army to invade Hungary
 Windischgratz captured Budapest but was driven out by
Kossuth and his forces
 Kossuth then declared Hungary a republic and became
President
 This move was opposed by some Hungarians
Lajos Kossuth (centre), who is shown
coming to the aid of Liberty (fallen, at
left) against Austria, which is
depicted as a three-headed monster.
 'the perjured House of Habsburg-Lorraine had broken
every tie of mutual obligation between itself and Hungary.
Therefore the House of Habsburg is for ever deposed from
sovereignty over Hungary and declared to have forfeited
the throne and to be excluded and banished in the name of
the nation. Henceforth, Hungary was independent. We
inform all the peoples of the civilised world of this fact, in
the firm conviction that it will accept the Hungarian nation,
as the youngest but not unworthy brother, into the ranks of
independent nations.'
 Hardened the emperor’s determination to defeat the
Hungarians
 Sought the help of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia
 Austrian army led by Gen Haynau
 Russia sent 200, 000 troops
 Hungary fiercely resisted but were defeated
 Kossuth fled to Turkey
 Haynau executed some leaders and13 generals of the
Hungarian Army
 Thousands fled into exile or were imprisoned
 Hungary lost the constitution granted earlier
 Was once again ruled from Austria
 The demands of the Croats and Slovenes were ignored
János Thorma, ‘The Martyrs of Arad, October 6th,’ 1893-
1896
 14th April 1848 – emperor issued a decree establishing a
constitutional monarchy
 An elected parliament to be established - ministers will be
answerable to
 Revolutionary Committee set up – 24 members including
Academic Legion (students), National Guard ruled Vienna
 There were revolts in the suburbs – socialist workmen against
their employers
 May 1848 – Emperor, his family, principal supporters and
main part of Imperial forces left Vienna for Innsbruck
 Freed him of control of the Revolutionary Comm.
 This proved important for him as there were no mass or
student movt there to impose their will on him
 In Italy, Radetsky defeated the Piedmontese forces at
Custozza and recaptured Milan
 Polish Uprising in Galicia was defeated, Czechs
bombarded into submission
 Summer in Vienna was tense
 Government ministers had little influence
 Committee of Public Safety established in may to maintain
order
 National workshops were set up
 Small radical group received support from students and
workers
 Workers’ protest in June and August were suppressed by
national Guard