1848 - by Mike Rapport (Paperback)

About the Book

In 1848, a violent storm of revolutions ripped through Europe. This vivid and enlightening book traces the roots of the revolutions and then, with breathtaking pace, describes how these explosions of violence spread across Europe, and explains how their effects are still present today.

Book Synopsis

The dramatic story of the interconnected revolutions that shattered the old European order and transformed the continent

"A fully nuanced portrait of a tumultuous year." --Wall Street Journal

In 1848 a torrent of revolutions ripped through Europe. Crowds of working-class radicals and middle-class liberals in Paris, Milan, Venice, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Krakow, Munich, and Berlin toppled the old conservative regimes and began the task of forging a new order. Political events so dramatic had not been seen in Europe since the French Revolution of 1789 and would not be witnessed again until the revolutions of Eastern and Central Europe in 1989.

In 1848, historian Mike Rapport traces the roots of the revolutionary fervor and the explosive spread of violence across Europe and reveals the many ways in which 1848 continues to shape the modern world.

Review Quotes

"A lively, panoramic new history... a good yarn, with a keen eye for ground-level details."--New York Times

"Based on unsentimental judgments and presented in colorful writing.... The writing is to the point, detailed when detail is required, and punctuated by vivid set pieces."--Literary Review (London)

"A lucid analysis.... Rapport not only makes space for excellent character portraits, he also covers the social and military history of the urban upheavals and the military campaigns.... Full of quirky and interesting incidents."--American Conservative

"A nuanced look at a time when Europe was struggling to resolve the contradiction between the changed promised by Enlightenment philosophy and the new economic realities grought about by the industrial revolution."--Books & Culture

"Across Europe an unprecedented wave of revolutions toppled old orders from Krakow to Paris. This lively history gives an impressive overview and examines how those insurrections shape modern Europe."--Scotland on Sunday (Edinburgh)

"Clearly assembled an well paced, an excellent introduction to the period."--The Age (Melbourne)

"Highly recommended."--Choice

"In this account of a turbulent year in which most European thrones were shaken or toppled, Rapport smoothly elides drama of battles on the barricades with perspective on the causes and consequences.... Striking an excellent balance between narrative and explanation, Rapport will engage the history audience."--Booklist

"Links the revolutions of 1848 with the seismic changes of 1989, suggests convincingly that the 19th-century upheavals fueled both a greater tolerance of European liberalism and the sense of grievance that would eventually produce two world wars.... Authoritative."--Kirkus

"Make Rapport is one of the few scholars who write European history not as the history of a few select countries, but of the entire continent.... A brilliant book.... Overall, I do not think a better account of the revolutions could have been written in the space available."--H-Net

"Mike Rapport picks a judicious and vividly presented path through a complex year and skilfully juggles political thought and popular experience."--Daily Telegraph (London)

"Rapport brings to this story a fine sense of the dramatic--he has a keen eye for unfolding drama--while being able to see the events as part of a larger pattern." --Sydney Morning Herald

"Skillfully unravels a complex series of cataclysmic events that swept over Europe in 1848, forever changing the lives of millions.... Rapport mixes his lucid narrative with astute analysis.... A worthy and affordable addition to any modern European history collection."--Library Journal

"Those who want a readable, informed and vibrant account of a crucial time in European history should look no further than this admirable volume."--Independent Weekly

"A fully nuanced portrait of a tumultuous year."--Wall Street Journal

"Absorbing.... Rapport writes with vigor and has a good ear for memorable details.... Anyone wishing a vivid account of a crucial period in European history can spend many hours engrossed in this book."--Seattle Times

"Cleverly and sensitively chronicled, this is a pacy, learned history that makes sense of an extraordinary year."--Observer (London)

"Rapport's vivid tour d'horizon reminds us of the dramatic birth-pangs associated with the arrival of modernity...an absorbing account of a phenomenon that seeded two world wars."--Independent (London)

About the Author

Mike Rapport is a professor of history at the University of Glasgow in Scotland and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. The author of Nineteenth Century Europe, The Napoleonic Wars, The Unruly City, and City of Light, City of Shadows, and co-editor of Teaching and Understanding the Age of Revolutions, Rapport lives in Stirling, Scotland.