Revolution? Das Jahr 1848 im ländlichen Raum

Abstract

Revolution? The Year 1848 in the Countryside. Contrary to widespread assumptions, it was not only in Vienna and other major European cities that revolutionary movements occurred in 1848. Rural areas too saw a wave of protests against existing institutions and experimentation with new forms of political activity, involving large segments of the population. This concerned not only the traditional resistance to the manorial system and its dues, which attained its goal in 1848 with the defeudalisation law, but multiple other phenomena too. This chapter discusses innovations in political communication, elections and parliamentary politics, the National Guard, and the reactions to the October Revolution in Vienna. It is reasonable to believe that these new experiences left permanent marks on the political consciousness of the rural population and had a long-term impact on the development of its relationship with the state.