Hello people, I hope this is a pretty self-explanatory TL. It begins on March 1st, 1849.
If you want to participate, just say so in the thread or PM me so I can add you in a discussion chat. Keep in mind that this is meant to be as realistic as possible, so no implausible stuff or wanks, because they may be retconned if it is absolutely needed. Big developments would also best be discussed first.
As for the events, they can be as detailed as you want them to be, ranging from a couple of sentences to an actual chapter if you want to.
Here is some background information for the largest changes:
Italy
Austria and Central Europe
Germany
France (courtesy of @Gonzo)
The exact lore for other regions, as well as many details in general, is not set in stone for now, so feel free to contribute to it. Now, time to begin!
If you want to participate, just say so in the thread or PM me so I can add you in a discussion chat. Keep in mind that this is meant to be as realistic as possible, so no implausible stuff or wanks, because they may be retconned if it is absolutely needed. Big developments would also best be discussed first.
As for the events, they can be as detailed as you want them to be, ranging from a couple of sentences to an actual chapter if you want to.
Here is some background information for the largest changes:
Italy
Italy was the first place where the Revolutions of 1848. In Sicily, the regime governing from Naples was ousted, marking the first of the many waves of unrest across Europe. Reforms and constitutions were granted not just by King Ferdinand of the Two Sicilies, but by the monarchs of Tuscany, Piedmont, and the Papal States as well. Soon enough, even Lombardy and Venetia would try to break free of Austrian rule, and they were joined against General Radetzky by forces from all across Italy. The struggle in the valley of the Po lasted for months, and many states even made temporary peace with Austria, but the chaos within the Habsburg Empire allowed them to continue fighting and win. The governments in Milan and Venice were now secured, and a grand congress of representatives from all Italian governments has now been called to draft a constitution for a united nation.
Austria and Central Europe
The shockwaves of 1848 soon reached Vienna, following the events in France in February. People took to the streets, forcing reforms to be granted and the conservative Chancellor and Foreign Minister Metternich to resign. At the same time, social and political unrest only grew, different nationalities within the Empire expressed their will for self-determination, and all that while an ongoing debate was going on about the “German Question.” While there was some hope of victory in Lombardy-Venetia, it was crushed by the beginnings of a civil war in Hungary, where an all out revolt was launched after Vienna failed to accept the Hungarians’ demands. The nation was able to break away, and was even supported by many German radicals. Now, Austria only holds its Cisleithanian lands, and despite all the reforms, still remains a generally conservative force. Whether it will join the German Empire remains to be seen.
Germany
The German Confederation was one of the largest hotspots of the Revolutions. Starting from the revolt in Berlin, where the King of Prussia was forced to accept reforms and a reorganization of the government, a series of protests and revolts occurred in Germany. Throughout March, reforms were given in Nassau, Baden, Saxony and Wurttemberg, while the Kings of Hesse and Bavaria abdicated in favor of their sons. Soon, in Frankfurt, a National Assembly was elected from across Germany and begun its function. Under pressure from the people, who seemed ready to overthrow the monarchies of the Federation, the authority of the Provisorische Zentralgewalt was recognized. King Frederick William IV of Prussia reluctantly accepted the role of monarch, but under the terms that a new constitution is drafted for the new German Empire, giving him significant powers while allowing for democracy. This constitution is in the process of being decided and confirmed, and soon, a new power will rise in Central Europe.
France (courtesy of @Gonzo)
Of all places to fall to revolutionary fervor, France was the one that had considerable experience in the 'art' of revolutions, having suffered several revolutions and counter-revolutions over the prior sixty years. France since 1830 had been governed by as a politically moderate liberal constitutional monarchy under King Louis Philippe I, who had been brought to power in the July Revolution of 1830, which seemingly brought to an end the conservative Bourbon Restoration once and for all. The Orleans branch had long been a more liberal entity than the main House of Bourbon, and this was seen with Louis Philippe proclaiming himself to be the king of the French rather than simply King of France.
Promising a 'juste milieu' Louis Philippe sought to govern in the national interest cutting out the reactionary right and radical left by creating a political elite of rich bourgeois figures such as bankers & industrialists, in addition to various dissenters during the Bourbon Restoration years, including many former Napoleonic officials and officers. Promoting colonial expansion and strong links with the United Kingdom, the July Monarch appeared to be far more stable than its predecessor, enjoying genuine popular support at first. Over time Louis Philippe's regime would begin to anchor itself towards more conservative elements personified by Francois Guizot, who was a leading figure in the nations' politics during the 1840s.
This was seen within the fact that the franchise was only open to around a third of the nation and landownership was till in the hands of the new elites as opposed to the middle and working classes. This was coupled with a feeling that Louis Philippe and his government were indifferent to the suffering and concerns of the average person. Liberal and even conservative Orleanists like Adolphe Thiers began to turn away from the King due to his growing antipathy towards parliamentarianism and the growing nepotism and corruption among political elites. The liberal conservative politician, diplomat and writer Alexis de Tocqueville would compare he situation to that of a volcano just prior to eruption. In February 1848 the volcano would erupt as liberals, radicals, republicans and disgruntled conservatives took the streets in violent demonstrations.
Sensing the violent mood on the streets, Louis Philippe abdicated in favour of his young grandson Philippe, comte de Paris, and then proceeded to flee into exile out of a fear of ending up like Louis XVI. The National Assembly would initially accept the young Philippe as King, but then declared the Second Republic after public opinion turned strongly against them. By April the nation headed to the polls to elect a new Constituent Assembly. The results of this are interesting as they begin to show a potential backlash among the more moderate and conservative elements in the country who were anxious to avoid the radicalism seen elsewhere on the continent. Moderate Republicans, led by Alphonse de Lamartine and Louis-Eugene Cavaignac won a large majority, yet were faced by a sizable conservative bloc in the form of the Party of Order which brought anti-radical moderate liberals through to reactionary conservatives of all stripes together in their shade distaste of radicalism.
Led by the young moderate conservative Victor Hugo, the party also also boasted de Tocqueville, Thiers and Guizot in its ranks. Proto-socialists in the form of La Montagne (The Mountain) were the smallest of the three blocs, led by Louis Auguste Blanqui, the namesake of the Blanquism revolutionary theory. France now had a shaky moderate republican government and was facing Presidential elections held via popular vote later in the year. How that would turn out amid a slowly growing conservative backlash remained to be seen.
Promising a 'juste milieu' Louis Philippe sought to govern in the national interest cutting out the reactionary right and radical left by creating a political elite of rich bourgeois figures such as bankers & industrialists, in addition to various dissenters during the Bourbon Restoration years, including many former Napoleonic officials and officers. Promoting colonial expansion and strong links with the United Kingdom, the July Monarch appeared to be far more stable than its predecessor, enjoying genuine popular support at first. Over time Louis Philippe's regime would begin to anchor itself towards more conservative elements personified by Francois Guizot, who was a leading figure in the nations' politics during the 1840s.
This was seen within the fact that the franchise was only open to around a third of the nation and landownership was till in the hands of the new elites as opposed to the middle and working classes. This was coupled with a feeling that Louis Philippe and his government were indifferent to the suffering and concerns of the average person. Liberal and even conservative Orleanists like Adolphe Thiers began to turn away from the King due to his growing antipathy towards parliamentarianism and the growing nepotism and corruption among political elites. The liberal conservative politician, diplomat and writer Alexis de Tocqueville would compare he situation to that of a volcano just prior to eruption. In February 1848 the volcano would erupt as liberals, radicals, republicans and disgruntled conservatives took the streets in violent demonstrations.
Sensing the violent mood on the streets, Louis Philippe abdicated in favour of his young grandson Philippe, comte de Paris, and then proceeded to flee into exile out of a fear of ending up like Louis XVI. The National Assembly would initially accept the young Philippe as King, but then declared the Second Republic after public opinion turned strongly against them. By April the nation headed to the polls to elect a new Constituent Assembly. The results of this are interesting as they begin to show a potential backlash among the more moderate and conservative elements in the country who were anxious to avoid the radicalism seen elsewhere on the continent. Moderate Republicans, led by Alphonse de Lamartine and Louis-Eugene Cavaignac won a large majority, yet were faced by a sizable conservative bloc in the form of the Party of Order which brought anti-radical moderate liberals through to reactionary conservatives of all stripes together in their shade distaste of radicalism.
Led by the young moderate conservative Victor Hugo, the party also also boasted de Tocqueville, Thiers and Guizot in its ranks. Proto-socialists in the form of La Montagne (The Mountain) were the smallest of the three blocs, led by Louis Auguste Blanqui, the namesake of the Blanquism revolutionary theory. France now had a shaky moderate republican government and was facing Presidential elections held via popular vote later in the year. How that would turn out amid a slowly growing conservative backlash remained to be seen.
The exact lore for other regions, as well as many details in general, is not set in stone for now, so feel free to contribute to it. Now, time to begin!
