Hello and welcome to a History of Europe Key Battles podcast.

This is the fourth and final part on the revolutions of the year 1848.

This is the fourth. 48. The The In the first months of 1848, a tidal wave of revolution shook the political establishment of Europe to its foundations.

A series of rulers abdicated and fled, or others were

forced against their well to give up large parts of their power to the turbulent masses.

The situation was out of control, with the revolutionaries falling out among themselves.

Moderate liberals favoured gradual reform,

such as greater strength given to constitutional assemblies,

so as to ensure stability and to avoid loss of their own privileges.

The radical Democrats, however,

impatiently demanded immediate and dramatic change, and the two sides were often incompatible. At the same time, the various nationalists argued among themselves,

where could one draw borders on a continent where populations were so intermingled.

Nowhere was this question more complex than in Germany, where there was much debate about to what extent the Common Assembly in Frankfurt should be strengthened.

Should there be a unified nation or more of a confederation, or where should its borders lie? And the other big question was how far Austria could be included?

The revolutionaries in Vienna fully expected to be part of a united Germany,

yet from the Hussberg's point of view, if Austria joined, then how would the rest of the monarchy's

people fit in, and also how to resolve the rivalry between Vienna and Berlin for influence

in any pan-German organisation?

Some of these issues were involved in events on the German Danish border.

Here the Duchy of Schleswig, with a Danish-speaking majority, had been joined to the German Duchy of Holstein, within the German Confederation.

By chance, the absolutus King Christian the 8th died in January 1848.

His successor, Frederick 7th, was in no position to reject moderate liberal demands for a constitution.

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