
Many historians have stated that the revolutions of 1830 and 1848 were failures, and to an extent, they are right. Most of the revolutions of the time had mixed results, which meant that some of the goals the revolutionaries laid out were met, but others were left unfulfilled or were denied completely. This can be shown in the French revolution of 1830 in which the liberal and radical citizens of France were unhappy with the current monarch, Charles the tenth. The difference being that the liberals wanted to just implement a constitutional monarchy in place of the current system of monarchy, whilst the radicals wanted to completely get rid of the monarchy all together. This culminated in an outcome that could be interpreted as either a success or failure because the liberals gained the constitutional monarchy they desired, but the radicals failed to oust the monarchy all together. There were also some revolutions that were perceived as successes at first, but the conditions that the revolutionaries fought for were revoked soon after gaining them. An example of a revolution that had an outcome similar to this was the polish revolution of 1830. This revolution was headed by a group of nationalist poles who wanted Poland to become independent from Russia, who currently controlled Poland. They also wanted to implement a resounding nationalist ideal throughout the nation. Although the polish were able to gain independence from Russia for a short time, Russia was able to regain control of the country shortly after Independence was gained, re implementing the same laws that the polish wanted to escape. This outcome is most likely why the revolution was branded a failure, although success was achieved for a short time. Finally, there were some revolutions that were legitimate failures because none of the goals that the revolutionaries set were ever met. An example that meets these conditions would be the Decembrist revolt of 1825. This revolution was poorly timed and poorly executed, lead by a small group of liberal military officers who wanted to unseat the current tsar and demand a constitution. The revolution was ended as abruptly as it began, with the revolutionaries being ripped to shreds by canon fire. Conditions for the citizens also grew worse after the revolution, which much harsher punishments being handed down to anyone who opposed the tsar. This was the true definition of a complete failure. Although few revolutions of the time actually completely achieved their goals, they should not be branded as complete failures because many of the revolutions were able to bring about change in the governments they rebelled against.
decembrist revolt video link: http://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/decembrist-revolt-of-1825/13391064/?s=qz3Oh7&ref=app
No comments:
Post a Comment