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55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Long Shadow of 1848!, November 19, 2008
Having just read Jonathan Keates excellent The Siege of Venice, and while presently half way through Jasper Ridley's Garibaldi, I was tempted by 1848 when it appeared at my local bookshop; so, putting aside Garibaldi, I plunged headlong into Mike Rapport's brilliant narrative, emerging the richer for the experience.
The subject matter for 1848 is wide ranging and complex in the extreme but Mike Rapport gives us a highly readable, cohesive narrative that bristles with all the hopes and disappointments of the time.
We are given cameo appearances of some of the main personalities involved: Alexander Herzen, Karl Marx, Kossuth, Mazzini, Garibaldi, Bismarck and Napolean III, who has all the odiousness of a modern day politicain; comfortably voted into power, the author makes a fine point in reminding us of his act of perjury. There are others of course, all contributing to this lively narrative.
Despite pre-1848 social unrest and revolutionary tremors, 1848 was a phenomenon in itself where a population explosion coupled with food shortages impelled the peasantry and working class to merge spontaneously with a liberal middle class, whose agenda was directed at a broadening of the constitution and male suffrage, and freedom of the press and opinion within a congenial atmosphere for reform. This drag net of unrest cut across many social groups where the working class were just one segment. Interestingly, Karl Marx appeared intransigent even then, attempting to radicalise this surge by insisting on a class war of workers against the status quo and almost ignoring or holding in contempt the diversity of the groups involved. This endemic lack of flexibility in Marx and others would soon become general, ultimately, along with an inherent fear of anarchy, undermining the initial homogeneity of the revolution, setting radicals and republicans against liberals and moderates, while the peasantry would split off and join the landed conservatives with their new found emancipation. Finally, with attitudes hardening as national aspirations rose, the reactionary regimes, sensing the divide between radicals and moderates (compounded in central and eastern Europe by ethnic divisions), drove the wedge home with the military arm still under their control.
This could be seen as a very broad outline but it is subject to contradictions and variations according to the different European regions that fall under the sweep of the narrative. Mike does a thrilling job at keeping the various epicentres of the revolution on the boil simultaneously; as we crisply make our way through the book, the various strands continue to be gathered together. The Conclusion is masterful, balancing despair with hope and contrasting the verdicts of history with the telescopic lens of the fall of communism in 1989; the lessons of 1848 are relevant to the 21st century also and should never be forgotten.
Based primarily on secondary sources (but what a selection: Frank Eyck, Jonathan Keates etc!), I'd never heard of Mike Rapport until this timely publication reached the shelves and I'm sure I will be one of many who will look forward to his next work.
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31 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Proving once again that academics rarely make for good narrative history writers, September 23, 2009
This review is from: 1848: Year of Revolution (Hardcover)
I had so much hope for this book. And perhaps it really is everything the other reviews claim, but for someone coming to the book with only a general knowledge of European events mid-19th century, it was difficult to keep everything straight.
That means, in the end, that I don't feel like I learned much.
I consider this a great failure on the part of a book that seems dedicated to providing a basic summary of the events of 1848 to an (albeit educated) popular audience.
The narrative suffered greatly in approaching the pan-European revolutions chronologically, rather than by geographical area. By jumping to a different country every 20 pages--and therefore entirely different circumstances, with different key players and problems to overcome--facts get muddled if you aren't already familiar with them. Blame me for not knowing much about Mazzini before coming to this book (I am again assuming this is for an educated popular audience), but when I haven't been reading about him for 70 pages and then he suddenly makes another appearance I don't much remember who he is. Mazzini? What? Manin? Hm? I don't know.
Rapport also packs his sentences with numerous pieces of vital information, a trait of academic writing but fatal in narrative history. Each sentence carries an average of three different points, it seems, which makes the going slow and difficult.
Turning to a random page: "His [Jelacic's] dizzying rise began in the summer when Batthyany, well aware of Hungary's shortage of munititions, ordered him to buy ammunition from abroad and to learn how percussion caps were made--a skill which, ironically, he duly studied at the imperial fireworks factory in Wiener-Neustadt" (p. 313).
Let's play a game. How many pieces of information are communicated in that one sentence? How many contribute to understanding the situation at hand? How many lead you to further questions?
To be fair, sometimes Rapport's needless additional information can be very entertaining, and a breath of fresh air from the difficult narrative at hand. His introduction of Ferdinand: "Since 1835 the Emperor had been the mentally disabled Ferdinand (in one famous outburst, he yelled at his courtiers, 'I am the Emperor and I want dumplings!'). He was loved by his subjects, who affectionately referred to him as 'Ferdy the Loony'... (p. 8)
And, of course, Rapport's greatest weakness is also his greatest strength. He is comprehensive and exhaustive to a fault, but his writing also makes you feel that you're not missing out on any of the important events even in a general summary narrative like this one.
In sum, I wish I could give the book more stars. But I just didn't take that much from it. I was generally entertained, and learned some of the overarching themes of the time (revolutions affected each other, longterm beneficial consequence was the end of serfdom, etc.). But not much more. And therefore I cannot bring myself to say that it is worth the time committment.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Concise History of a Pivotal Moment in European History, May 13, 2009
This review is from: 1848: Year of Revolution (Hardcover)
1848 marks the beginning of general revolution in Europe, the first crack in von Metternich's reactionary order, the greatest upheaval since the French revolution in 1792. The revolutions of 1848 are even more remarkable than their predecessor in that they were so widespread and multiple, with uprisings in Western, Central, and Eastern Europe.
Due to its ubiquitious nature, a major event like 1848 poses special problems for any historian wishing to provide an account for the general public. Mike Rapport rises admirably to the task, however. His new book is a concise, readable summarization of the events of that fateful year, from the glorious spring and summer that raised such high hopes for the cause of revolution and reform, to the gathering of the counter-revolutionary forces that slowly crushed resistance everywhere in the grim days of autumn.
Rapport gives a good general view of the factors that led to revolution in 1848. At that point, Europe had been held in check for over 30 years by repressive, reactionary regimes,all cobbled together by von Metternich at the Treaty of Berlin of 1815 in a careful balance of power enforced by the great powers: Great Britain, Russia, Prussia, France, and Austria. Despite the old's order's best efforts, long repressed grievances and issues came to a boil in 1848. These varied from peasants seeking an end to serfdom and feudal duties, to liberals who wanted sensible reform, to radicals who wanted a republic instead of a monarch, to (very importantly)nationalists who wanted their own country. For various reasons, reactionary pigheadedness large among them, the old order either could not or would not address these issues.
Rapport succinctly tells how these factors led to insurrection. Crucial moments in a year filled with high drama are vividly depicted: the abdication of Louis-Phillipe, the last king of France,the fall of von Metternich, the wars that raged up and down Italy with heroes like Garibaldi, and the sad end of the revolutions when so many men died in a vain effort to hold onto their newfound gains. In this respect, the execution of Hungarian officers by the Austrians at the end of the rebellion stands out as particularly tragic and cruel.
Rapport concludes on a basically upward note, pointing out that while the revolutions of 1848 generally ended in military defeat for their supporters, many aspects of the changes sought by the revolutionaries (such as constitutional government) came about as a result. He also notes that 1848 can be interpreted as marking a turning point in the general evolution in Europe away from centuries of absolutist government and war to parliamentary democracy and general stability. I agree with him that the general state of European affairs is considerably more stable and democratic than during most of its previous history. Given the current dismal state of the world's economy and the possibility of other stresses (environmental, energy, etc.), I can only hope it stays that way.
I recommend this book to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of 1848 and its significance in European history.
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