[The
above video is mostly a reading of the text below, with an occasional aside
thrown in for good measure as they strike me as relevant. I
welcome questions, comments, or concerns about the material contained in this
video.]
This is what you might call a “general interest” history of the events that occurred in Europe in 1848. What started in Sicily quickly spread all over Europe: to France, Germany, Austria, the Italian states, Demark, Wallachia, Poland, and several other places. While almost no structural or political change actually took place as a result of these revolutions and therefore they are usually considered somewhat of a failure, it is often thought to be the historical location of the birth pangs of several European nationalisms.
And while some of the first European nationalists might be located here, they also may have been responsible for tearing the revolutions apart along ethnic and cultural lines, as Rapport also discusses. Revolutionaries had to build functional constitutions, often in the faces of monarchs who couldn’t be bothered with them, and avoid radical sectarianism – all in the name of getting something accomplished politically. Unfortunately because of all the countries and people that were involved, the book at times can seem like a rush to mention all of the important conflicts, places, and dates. Because the revolutionary dynamic is largely similar any place that Rapport is discussing, the conflicts run together. I also set this down several times for a few weeks on end, which couldn’t have helped with the reading comprehension and keeping things straight narratively.
Rapport writes well enough, but he doesn’t really make it easy, or overly readable, or enjoyable, like he perhaps could have. To be honest, the book is hay-dry. I was going to say that the information was “well-presented,” but I don’t even know what that means in a book of history if it’s not engaging and reader-friendly. Unfortunately, as much as I learned, it’s neither one of those things. But I’ve always been one of those people that can’t just put a book down, even if I don’t like it at all. I really should try to fix that.
If anyone knows a better recounting of the 1848 revolutions, please feel free to share.
And while some of the first European nationalists might be located here, they also may have been responsible for tearing the revolutions apart along ethnic and cultural lines, as Rapport also discusses. Revolutionaries had to build functional constitutions, often in the faces of monarchs who couldn’t be bothered with them, and avoid radical sectarianism – all in the name of getting something accomplished politically. Unfortunately because of all the countries and people that were involved, the book at times can seem like a rush to mention all of the important conflicts, places, and dates. Because the revolutionary dynamic is largely similar any place that Rapport is discussing, the conflicts run together. I also set this down several times for a few weeks on end, which couldn’t have helped with the reading comprehension and keeping things straight narratively.
Rapport writes well enough, but he doesn’t really make it easy, or overly readable, or enjoyable, like he perhaps could have. To be honest, the book is hay-dry. I was going to say that the information was “well-presented,” but I don’t even know what that means in a book of history if it’s not engaging and reader-friendly. Unfortunately, as much as I learned, it’s neither one of those things. But I’ve always been one of those people that can’t just put a book down, even if I don’t like it at all. I really should try to fix that.
If anyone knows a better recounting of the 1848 revolutions, please feel free to share.
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