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1848

Year of Revolution

1848 Open the full-size image

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By Mike Rapport

Formats and Prices

On Sale
Oct 19, 2010
Page Count
496 pages
Publisher
Basic Books
ISBN-13
9780465020676

Price

$22.99

Price

$28.99 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Trade Paperback $22.99 $28.99 CAD
  2. ebook $13.99 $17.99 CAD

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A “lively, panoramic” history of a revolutionary year (New York Times)

In 1848, a violent storm of revolutions ripped through Europe. The torrent all but swept away the conservative order that had kept peace on the continent since Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1815—but which in many countries had also suppressed dreams of national freedom. Political events so dramatic had not been seen in Europe since the French Revolution, and they would not be witnessed again until 1989, with the revolutions in Eastern and Central Europe.

In 1848, historian Mike Rapport examines the roots of the ferment and then, with breathtaking pace, chronicles the explosive spread of violence across Europe. A vivid narrative of a complex chain of interconnected revolutions, 1848 tells the exhilarating story of Europe’s violent “Spring of Nations” and traces its reverberations to the present day.

Genre:

  • "A lively, panoramic new history ... a good yarn, with a keen eye for ground-level details."
    New York Times
  • "A fully nuanced portrait of a tumultuous year."
    Wall Street Journal
  • "Absorbing.... Rapport writes with vigor and has a good ear for memorable details.... Anyone wishing a vivid account of a crucial period in European history can spend many hours engrossed in this book."
    Seattle Times
  • "A lucid analysis.... Rapport not only makes space for excellent character portraits, he also covers the social and military history of the urban upheavals and the military campaigns.... Full of quirky and interesting incidents."
    American Conservative
  • "Make Rapport is one of the few scholars who write European history not as the history of a few select countries, but of the entire continent.... A brilliant book.... Overall, I do not think a better account of the revolutions could have been written in the space available."
    H-Net
  • "Those who want a readable, informed and vibrant account of a crucial time in European history should look no further than this admirable volume."
    Independent Weekly
  • "A nuanced look at a time when Europe was struggling to resolve the contradiction between the changed promised by Enlightenment philosophy and the new economic realities grought about by the industrial revolution."
    Books & Culture
  • "Highly recommended."
    Choice
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    Literary Review (London)
  • "Cleverly and sensitively chronicled, this is a pacy, learned history that makes sense of an extraordinary year."
    Observer (London)
  • "Rapport's vivid tour d'horizon reminds us of the dramatic birth-pangs associated with the arrival of modernity...an absorbing account of a phenomenon that seeded two world wars."
    Independent (London)
  • "Mike Rapport picks a judicious and vividly presented path through a complex year and skilfully juggles political thought and popular experience."
    Daily Telegraph (London)
  • "Across Europe an unprecedented wave of revolutions toppled old orders from Krakow to Paris. This lively history gives an impressive overview and examines how those insurrections shape modern Europe."
    Scotland on Sunday (Edinburgh)
  • "Clearly assembled an well paced, an excellent introduction to the period."
    The Age (Melbourne)
  • "Rapport brings to this story a fine sense of the dramatic—he has a keen eye for unfolding drama—while being able to see the events as part of a larger pattern." 
    Sydney Morning Herald
  • "In this account of a turbulent year in which most European thrones were shaken or toppled, Rapport smoothly elides drama of battles on the barricades with perspective on the causes and consequences.... Striking an excellent balance between narrative and explanation, Rapport will engage the history audience."
    Booklist
  • "Skillfully unravels a complex series of cataclysmic events that swept over Europe in 1848, forever changing the lives of millions.... Rapport mixes his lucid narrative with astute analysis.... A worthy and affordable addition to any modern European history collection."
    Library Journal
  • "Links the revolutions of 1848 with the seismic changes of 1989, suggests convincingly that the 19th-century upheavals fueled both a greater tolerance of European liberalism and the sense of grievance that would eventually produce two world wars.... Authoritative."
    Kirkus

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Mike Rapport

About the Author

Mike Rapport is a professor of history at the University of Glasgow in Scotland and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. The author of 1848: Year of Revolution, The Napoleonic Wars, and The Unruly City: Paris, London and New York in the Age of Revolution, Rapport lives in Stirling, Scotland.

Learn more about this author