Title

1848 Revolution in Madrid

Description

Three documents concerning the uprising in Madrid in March 1848, protesting against the imperfect constitutional regime established in 1845.

The 1848 French Revolution had a major impact across Europe even if some regions (Germany, Italy, the Habsburg Empire) were more affected than others. In Spain, restlessness started to spread from the very moment the news from Paris arrived. Conservative liberals in power immediately feared subversion, violence, and anarchy, and on 27 February they presented a draft bill to suspend habeas corpus. Progressive liberals were divided between those who supported the government and those who shared with the democrats a positive view of the events, which were seen as an inevitable consequence of the practices of a reactionary government. Some republicans even traveled to Paris to ask the Gouvernement provisoire for support. But the mission was unsuccessful. The French capital also witnessed the creation of a Comité démocratique espagnol which apparently sent instructions to revolutionary activists in several Spanish towns. On 13 March, the draft bill to suspend habeas corpus was approved, and a few days later parliamentary sessions were suspended. Revolutionary groups composed of progressive liberals, democrats, and republicans merged for a common conspiracy and planned an insurrection on 26 March. Things did not go as planned, as authorities were aware of the plot and had mobilised the army. Some conspirators decided to abort the plan, but others stuck to it and rushed to the streets. They were easily repressed. Two hundred were killed and there were more than one hundred arrests.

Contributor

Florencia Peyrou

Spatial Coverage

Madrid, Spain

Temporal Coverage

March 1848

Date

1848-03

Subject

conspiracy

exiles

liberalism

popular protest