Materials

• Internet (or print) access to resources on the Revolutions of 1848
• Instructions for setting up an interactive notebook

Instructional Activities

NOTE: The following Web resource may be helpful in teaching this session:

• Encyclopedia of 1848 Revolutions. <http://www.ohiou.edu/~Chastain/contents.htm>.

1. Explain to the students the reasons for the rise in nationalism in the 1800s in Europe. Reasons may include the following:
   • Pride
   • Economic competition
   • Democratic ideals
   • Certain writers, such as Goethe
   
   
2. Instruct students to make a list of things that would cause them to have feelings of nationalism.
   
   
3. Explain to the students how the agreements at the Congress of Vienna stirred nationalistic feelings and discontent. Points may include the following:
   • The agreements conflicted with rising feelings of democracy.
   • Different ethnic groups were spread throughout several countries (e.g., Slavs could be found in Germany, Austria, Russia, and Italy).
   • The agreements did not appeal to supporters of the rising liberalism among the middle class, college students, and factory workers.
   
   
4. Discuss with the students the various revolts against the Congress of Vienna, such as the Revolutions of 1848. For further information on the topic, go to any Internet browser and type in “Revolutions of 1848.”
   
   
5. Explain how Great Britain was able to avoid the events on the continent in the early to mid-1800s. Information should include the following:
   • Britain was no longer an absolute monarchy
   • Britain already had begun some reforms, such as abolishing slavery and expanding political reforms (e.g., the Reform Bill of 1832, which expanded the electorate).
   
   
6. Ask students to make a chart comparing Britain and France in the period between 1815 and 1848. This could become part of an interactive notebook students may be required to keep.