The main cause of 1848 Revolutions was the severe harvest failure during mid-1840s. Drought, bad harvests and a potato blight through out Europe had caused food shortages, the price rising was resulted. Riots by peasants began in February and March of 1846, a group of Polish peasants had a minor skirmish with the noble class. Nearly 1500 noble man were killed. From then on, small riots erupted all over Europe. Finally in February 1848, students and middle class liberals demonstrated in the Paris after the government banned one of many banquets hold by supporters of democratic reform. This directly led to the formation of the second republic after King Louis Philippe fled to England. The French revolution began. This was the starting point of the 1848 Revolutions, because at that time, France was the most important country in Europe. Before the 1840s, France was in its eGolden Age; the other European countries had always followed French ideas, even after the 1848 Revolutions until the year 1870. Paris, as the French capital, of cause had the greatest influence to the whole Europe. The success of February Revolution certainly encouraged other countries. Soon after, revolutions broke out all over Spain, Italy, Germany, the Austrian Empire and many other places. The French Revolution has spread out the idea of liberalism.
The 1848 Revolutions were based on the idea of liberalism and Nationalism. Either independence of their country or freedom of individuals became focused. The news of the rising in Paris reached outside France after a few days. When the German got the news, the up rising in Germany has erupted. People in Germany has already suffered from harvest failures, economic depression and unliberal government, the French Revolution encouraged them to speak up their own opinion, revolutions broke out in Rhineland on March 3rd, then in Berlin. Same situation happened in the Austrian Empire, in the city of Vienna, an initial revolt in the Empire broke out by students and workers.
