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 In 1848 liberal and nationalist ideologies sparked revolutions across Europe. In late February, the proclamation of the revolutionary Second Republic in France shook conservative Austria. Popular expectations of war caused a financial panic in the Habsburg Empire that worked to the advantage of the revolutionaries. By early March, events throughout the empire were accelerating faster than the government could control them.
In Vienna, a peaceful demonstration on March 13, 1848, turned violent;
suburban uprisings occurred, and the Austrian government became so
frightened that the archconservative foreign minister
Klemens Metternich (1773-1859) was dismissed by the emperor and then fled to
England. On March 15, 1848, to quiet agitation, Emperor Ferdinand
(1793-1875) promised a liberal constitution, allowed freedom of the press,
and set up a council of ministers. But promises and accomplishments were
far apart. Three constitutions were prepared: the first, the Pillersdorf
Constitution, was ready by April 8, 1848. The Pillersdorf document
envisioned a constitutional monarchy and extended suffrage to all
citizens. But the emperor's prime minister attempted to foil it by
dissolving the Reichstag and arresting reformers. Public outcry, but no
violence, compelled the legislature to reassemble, and the document was
published on April 25, 1848. Then the reform process stalled because the
government was buys in other Austrian territories.
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