In 1848, a wave of revolutions engulfed the continent of Europe, apparently signalling the death knell of a string of despotic regimes and heralding the arrival of a new dawn of freedom and liberty. Events didn't quite play out that way in the end as the revolutionary movements ran out of steam and the old order made a comeback in many states. Now in 2011 a string of popular uprisings have spread like wild fire across North Africa and the Middle East triggering the collapse of a series of authoritarian regimes.Will these revolts follow the same course as in 1848? Will they bring about long lasting changes in the area? Or will the revolutions fail to realise their objectives? How far can we draw parallels between these two periods? Here are a series of links to articles comparing 1848 and 2011.
2. The Breaking Time
3. Mondediplo
4. History for Everyone
5. Common Dreams
Also have a look at the excellent BBC microsite on the Middle East revolts
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