Memorial Day for the March Revolution of 1848 in Germany

The events in Berlin from March 18, 1848, which went down in history as part of the revolutions of 1848 and 1849, were characterized by intense barricade battles, firefights and hundreds of deaths. Although the uprisings ultimately failed, they made a significant contribution to Germany's subsequent democratic path.

Inspired by the uprising in Paris in February 1848 and the resignation of the French King Louis-Philippe I, citizens of Berlin came together for political meetings from March 6. The population, some of whom were extremely impoverished, was dissatisfied with the repressive policies of Frederick William IV, who had vehemently rejected a liberal constitution the previous year. In view of recent events in France, however, there was now optimism about possible change.

Driven by the hope of more rights and a unified nation state, various social groups in Berlin's Tiergarten formulated demands to the government. These included a free right of assembly, unrestricted freedom of the press and speech, jury courts with independent judges and the establishment of a general German parliament for the 38 states of the German Confederation.