In 1848 there was unrest across much of Europe.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1-4] e.g. 'First planned to repress the unrest with the army.'
2. [1-4] 'Recalled the troops.'
3. [1-4] 'Supported German unification.'
4. [1-4] 'Formed a liberal government.'
5. [1-4] 'Called a national assembly.'
6. [1-4] 'Began on a new constitution'.
7. [1-4] 'Ordered the army to reoccupy Berlin.'
8. [1-4] 'Dissolved the assembly.'
9. [4-5] e.g. 'One of the main reasons was Austrian rule. The Austrians controlled much of northern Italy and this foreign rule was very unpopular. There was a permanent Austrian army that was hated and people had to pay the Austrians unpopular taxes and the Austrians even increased these taxes which were then used to finance other parts of the Austrian Empire. This led the people to rise up against the Austrians. This is what happened in Milan.'
10. [2-3] e.g. 'Some Italians wanted a liberal government.'
11. [2-3] 'Italians wanted to get rid of Austrian rule.'
12. [2-3] 'This was because of the reforms introduced by the Pope in Rome.'
13. [2-3] 'The Austrians increased taxes.'
14. [2-3] 'People in Sicily wanted a provisional government that was separate from the government of the mainland.'
15. [2-3] 'There had been crop failure in 1846 and 1847.'
16. [2-3] 'Food prices were high leading to starvation.'
17. [2-3] 'The 'Statuto' issued by Charles Albert in 1847 encouraged people to hope for reform.'
18. [4-6] e.g. 'The revolutions were not important because they all failed. In France military repression was used to put down the revolutions in Paris and Prague. The Austrians were also able to restore their control in Italy and those fighting for Italian unification got nowhere. Everywhere liberal and national demands were lost. Absolute monarchy was re-established in Germany, Austria and Italy, while in France the revolution ended up with a hereditary emperor being established. This was the opposite to the aims of the revolutionaries. The revolutions were not important because their aims were not achieved and everywhere old systems of government were restored.'
19. [4-6] OR e.g. 'The revolutions were very important in terms of the ideas they supported. These ideas are what made the revolutions important. Ideas such as nationalism grew much stronger. In places like Italy they did not go away and an independent and unified Italy was achieved in the following decades. Liberalism and ideas such as freedom of the press and a liberal constitution had emerged and were not killed off for good. Many of the aims of the revolutionaries were achieved by the 1870s. In the long term, the revolutions were important.'
20. [2-3] e.g. 'The revolutions were important because they brought nationalism to the fore and it would not go away.'
21. [2-3] 'In Italy it was seen that Austrian power could be questioned and even defeated.'
22. [2-3] 'In Italy the revolutions stimulated demands for independence and unification.'
23. [2-3] 'In France the monarchy was toppled and the country became a Republic.'
24. [2-3] 'They were important because there were achievements such as all men getting the vote in France.'
25. [2-3] 'In Sardinia the Constitution of March 1848 was kept.'
26. [2-3] 'In Austria feudalism was abolished.'
27. [2-3] 'In France the Republic was defeated and Napoleon became emperor.'
28. [2-3] 'In Hungary the revolution was crushed and Hungary was put under brutal martial law.'
29. [2-3] 'Austria regained its power in Italy.'