On the Barricades of Berlin: An Account of the 1848 Revolution

Description

The 1848 wave of worker rebellions that swept across Europe struck the German states with the March Revolution. the writer August Brass led the successful defense of the barricades in Berlin's Alexanderplatz public square. Published in English for the first time, On the Barricades of Berlin provides a riveting firsthand account of this uprising. Brass' testimony begins with the tumultuous events leading up to the revolution: the peaceful democratic agitation; the demands that were brought to the king; and the key actors involved on all sides of the still peaceful, yet tense, struggle. It then follows the events that led to the outbreak of resistance to the forces of order and sheds light on the aftermath of the fighting once the exhausted Prussian army withdrew from the city. CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FOREWORD by Peter Light INTRODUCTION by Andreas Weiland On the Barricades of Berlin by August Brass PREFACE PART I: Thunderclouds on the Horizon PART II: March 12-17: The Course is Set PART III: Friday March 17: The Turning Point INTERLUDE: A Personal Moment of Memory and Emotion PART IV: Afternoon, March 18: to the Barricades! PART V: Evening, March 18th: The Second Phase of the Fighting PART VI: Night, March 18-19: The Third Phase of the Fighting PART VII: Morning, March 19: The Red Dawn of Freedom PART VIII: March 19: Peace! Peace! PART IX: Morning, March 20: Liberation of the Polish Prisoners PART X: March 21: The King Rides the Streets PART XI: March 22: The Funeral PART XII: Closing Words of Wisdom and Inspiration The March Revolution: A Botched Revolution? by Andreas Weiland EPILOGUE by Andreas Weiland LAST WORDS by Peter Light