The revolutions of 1848 in France and Prussia came about due to similar political, economic and social factors. However the nature and reason behind them differed in one particular area.
Whilst Prussia was suffering an economic slump and several poor harvests the impetus for revolution came form a desire for universal political freedom, along the same lines and scale as the French revolution of 1789, and crucially the wish to solve the question of a unified Germany. In the case of the French the economic situation had become even more unbearable, with tens of thousands relying upon poor relief even in times of relative economic prosperity. And whilst there was an overriding dissatisfaction with the regime, similar to the political climate in Prussia, the French people were challenging the form and composition of the government, not the very composition and integrity of their country as was the case in Prussia.
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