622 Ch. 16 • The Revolutions of 1848
News from Paris encouraged liberals and radicals in the imperial Habs
burg capital of Vienna. On March 13, 1848, crowds composed largely of
students and artisans demanded reform. Troops opened fire, killing several
demonstrators, by now a familiar scenario. Klemens von Metternich, the
seventy-five-year-old Austrian premier, was not optimistic: “I am not a
prophet and I do not know what will happen, but 1 am an old physician and
can distinguish between temporary and fatal diseases. We now face one of
the latter.” The Imperial Council advised Ferdinand to sacrifice Metternich.
The guiding light and symbol of the post-revolutionary restoration left
Vienna in a rented carriage, beginning his journey to the safety of London
amid the spectacle of joyous crowds parading through the streets in tri
umph. The crown capitulated to protesters’ demands and authorized the for
mation of a National Guard, with a separate battalion (the Academic
Legion) for Vienna’s students. Workshops, similar to those in Paris, provided
many workers with temporary employment.
The emperor then announced several important political concessions,
including freedom of the press and the expansion in the narrow electorate
for the Diet. Ferdinand hurriedly granted constitutions to Austria, Moravia,
and Galicia, adding lower houses to the Diets that were to be elected indi
rectly by men wealthy enough to pay taxes. When demonstrators protested
these requirements, the crown reversed itself, creating a single house of par
liament to be elected by universal male suffrage in each province. In the
elected Austrian parliament, the monarchy’s ethnic minorities combined
would outnumber German speakers.