Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/659

 The Revolutions of 1848 and their Results 503 lead of Milan and set up the republic of St. Mark. By this time a great part of Italy was in revolt. Constitutions were granted to Naples, Rome, Tuscany, and Piedmont by their rulers. Charles Albert, the king of Sardinia, was forced by public opinion to as- sume the leadership in the attempt to expel Austria from Italy. 894. Reform Movement in Germany. The king of Prussia determined to take the lead in Germany. He agreed to summon an assembly to draw up a constitution for Prussia. Moreover, a great National Assembly was convoked at Frankfort to draft a constitution for Germany at large. 895. Defeat of the Italians (July, 1848). For the moment Austria's chief danger lay in Italy. The Italians were, however, unable to drive the Austrian army out of Italy. Charles Albert found himself, with the exception of a few volunteers, almost un- supported by the other Italian states, which, for one reason or another, grew indifferent as soon as the war had actually begun. On July 2 5 he was defeated at Custozza and compelled to sign a truce with Austria and withdraw his forces from Lombardy. 896. Conditions in Austria. Meanwhile conditions in Aus- tria began to be favorable to a reestablishment of the emperor's former influence. Each of the various peoples under Austrian rule determined to make itself largely independent, and great was the confusion that ensued. The Czechs 1 and Germans in Bohemia hated one another. The Germans naturally opposed the plan of making Bohemia practically independent of the govern- ment of Vienna, for it was German Vienna to which they were wont to look for protection against the enterprises of their Czech- ish fellow countrymen. An insurrection that broke out among the people of Prague gave General Windischgratz, the commander of the Austrian forces, a sufficient excuse for intervening. He established a military government, and the prospect of independ- ence for Bohemia vanished. This was Austria's first real victory. 897. Insurrection of the Radicals in Vienna Suppressed. In October, 1848, the radical party rose in Vienna, as it had in Paris after the deposition of Louis Philippe. The minister of l The Slavic inhabitants of Bohemia.