Springtime of Nations

Proper noun

Springtime of Nations

1. (European) A period, sometimes confounded with the Age of Revolution in Europe and/or the pre-March era (Vormärz) specifically in Germany; variously beginning in 1789 (the French Revolution) or (in Germany) either in 1815 (German Confederation) or 1830 (French July Revolution) and leading up to the Revolutions of 1848.

   Synonyms:

   Springtime of the Peoples

2. (European) A period from 1848-49 (Revolutions of 1848) characterised by political upheavals throughout Europe which aimed to replace monarchies with independent nation-states.
   • Literary life in Silesia is portrayed in the period from 1806 (the date of the final annexation of Silesia by Prussia) until 1849 (the end of the Springtime of Nations).1964, book review in Quarterly Review of Scientific Publications, Issues 25-32, Polish Academy of Sciences, page 48
   • But what about the harbinger of the Springtime of Nations; and Karl Marx; and the visions of the brotherhood of mankind?1951, “The Twentieth Century, Volume 150”, in Nineteenth Century and After, Limited, page 20
3. A general term for similar revolutions in recent times; cf. Arab Spring
   • The legacy of the Springtime of Nations in Hungary was double-edged.2002, Anna Szalai, In the Land of Hagar: The Jews of Hungary, Beth Hatefutsoth, page 114
   • For while 1989 was greeted as a magical year by the Western mass public—a new springtime of nations auguring a long-term peace—for policy makers it meant trouble.2008, Mitchell Alexander Orenstein, Stephen R. Bloom, Nicole Lindstrom, Transnational Actors in Central and East European Transitions, University of Pittsburgh Press, page 171