1848

Born on this day in 1805, Auguste Blanqui devoted his life to the dream of revolution “The Republic means the emancipation of the workers, it’s the end of the reign of exploitation, it’s the coming of a new order that will free labour from the tyranny of capital.” When did the end?

Everyone's heard of the French Revolution - but did you know there was more than one? Revolutions don’t usually begin with dinner parties. By 1848, France had been the European champion of revolutionary politics for half a century.

170 years ago today, on Kennington Common in Lambeth, South London (now known as Kennington Park), 25,000 '' met to make their demands for democratic reforms including universal suffrage.