1848 marks the year when Europeans across the continent revolted against their autocratic rulers in favor of democracy and its benefits. Sometimes called the "Spring of Peoples", this rebellion began in February in Paris against the monarchy of King Louis-Philippe, and soon Metternich's famous phrase "when France sneezes, all of Europe catches a cold" ("L 'Europe In Retrospect' 1) rang true as the revolutionary spirit swept across Europe. Liberal revolutionaries marched united through the streets with a list of demands addressed to their leaders. Little had changed before the rulers easily crushed these revolutionaries and the conservatives regained their authority in Europe, making 1848 the "turning point in modern history that modern history has failed to reverse." . (“Rev. of 1848” 7). Essentially a failure, this would not be the last time Europe experienced massive change under an autocracy. More than 150 years later, the same revolutionary spirit that swept Europe was manifested again in 2010 throughout the Middle East. In Tunisia, with the self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi in December 2010 to protest against corruption and police mistreatment (Fahim 1), it was the event that triggered major upheavals in the South African region. North and South-West Asia. The protests “united disgruntled citizens.” across political, economic, social, and religious divides in opposition to their autocratic governments” (“Arab Spring Uprisings” 1), and actually pushed some leaders to abandon their aging dictatorships or abandon their promises of reform. The principles of European revolts were the same as those of the modern Arab world. Although arising in different periods and leading to completely different results, economics...... middle of document ......96. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Internet. March 27, 2014. Öztürkler, Harun. “Economic factors behind the Arab Spring, challenges and opportunities.” Zaman today. Np, February 10, 2013. Web. March 27, 2014. “The revolutions of 1848 (1848). » SparkNotes. SparkNotes and Web. March 20, 2014. “Europe in Retropsect: international order and internal conflicts. » Europe in Retropsect: international order and internal conflicts. NP, 2000. Web. March 28, 2014. Fahim, Kareem. “A slap to a man’s pride sparked an uproar in Tunisia.” The New York Times. The New York Times, January 21, 2011. Web. March 20, 2014. Freeman, Robert. “2011 is 1848 Redux. But worse.” Common dreams. Np, March 6, 2011. Web. March 28, 2014. Friedman, Thomas L. “The Other Arab Spring.” The New York Times. The New York Times, April 7, 2012. Web. March 23, 2014. “Profile: Hosni Mubarak.” BBC News. BBC, August 22, 2013. Web. March 26. 2014.