<p>The revolutionary movements of 1848 viewed the political cataclysms of continental Europe as an explosion of liberty, a new age of freedom and equality. Over 150 years later, many problems raised by the revolutionaries of 1848, such as the extension of democracy and the rights of labour, remain vital and unresolved questions of political life. This collection of essays explores the relation of democratic and socialist currents in 1848, reassess their relevance in terms of the current era of global economic liberalism and identifies those parts of the revolutionary legacy yet unclaimed.