The General Levy in 1848

Abstract

There are a lot of prejudices associated with the general levy in the autumn of 1848. According to some authors, this was a revolutionary warfare, while others said it was irresponsible to call untrained masses to arms. Important successes, such as the liberation of Székesfehérvár and Nagykanizsa, or the triumph of Ozora, were indeed linked to the popular uprising. But we can also speak of serious failures, such as the Battle of Schwechat. The study tries to define the concept of general levy based on contemporary regulations. According to the author, the general levy is the full mobilization of the national guard, possibly supplemented by other weapon-rotating elements. It also attempts to identify the possibilities and limitations of the applicability of the general levy.