What role did “isms” play in the revolutions of 1848? The ideologies that emerged in nineteenth-century Europe played a significant role in the revolutions and citizen uprisings of 1848. Philosophies and ideas (“isms”), most of which were political or economical, spread among the citizens of European nations. Much of the population was dissatisfied with their current governmental or socioeconomic situation, especially due to the changes made by Napoleon and the Industrial Revolution. The new ideologies inspired and empowered them to attempt to fix things, leading to the revolutions that European nations faced in 1848.