Life in the Revolutionary Era Between 1830 and 1848 crowds stormed public areas to force political change in many parts of Europe. In this dramatic scene from the revolutions of 1830, rioters in Brussels demand Belgian national independence from the Netherlands. At the top right, a patriot clutches the Belgian tricolor flag while another brandishes a list of revolutionary demands; at the center, a youth has died in the fight for the nation, inspiring fellow citizens to join the cause.
(By Gustave Wappers [1803–1874], [oil on canvas]/Musée Royaux des Beaux-