Abstract
The article discusses the ways in which the Young Hegelians, a group of intellectuals who adhered to the teachings of German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, understood the philosophical meaning of history and past events. These notions are contrasted with those of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, who saw life and history as meaningless. The effects of the failed European revolutions of 1848 on these divergent theories on historical meaning are central to the article. In this sense, the author is concerned with differing notions of the teleological movement of history towards social regeneration.