Not a single historical event can be considered without indicating the context of the era. So the revolution in France of 1848-1849 is inextricably linked with the events that determined the mood of the 19th century.
19th century somersaults
Until the end of the 18th century, the country remained an absolute monarchy, symbolized by the Bourbon dynasty. However, the revolution in France in 1789 caused the fall of the usual political system and the execution of King Louis XVI. In 1792, the country was declared a republic.
But the first democratic experience was unsuccessful. The fall of the monarchy caused the rest of Europe to unite against the First Republic. Society consolidated around the charismatic figure of Napoleon Bonaparte, who declared himself emperor in 1804. His expansion into Europe ended in failure. Defeats in Russia, as well as at Leipzig and Waterloo put an end to this adventure. Bonaparte was exiled to Saint Helena, and the Bourbon Restoration (1814-1830) began in his country.
The reactionary policy of the government and its attempts to return the old order forced the bourgeois part of societyrebel. The July Revolution in France in 1830 overthrew the unpopular Charles X and brought his distant cousin Louis Philippe to the throne. Riots in Paris reverberated throughout Europe and led to unrest in Germany and Poland.
All of the above events were links in the same chain and reflected the difficult evolution of the country's society. In this sense, the revolution in France in 1848 is no exception. It only continued the irreversible process that took place in the 19th century.
Oppression of the bourgeoisie
All the miscalculations of Louis Philippe on the throne were of a similar nature. The "king-bourgeois", who came to power on the wave of liberal sentiments in society, over time, more and more departed from the policy that was expected of him. This is the reason for the revolution in France.
Painful remained the situation with suffrage, which has been fought since the fall of the Bastille. Despite the fact that the number of people with this privilege was growing, their number did not exceed 1% of the total population of the country. In addition, a qualification was introduced, according to which the equivalence of votes was canceled. Now the importance of the voter was determined in relation to his income and the payment of taxes to the treasury. Such an order extremely weakened the position of the petty bourgeoisie, who had lost the opportunity to defend their interests in parliament, and deprived people of the hope that the July revolution in France had brought.
One of the characteristic acts of the monarch in foreign policy was joining the Holy Alliance, which included Russia, Prussia and Austria-Hungary. All these states were absolute monarchies, and their alliance lobbied for the interests of the nobility, eager for power.
Corruption of the July Monarchy
The state legislature itself was to remain independent of the crown. However, in practice this principle was constantly violated. The monarch promoted his supporters to deputies and ministers. One of the brightest characters of this spill was Francois Guizot. He became Minister of the Interior and later Head of Government and actively defended the interests of the King in the main body of government.
Guizot outlawed the Republicans, who were considered the main threat to the regime. In addition, the protege of Louis-Philippe supported entrepreneurs loyal to the authorities, entrusted them with large state orders (for example, for the construction of railways). The patronage of power to “their own” and blatant corruption are important reasons for the revolution in France.
Such a policy had a negative impact on the lives of the proletarians, who were virtually deprived of the opportunity to appeal to the head of state. The populism of the monarch in the early years dulled the contradictions with the lower strata of the population, but by the end of his reign, he was no longer loved. In particular, the press gave him the unflattering nickname of the “Pear King” (the crowned bearer grew fatter over the years).
Reformist banquets
The revolution in France owes its immediate start to the decree of Francois Guizot, which banned the next meeting of the opposition. Meetings of freethinkers of that time took the form of banquets, which became one of the symbols of the era. Since there were restrictions in the country,regarding freedom of assembly, supporters of electoral reform gathered at the festive tables. Such reformist banquets took on a mass character, and the ban on one of them stirred up the entire metropolitan society. The government also made a mistake by threatening to use force in case of disobedience.
On the day of the forbidden banquet (February 22, 1848), thousands of Parisians stood on the barricades on the streets of the city. Guizot's attempt to disperse the demonstrators with the help of the National Guard failed: the troops refused to shoot people, and some officers even went over to the side of the protesters.
Resignations and abdications
This turn of events forced Louis Philippe to accept the government's resignation the very next day, February 23rd. It was decided that Guizot would bring together new ministers from among the supporters of the reforms. It seemed that a compromise had been found between the government and society. However, that same evening, a tragic incident occurred. The guard guarding the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs shot the crowd of people.
The killings have changed the slogans. Now Louis-Philippe was required to abdicate. Not wanting to tempt fate, on February 24 the monarch abdicated. By last decree, he declared his grandson to be his heir. The rebels did not want to see another king on the throne and the next day they broke into the Chamber of Deputies, where a decision was made on the succession of power. It was immediately decided to declare the country a republic. The revolution in France has won.
Reforms
In its first days, the interim government had to resolve the conflict with society. The main demand of the rebels was the introduction of universal suffrage. The deputies decided to give the right to vote to the entire male population of the country who has reached the age of 21. This reform was a real step into the future. No state in the world could boast of such freedom.
At the same time, the proletariat demanded affordable and well-paid jobs. For this, national workshops were created, in which everyone could get a vacancy. The initial pay of 2 francs a day suited the workers, but the cost of the workshops proved beyond the government's means. By the summer, subsidies were reduced, and later the innovation was canceled altogether. Instead of workshops, the unemployed were offered to join the army or boost the provincial economy.
Riots began immediately. Paris is again covered with barricades. The government ceased to control the situation and decided to send troops to the capital. It became clear that the revolution in France was not yet over, and its relapse would be very painful. The suppression of the workers' uprising, led by General Cavaignac, resulted in several thousand victims. Blood on the streets of Paris forced the country's leadership to stop the reforms for a while.
Election of 1848
Despite the summer events, the presidential elections were still to be held. The vote took place on December 10, and according to its results, Louis Napoleon won an unexpected victory with 75% support.
Figurethe nephew of the legendary emperor enjoyed the sympathy of society. Even during the reign of Louis Philippe, a former emigrant tried to seize power in the country. In 1840 he landed at Boulogne; on his side were many officers of the garrison. However, the failed usurper was arrested by the local regiment and put on trial.
Contrary to the prevailing strict attitude towards all kinds of revolutionaries, Louis Napoleon received only a life sentence in prison. At the same time, he was not limited in rights: he freely wrote and published articles, received visitors.
The position of a prisoner of the regime allowed him to enlist support after the overthrow of the monarchy. Most of the votes cast for him belonged to commoners and workers, among whom the name of Napoleon enjoyed universal respect and memories of the times of the empire.
| The French Revolution | 1789 - 1792 |
| French First Republic | 1792 - 1804 |
| The First French Empire | 1804 - 1814 |
| Bourbon Restoration | 1814 - 1830 |
| July Monarchy | 1830 - 1848 |
| Second Republic | 1848 - 1852 |
| Second Empire | 1852 - 1871 |
Influence on Europe
Europe could not stay away from the trends that brought another revolution in France. First of all, discontent spread to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where there was not only a crisis of the political system, but alsothere was tension between the numerous nations united in a large state.
Clashes took place in several national provinces at once: Hungary, Lombardy, Venice. The demands are similar: independence, the establishment of civil liberties, the destruction of the remnants of feudalism.
Also, the bourgeois revolution in France gave confidence to the discontented sections of the population in the German states. A distinctive feature of the events among the Germans was the demand of the protesters to unite the divided country. Intermediate successes were the convening of a common parliament, the Frankfurt National Assembly, and the abolition of censorship.
However, the European protests were crushed and faded away without achieving tangible results. The bourgeois revolution in France once again turned out to be more successful than the unsuccessful experiments of its neighbors. In some states (for example, in Great Britain and Russia), there were no serious protests against the authorities at all, although there were enough objective reasons for the discontent of socially unprotected segments of the population everywhere.
Results in France
The revolutions in France, whose table covers several decades of the 19th century, did not create the conditions for a stable political system. Louis Bonaparte, who came to power for several years of his presidency, managed to carry out a coup and declare himself emperor. The state made another loop in its development and returned several decades ago. However, the age of empires was coming to an end. The experience of 1848 allowednations after the defeat in the war with Prussia again return to the republican system.
