France 1848 Revolution, Empire, And Republic HL

8/9/2019 France 1848 Revolution, Empire, And Republic HL

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Candace KingEuro. Hr.3

Study Guide

France 1848 Revolution, Empire and Republic

Summary:Basic Background-

The 1848 Revolution in France was one of a wave of revolutions in 1848 in Europe. InFrance, the February revolution ended the Orleans Monarchy (1830-1848) and led to thecreation of the French Second Republic. The June days were a bloody but unsuccessfulrebellion by the Paris workers against a conservative turn in the Republic's course. OnDecember 2, 1848, Louis Napoleon was elected President of the Second Republic, largelyon peasant support. Exactly three years later he suspended the elected assembly,establishing the Second French Empire, which lasted until 1871.The February revolution established the principle of the "right to work (droit au travail),

and its newly-established government created "National Workshops" for the unemployed.At the same time a sort of industrial parliament was established at the LuxembourgPalace, under the presidency of Louis Blanc, with the object of preparing a scheme forthe organization of labor. These tensions between liberal Orleanist and RadicalRepublicans and Socialists led to the June Days Uprising.

1848 Revolution:

At the close of the French revolutionary and Napoleonic wars (1789-1815) the Bourbondynasty was restored in France in the person of a brother of the King who had been sentto the guillotine during the revolution. This restoration King, Louis XVIII, alienatedopinion due to his absolutist tendencies and his 'legitimate' monarchy was usurped in

1830 with a junior, Orleanist, branch of the dynasty being recognized as Kings of theFrench rather than as Kings of France. The King installed in 1830, Louis Phillipe, washimself a son of Phillipe, Duke of Orleans, a Bourbon prince who had offered somesupport to the revolution of 1879 and who had become known as Philip Egalite.

Notably disagreeable weather across much of Europe in 1845-6 affected agriculturalproduction leading to rising food prices and to generally depressed economic conditionsof widespread unemployment. Such sufferings as this brought to those badly affected led,in turn, to a radicalization of political attitudes.During these times France was yet a monarchy under Louis Phillipe but with his"Liberal" monarchy having few real supporters. Elections were held on the basis of quite

limited suffrage, many felt excluded from any possibility of gaining wealth, and othersfelt that his "Bourgeois and Liberal" monarchy compared unfavorably with earlier,"Glorious", eras of French Monarchy or Empire.

On 14th January 1848 the authorities banned a "banquet", one of a series that hadintermittently been held by 'liberal' interests after July 1847 in Paris, and subsequentlywidely across France, in protest at such things as limitations on the right of assembly andthe narrow scope of the political franchise, with the result that the it was postponed by its


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organizers. Although the banquet, now set for the 22nd February, was cancelled at the lastminute there were some serious disturbances on the Paris streets on the 22nd and on 23rdFebruary where a number of fatalities and serious injuries ensued. The were instances ofunits of the National Guard that had been deployed by the authorities refusing to act tocontain the protest. Faced with such unrest Louis Phillipe dismissed Guizot, his

unpopular Prime Minister on the 23rd and himself, reluctantly, abdicated on the 24th.The French Chamber of Deputies accepted that the Crown would now pass to a youthfulgrandson of Louis Phillipe, the Comte de Paris, with powers of regency being vested inhis mother.

In the wake of these dramatic developments what had effectively become a Frenchrevolution of 1848 continued with the Chamber of Deputies being invaded and replacedwith the establishment of a Provisional Government of a French Republic. Thisgovernment was formed in a climate where power needed to be exercised by a centralauthority but where there was also a divergence of opinion as to the desirable politicaland social outlook of that government. Although Louis Phillippe had abdicated in favor

of his grandson this was disregarded given the popular mood in favor of a republicanform of government. Monarchy was pronounced to be abolished in France "withoutpossibility of return". Important figures in the Provisional Government administrationincluded established moderate, liberal, middle-class, "reformers - now becomerepublicans", such as Lamartine. A campaign sponsored by a newspaper named Rformeculminated in some more radical persons being accepted into the new government. Theseincluded the prominent French socialist Louis Blanc and a "working man" named AlbertMartin who was popularly known as "Albert" and addressed by this forename all thewhile he was involved in the government.It was accepted that elections based on universal adult (male) suffrage would returndelegates who would more fully decide the future direction of the governance of France.

By this time some twelve thousand muskets formerly held within government arsenalshad fallen into the hands of radicalized protestors. On the 25th February socialists inParis secured a decree which proclaimed that the newly formed Provisional Governmentwould undertake to provide opportunities for paid work for all citizens and would alsorecognize workers rights to "combine in order to enjoy the legitimate benefits of theirlabor." A system of "National Workshops" was instituted in relation to this guarantee of"labor to every citizen".

These revolutionary developments were perhaps more Parisian than French, they wereorchestrated by a radical section of the population of Paris but they did not generallyreceive the support of the French provinces. The socialistic radicals of Paris urged theadoption of the red flag of socialism whilst those supportive of constitutionalrepublicanism preferred to re-adopt the red, white, and blue, "Tricolor" flag that had beenadopted in the early days of the French Revolution of 1789. The stresses incidental to thisdivergence of aspiration and outlook between Republicans and Socialists resulted in acompromise where a red rosette was added to the standard of the Tricolor.Lamartine, who was something of a poet and orator later self-flatteringly recorded hisown refusal, as a prominent member of the new government whilst faced with a


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radicalized crowd outside the City Hall of Paris in the earliest days of the new republic,to accept the red flag as being a turning point in this debate.

Alphonse de Lamartine held considerable power in the new government and wasappointed Foreign Minister. He shortly thereafter, March 7, 1848, wrote to French

diplomatic representatives abroad instructing them as to the ways in which they were topresent the French Revolutionary developments to foreign governments who might besomewhat concerned that the France of 1848 might emulate the earlier revolutionaryFrance, after 1789, in seeking to forcefully export its revolutionary principles abroadElections were put in train, on the basis of an Universal Suffrage which recognized somenine million persons as being competent electors (compared to the 250,000 previouslyrecognized voters under the previously more restrictive suffrage), towards the forming ofa National Assembly which was to deal with important constitutional issues.

The National Workshops system set out to offer constant work and did this at a relativelyhigh rate of pay such that it soon attracted the services of all the casual labor of Paris and

also began to draw in a large influx of other casual labor from the provinces. Within twoor three months there were some 66,000 persons on the payroll. The unsettled timestended to contribute to a fall off in expenditure by the rich, many of whom left Paris forthe countryside. As there proved to be insufficient work provided by the NationalWorkshops for all the facility was rationed in that those involved reported to theworkplace on two days of the week but were recognized as being entitled to a 'salary ofinactivity' payment of one franc per day for other days. The main initial task tackledbeing a public works scheme leveling a small hill - a scenario that did not involve thereceipt of revenues to offset the expense to the public purse. Other tasks included plantingtrees, building roads, and building railway stations - the authorities even oversaw theperformance of "the same tasks" over and over to provide sufficient paid occupation.They did not want to sponsor economic activities that might seem to be in competitionwith the interests of existing capitalist enterprise.Some additional taxes were raised, that mainly impacted upon the rural peasantry, inefforts to help to meet the expense of the National Workshops.

The National or Constituent Assembly resulting from the processes of election convenedon May 4th 1848. Some 900 deputies had been returned to serve in the NationalAssembly. About half were returned as supportive of (Orleanist or Legitimist) monarchyrather than republicanism, about 350 were returned on a clericalist 'freedom of education'ticket, there were only a minority, about 100 strong, of variously committed republicansor socialists. Despite the breadth of the franchise, that had recognized some nine millionpersons as being voters, the main voting bloc - the peasantry - proved to be content withthe legacy of the 1789-1815 French Revolutionary and Napoleonic era that had left themas owners of their small farms with the result that they voted for conservative candidatesthat would not threaten the rights of property. In these times of widespread illiteracy thepolitical opinions of rural voters were often guided by respected local figures such asparish priests.

It proved to be the case that the political representatives of France as a whole were not


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prepared to endorse many of the policies that were preferred by Parisian radicals. Theadministration recognized by the assembly did not include an important role for LouisBlanc. The Assembly declined to send assistance to the Polish reformers who, in theirstruggles against Russian Tsarist authority, enjoyed the sympathies of the French radicals.On May 15th the National or Constituent Assembly was invaded by persons seeking its

overthrow and replacement by an administration headed up by Louis Blanc.In the event the National Guard acted to prevent the overthrow of the Assembly.Radicalism had showed a willingness to attempt to turbulently impose its own agendas.The stage was now set for a continuance of a serious confrontation between Frenchconservatism and Parisian radicalism.

The European Revolution of 1848 represents a widespread emergence of situations wherepopulist aspirations, or human aspirations as less limited by traditions of respect formonarchical or religious authority, variously sought constitutional, liberal, nationalist orsocialistic changes in society.

The French Empire and Republic of 1848:

The French Second republic was the republican government of France between the 1848Revolution and the coup by Louis-Napolon Bonaparte which initiated the SecondEmpire. It officially adopted the motto Libert, galit, Fraternite. The Second Republicwitnessed the tension between the "Social and Democratic Republic" and a liberal formof Republic, which exploded during the June Days Uprising of 1848.

The Constitution of 1848On 4 November 1848, the Constitution, on which the Assembly had been working formonths, was adopted.The executive power should be exercised by a President of the Republic, elected for fouryears by direct universal suffrage, and non re-eligible. The President should appoint anddismiss the Ministers and the high-ranking civil servants.The legislative power should be exercised by a single Assembly of 750 members, electedfor three years by direct universal suffrage according to list system.The judicial power should be exercised by independent, irremovable judges.

The Presidential election of 1848The election of the President of the Republic took place on 10 December 1848. PrinceLouis-Napolon Bonaparte, Napolon s nephew, who had just came back from exile inEngland and had been considered as insignificant by his rivals, triumphantly won with5,454,000 votes (c. 75%) against General Cavaignac (1,448,000 votes), Ledru-Rollin(371,000 votes), Raspail (36,000 votes) and Lamartine (17,000 votes). On 20 December1848, the newly elected President took the oath to respect the Constitution in theAssembly.

The end of the Second RepublicOn 20 July 1851, a proposal of revision of the Constitution which would have allowedthe President to compete for a second mandate, was rejected.On 2 December 1851 (the anniversary of both the battle of Austerlitz and Napolon s


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coronation), the President proclaimed the dissolution of the Assembly.On 14 January 1852, a new Constitution was proclaimed, which claimed to preserve theRepublican institutions but in fact prepared the establishment of the Second Empire. ThePresident should be elected for ten years, propose the laws, appoint the Ministers andcould canvass the people's opinion by holding a plebiscite. A Legislative Corps, elected

by universal suffrage, should vote the laws. A Senate, constituted of admirals, marshals,cardinals and other members appointed by the President, should check if the laws were inagreement with the Constitution and could amend them by senatus-consultum. A StateCouncil of 40-50 members appointed by the President should elaborate the laws.On 7 November 1852, a senatus-consultum reestablished the title of Emperor (NapolonIII) for Louis-Napolon. On 21-22 November 1852, a plebiscite (7,824,000 / 253,000)approved the senatus-consultum.Napoleon III was crowned on 2 December 1852, one year after his constitutional coup.

Terms:Revolutionary wave- is a series of revolutions occurring in various locations. The concept

is important to Marxists, who see revolutionary waves as evidence that a world revolutionis possible.

The Second French Empire- was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France. OnDecember 2, 1851, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, who had been elected President of theRepublic, staged a coup d'tat by dissolving the National Assembly without having theconstitutional right to do so. He thus became sole ruler of France, and re-establisheduniversal suffrage, previously abolished by the Assembly. His decisions and the extensionof his mandate for 10 years were popularly endorsed by referendum, as was the re-establishment of the Empire from December 2, 1852. He thus became "Napoleon III,Emperor of the French", while the popular referendum became a distinct sign ofbonapartism, which Charles de Gaulle would later use.

Constitutional monarchy- is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head ofstate within the parameters of a written (i.e., codified), unwritten (i.e., uncodified) orblended constitution. It differs from absolute monarchy in that an absolute monarchserves as the sole source of political power in the state and is not legally bound by anyconstitution. Most constitutional monarchies employ a parliamentary system in which theMonarch may have strictly Ceremonial duties or may have Reserve Powers, dependingon the constitution, have a directly or indirectly elected prime minister who is the head ofgovernment and exercises effective political power.

The Executive Commission of the French Republic- was a short-lived body and jointlyhead of state of France during the Second Republic. All members were equal and servedtogether as co-heads of state.

Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte-(Napoleon III) was the President of the French SecondRepublic and the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was also the nephew ofNapoleon I. Elected President by popular vote in 1848, he initiated a coup d'tat in 1851,


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becoming dictator before ascending the throne as Napoleon III on December 2, 1852, theforty-eighth anniversary of Napoleon's coronation. He ruled as Emperor of the Frenchuntil September 4, 1870. He holds the unusual distinction of being both the first titularpresident and the last monarch of France. Primarily remembered for renovating Paris, aswell as several military ventures, including the French participation in the Crimean War,

the conquest of Senegal, the Second Opium War, the Cochin china Campaign, the SecondItalian War of Independence, the Franco-Mexican War, the Taiping Rebellion, the 1866campaign against Korea, the Boshin War, and the Franco-Prussian War. The SecondFrench Empire was overthrown three days after Napoleon's disastrous surrender at theBattle of Sedan in 1870, which resulted in both the proclamation of the French ThirdRepublic and the secession of the territory of Alsace-Lorraine to the newly-formedGerman Empire.

Red Scare-denotes two distinct periods of strong anti-communism in the United States.The First Red Scare, from 1917 to 1920, and the Second Red Scare, from 1947 to 1957.The First Red Scare was about worker (socialist) revolution and political radicalism. The

Second Red Scare was focused on (national and foreign) communists influencing societyand/or infiltrating the federal government.

National Workshops- refer to areas of work provided for the unemployed by the FrenchSecond Republic after the Revolution of 1848. The political crisis which resulted in theabdication of Louis Philippe was naturally followed in Paris, by an acute industrial crisisand this following the general agricultural and commercial distress which had prevailedthroughout 1847. It rendered the problem of unemployment in Paris very acute.

Louis Jean Joseph Charles Blanc (29 October 1811 6 December 1882)- was a Frenchpolitician and historian. A socialist who favored reforms, he called for the creation ofcooperatives in order to guarantee employment for the urban poor.

Karl Heinrich Marx (May 5, 1818 March 14, 1883)- was a German philosopher,political economist, historian, political theorist, sociologist, communist, andrevolutionary, whose ideas are credited as the foundation of modern communism. Marxsummarized his approach in the first line of chapter one of The Communist Manifesto,published in 1848: "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of classstruggles." Marx argued that capitalism, like previous socioeconomic systems, wouldinevitably produce internal tensions which would lead to its destruction. Just ascapitalism replaced feudalism, he believed socialism would, in its turn, replacecapitalism, and lead to a stateless, classless society called pure communism. This wouldemerge after a transitional period called the "dictatorship of the proletariat": a periodsometimes referred to as the "workers state" or "workers' democracy".The Thermidorian Reaction- was a revolt in the French Revolution against the excessesof the Reign of Terror. It was triggered by a vote of the Committee of Public Safety toexecute Robespierre, Saint-Just and several other leading members of the Terror. Thisended the most radical phase of the French Revolution.

The July Monarchy- (The Kingdom of the French) was a period of liberal constitutional


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monarchy in France under King Louis-Philippe starting with the July Revolution (orThree Glorious Days) of 1830 and ending with the Revolution of 1848. It began with theoverthrow of the conservative government of Charles X and his senior line of the Houseof Bourbon. Louis-Philippe, a member of the traditionally more liberal Orleans branch ofthe House of Bourbon, proclaimed himself roi des Franais ("King of the French") rather

than roi de France ("King of France"), emphasizing the popular origins of his reign. Thenew regime's ideal was explicated by Louis-Philippe's famous statement in January 1831:"We will attempt to remain in a juste milieu (the just middle), in an equal distance fromthe excesses of popular power and the abuses of royal power."

Events from the year 1848 in France:22 February - In Paris, revolt erupts against the king Louis Philippe. Two days later heabdicates.23 February - Prime Minister Franois Guizot resigns.26 February - Provisional government is organized called the Second Republic.23 April - Constituent Assembly election held.

24 April - Constituent Assembly election held.6 May - Executive Commission of the French Republic is set up, jointly heads of stateduring the Second Republic.15 May - Radicals invade the Chamber of deputies.23 June - June Days Uprising begins after closure of the National Workshops created bythe Second Republic to give work to the unemployed.25 June - June Days Uprising ends with 1,500 killed and 15,000 prisoners were deportedto Algeria.28 June - Term of the Executive Commission of the French Republic ends.28 August - Mathieu Luis becomes the first black member to join the French parliament,as a representative of Guadalupe.4 November - France ratifies a new constitution. The Second Republic of France is setup, ending the state of temporary government lasting since the Revolution of 1848.10 December - Presidential election held. Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte is elected presidentof the French Republic.20 December - President Bonaparte takes his Oath of Office in front of the FrenchNational Assembly.

Analysis:Was the 1848 French Revolution a success or a failure to the European population as awhole?In France, the revolutions started with a riot by the Parisians, which, after LouisPhilippes fleeing to Britain, led to the formation of the second republic. Yet, after thenew government had settled in, the people grew more discontent with their situation.There was in fact disunity in the second government, as Louis Blanc, obviously knownfor his socialist views, was at odds with the rest of the ten man liberal government. Thebloody June Days gave the Parisians a chance to battle the government troops. The resultwas a new monarch-to-be, and a move back to where the revolution had started.Throughout all of this, it is important to note that it was only the Parisians (the firstpeople to riot) that were active in the revolution. They (the upper middle class men) were


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the ones that participated in the government, and that fought to the death in thisrevolution. The farmers and peasants, on the other hand, seemed to be too preoccupiedwith their agricultural problems (such as the continuing of poor outcomes of the cropharvests) in the countryside. And while there was disunity among the leaders of therevolution, the revolutions actually failed because the peasants (which made up a huge

majority of the population-not only in France but the rest of Europe as well) were notinvolved, the revolution really did not have the power needed to fight against an armywith the strength of the French one

Historiography:http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/france-history/second-republic.htm

http://www.ohio.edu/chastain/dh/frprogov.htm

http://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/france/second_emp/default.htm

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1848johnson.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=LnY9qEWLWTkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=french+revolution+1848&source=gbs_book_similarbooks#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/france-history/second-republic.htmhttp://www.ohio.edu/chastain/dh/frprogov.htmhttp://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/france/second_emp/default.htmhttp://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1848johnson.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=LnY9qEWLWTkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=french+revolution+1848&source=gbs_book_similarbooks#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=LnY9qEWLWTkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=french+revolution+1848&source=gbs_book_similarbooks#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=LnY9qEWLWTkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=french+revolution+1848&source=gbs_book_similarbooks#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttp://www.ohio.edu/chastain/dh/frprogov.htmhttp://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/france/second_emp/default.htmhttp://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1848johnson.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=LnY9qEWLWTkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=french+revolution+1848&source=gbs_book_similarbooks#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=LnY9qEWLWTkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=french+revolution+1848&source=gbs_book_similarbooks#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=LnY9qEWLWTkC&printsec=frontcover&dq=french+revolution+1848&source=gbs_book_similarbooks#v=onepage&q&f=falsehttp://www.bonjourlafrance.com/france-history/second-republic.htm

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France 1848 Revolution, Empire, And Republic HL