In July 1830, an uprising took place in France, which resulted in the overthrow of the last representative of the senior line of the Bourbon dynasty, King Charles X, and his relative, Duke of Orleans, Louis Philippe, was enthroned. As a result, the Bourbon regime of restoration of power established in 1814 was put to an end, trying with all its might to restore the country’s order that prevailed before the revolution of 1789. The period that followed in the history of France went down in history as the July Monarchy.
What brought the country another revolution
The period of the July monarchy is characterized by the fact that as a result of the uprising, called the Second French Revolution, a new Constitution was adopted (an updated Charter), which in a greater volume ensured the observance of civil rights and expanded the powers of the parliament.
The dominant class remained the big bourgeoisie, and if earlier it was subjected to pressure from the feudal nobility, now the danger for it came from below - from the petty bourgeois and the working class that had formed by then. Since ordinary citizens of the country had practically no opportunity to assert their rights through parliament, they continued to pose a potential danger to the order established in the country.
The struggle of parliamentary factions
However, this does not mean the homogeneity of the composition of the parliament and its inaction. The particularities of the July monarchy consist precisely in the extreme aggravation of the intra-parliamentary struggle caused by contradictions between representatives of various parties.
The opposition, for example, was not satisfied with the adoption of the previous Constitution in an updated form and required its complete revision. Their main goal was the establishment of universal suffrage in the country and the further expansion of civil liberties.
Spreading the ideas of socialism
In this atmosphere of intense political struggle, the July monarchy became fertile ground for the spread of various forms of socialist teaching. In the 30s of the XIX century, it gained many supporters thanks to the active work of the founder of the school of utopian socialism - Count Saint-Simon. He and his followers, dubbed the Sensimonists, appealed to the people of France immediately after the victory of the Second Revolution, and in subsequent years gained considerable political weight.
In addition, the spread of the ideas of universal equality and the socialization of the means of production was promoted by the popularity of the works of Proudhon and L. Blanca. As a result of this, the July monarchy in France was often shaken by large-scale popular unrest, which had a pronounced socialist character.
Riots in the early 30s
Their aggravation was sharply marked in November of the same 1830, when the newly appointed head of government Jacques Lafitte was to organize a trial of the ministers of the former cabinet, formed during the reign of the ousted king Charles X.
The crowds that spontaneously gathered in those days on the streets of Paris demanded the death penalty for them, and the verdict of the life sentence court seemed to them to be a too mild sentence. The socialists who tried to take advantage of the unrest were trying to take the country to a new revolution.
Supporters of the restoration of the previous regime and the enthronement of young Henry V, in whose favor the recently ousted monarch abdicated, added fuel to the fire . In February 1831, they organized a demonstration, giving it the appearance of a requiem for another heir to the throne, the Duke of Berry, who had died a year earlier. However, this action did not happen at the right time, and the indignant crowds of the people defeated not only the church where it was held, but also the house of the archbishop himself.
Rebellions against the Louis Philippe regime
Throughout the 30s, the July monarchy was shaken by a number of popular uprisings. The largest of them was organized in June 1832 in Paris by members of the secret society of "human rights", supported by numerous foreign emigrants. The rebels built barricades and even proclaimed a republic in the country, but after short battles they were scattered by government forces.
Another major performance of this period occurred two years later in Leon. He was provoked by harsh police measures against political organizations. For five days, gendarmerie units tried to storm the barricades erected by the workers, and when they succeeded, they arranged an unprecedented bloodshed on the streets of the city.
In 1839, another popular unrest swept Paris. Their initiator was a secret political organization, hiding under the faceless name "Society of the Seasons." This manifestation of widespread hatred of the government was also suppressed, and its instigators brought to justice.
Attempts on the King
In addition to mass demonstrations aimed at overthrowing the regime of King Louis-Philippe, in those same years, individuals committed 7 attempts on his life. The most famous of them was organized by the Corsican Joseph Fieschi. In order to kill the monarch, he constructed, built and secretly installed a unique construction consisting of 24 loaded rifle barrels on the path of his pursuit.
When the king caught up with her, the conspirator made a powerful volley, as a result of which Louis Philippe was not injured, but 12 people from the entourage surrounding him were killed, and many were injured. The conspirator himself was immediately seized and soon guillotined.
War on the press and change of ministers
However, the main danger for the king came from the press, which the July Monarchy provided much more freedom than the Bourbon regime that preceded it. Many periodicals did not hesitate to openly criticize both Louis Philippe himself and the government he created. They did not stop their actions even despite systematic trials organized against them.
The crisis of the July monarchy was clearly indicated by the frequent change of cabinet members, which began as early as 1836. The head of government, François Guizot, and Louis Philippe himself tried to streamline the work of the supreme authority in such ways, and at the same time to calm both the parliamentary opposition and the masses.
By the way, in world history there are many examples of how weak and mediocre rulers tried to delay the collapse of the regime they created through frequent personnel shifts. It is enough to recall the “ministerial leapfrog” that preceded the fall of the Romanov dynasty.
The mood prevailing in parliament
The Prime Minister for quite some time managed to skillfully maneuver between parties that put forward the most varied demands. For example, the dynastic opposition wanted parliamentary reform, which would provide deputies with the right to occupy various posts in state institutions. They insisted on expanding the electorate with the introduction of new categories of people.
Despite the fact that the reasons for the July monarchy were the dissatisfaction of representatives of the bourgeoisie with the reactionary tendencies of the previous government, they themselves were not able to put forward any radical demands.
The situation was worse with representatives of the extreme left wing. They insisted on the introduction of universal suffrage in the country and the establishment of a number of civil liberties, which they had heard about from the socialists.
Having in the parliament the votes of the majority of the obedient deputies, Guizot easily coped with the rebellious, but against the external opposition, expressed in constantly growing popular discontent, he was powerless. Not only republican, but also socialist sentiments in the country strengthened every year, and there was nothing to oppose them.
Ghost of napoleon
If the causes of the crisis of the July monarchy consist mainly of the discontent of the masses with the lack of radical changes expected after the overthrow of Charles X, then the succession of King Louis-Philippe was largely affected by the revived popularity of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The government itself contributed significantly to the promotion of ideas of a return to the state system that preceded the restoration of the monarchy (1814). By his decision, the ashes of the great Corsican were transferred to Paris, and the statue was installed on top of the Vendome column, towering in the center of the French capital and supposedly cast from Russian captured guns.
Prominent public figures of that era, such as the famous historian Louis Adolphe Thiers and writers Pierre-Jean de Beranger and Georges Sand, also contributed to the posthumous exaltation of the name of Napoleon . At the same time, the figure of the nephew of the late emperor, Charles Louis Napoleon, loomed more clearly on the political horizon.
Descendant of the emperor
Being a descendant of a universal idol, he himself twice tried to come to power through poorly organized and mediocre coup attempts, which Louis Philippe did not attach the slightest importance to and did not even arrest their instigator. He was simply not taken seriously.
However, the situation changed radically after a large and very representative party was formed around Louis Napoleon. One of its leaders was a prominent politician of that era, Odilon Barro. With his light hand, the opposition movement took the form of a so-called banquet campaign.
Banquets that ended with a revolution
It consisted of the fact that at first in Paris, and then in other cities of France, in order not to violate the law on rallies, which required its organizers to obtain permission from local authorities, real banquets were organized, at which several thousand people gathered.
Tables were set up with wine and appetizers, which gave the assembly the appearance of a banquet, though numerous, but not prohibited by law. Before the heated wine, the speakers were speakers, who then took places at the common tables. Understanding the true background of the events, the authorities, nevertheless, could not find fault with anything, and the agitation was in full swing.
Such mass feasts, organized by wealthy politicians, eventually led to the next French Revolution, as a result of which, on February 24, 1848, King Louis Philippe abdicated.
The results of the July monarchy boiled down to the fact that a republic was established in France, led by its first president, Louis Adolf Napoleon. Fate was pleased that after two unsuccessful coup attempts, he would finally come to power legally, and go down in history under the name of Napoleon III.