The revolution in France (1848-1849)

No historical event can be considered without defining the context of the era. So the revolution in France of 1848-1849 is inextricably linked with events that determined the mood of the XIX century.

19th century somersaults

Until the end of the 17th century, the country remained an absolute monarchy, the symbol of which was 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 forced the rest of the European countries to unite against the First Republic. The society was consolidated around the charismatic figure of Napoleon Bonaparte, who declared himself emperor in 1804. His expansion in Europe ended in failure. Defeats in Russia, as well as under Leipzig and Waterloo put an end to this adventure. Bonaparte was exiled to St. Helena, and the Bourbon Restoration (1814 - 1830) began in his country.

The reactionary policy of the government and its attempts to restore the old order forced the bourgeois part of society to rebel. The July Revolution in France in 1830 overthrew the unpopular Charles X and brought to the throne his distant relative Louis-Philippe. Riots in Paris boomed throughout Europe and led to unrest in Germany and Poland.

All these events were links in one chain and reflected the difficult evolution of the country's society. In this sense, the revolution in France of 1848 is no exception. She only continued the irreversible process that took place in the 19th century.

The oppression of the bourgeoisie

All the failures of Louis-Philippe on the throne were of a similar nature. The “King-bourgeois", who came to power in the wake of liberal moods 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.

The situation with suffrage remained painful, for which they had 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 relative to his income and tax payments to the treasury. Such an order extremely weakened the position of the petty bourgeoisie, which had lost the opportunity to defend its interests in parliament, and deprived people of the hope that the July revolution in France brought.

One of the monarch’s characteristic actions in foreign policy was joining the Holy Union, which included Russia, Prussia and Austria-Hungary. All these states were absolute monarchies, and their alliance lobbied for the interests of the nobility, torn into power.

Corruption of the July Monarchy

The legislature of the state itself was to remain independent of the crown. However, in practice, this principle has been constantly violated. The monarch promoted his supporters to deputies and ministers. One of the brightest characters in this spill was Francois Guizot. He became the Minister of the Interior, and later the head of government, and actively defended the interests of the king in the main authority.

Guizot outlawed Republicans, considered the main threat to the system. In addition, Louis-Philippe's protege supported business-loyal entrepreneurs, entrusting them with large state orders (for example, for the construction of railways). The patronage of power by one’s own people and flagrant corruption are important reasons for the revolution in France.

Such a policy negatively affected the lives of the proletarians, who were virtually deprived of the opportunity to appeal to the head of state. The monarch's populism in the early years dulled 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 crown-bearer became increasingly obese over the years).

Reformist banquets

The revolution in France owed its immediate start to the decree of François 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 on freedom of assembly in the country, electoral reform supporters gathered around the holiday tables. Such reformist banquets became widespread, and the ban on one of them stirred up the whole metropolitan society. The government’s mistake was the threat 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.

Resignation and resignation

This turn of events forced Louis Philippe to accept the resignation of the government the very next day, February 23. It was decided that Guizot would gather new ministers from among the supporters of the reforms. It seemed that a compromise was found between the government and society. However, a tragic incident occurred that evening. The guard, guarding the building of the Ministry of the Interior, shot a crowd of people.

Murders have changed slogans. Now Louis-Philippe was demanded of renunciation. Not wanting to tempt fate, on February 24 the monarch abandoned the throne. With the last decree, he announced his grandson as his heir. The rebels did not want to see the next king on the throne and the next day broke into the Chamber of Deputies, where a decision was made on the continuity of power. It was immediately decided to declare the country a republic. The revolution in France won.

The reform

In its very first days, the interim government was supposed 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 that has reached 21 years of age. This reform was a real step into the future. Such freedom could not boast of any state in the world.

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. An initial payment of 2 francs per day suited the workers, but the government could not afford the cost of the workshops. Already by summer, subsidies were reduced, and later the innovation was canceled altogether. Instead of workshops, the unemployed were offered to join the army or raise the provincial economy.

Riots began immediately. Paris was again covered in barricades. The government ceased to control the situation and decided to send troops to the capital. It became clear that the revolution in France had not yet ended, 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 temporarily stop reforms.

1848 election

Despite the summer events, the presidential election was still to be held. Voting took place on December 10, and according to its results, Louis Napoleon won an unexpected victory with 75% support.

The figure of the 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 in Boulogne; there were many garrison officers on his side. However, the failed usurper was arrested by the local regiment and put on trial.

Despite the prevailing strict attitude towards all kinds of revolutionaries, Louis Napoleon received only a life sentence in prison. Moreover, he was not limited in rights: he freely wrote and published articles, received visitors.

The position of the prisoner of the regime allowed him to gain 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 was universally respected and remembered from the time of the empire.

Impact on Europe

Europe could not stay away from those 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 there was tension between the many nations united in a large state.

Collisions took place in several national provinces at once: Hungary, Lombardy, Venice. The requirements are similar: independence, the establishment of civil liberties, the destruction of survivals of feudalism.

Also, the bourgeois revolution in France gave confidence to the discontented layers of the population in the German states. A distinctive feature of the events among the Germans was the demand of the protesters to unite a divided country. The intermediate successes were the convening of a general parliament - the Frankfurt National Assembly, as well as the abolition of censorship.

Nevertheless, European protests were suppressed and came to naught, without having achieved tangible results. The bourgeois revolution in France once again proved to be more successful than the failed experiences of its neighbors. In some states (for example, in Great Britain and Russia) there were no serious actions against the authorities at all, although objective reasons for the discontent of socially unprotected sections of the population were everywhere.

Results in France

The revolutions in France, the table of which covers several decades of the 19th century, did not create the conditions for a stable political system. Louis Bonaparte came to power in several years of his presidency managed to carry out a coup and declare himself emperor. The state has made another loop in its development and has returned several decades ago. However, the age of empires was drawing to a close. The experience of 1848 allowed the nation after the defeat in the war with Prussia to return to the republican system.