Revolutions of 1848
“When France sneezes Europe catches a cold” - Metternich
THE watershed event of the 19th century
France
Revolution of 1830
- Charles X (1824-1830)
- Last Bourbon King
- Over thrown in the revolution of 1830,
- trying to rule as an absolute monarch
- Louis Philippe (1830-1848)
- First Orleans King
- Revolution to get rind of him
1847
- Liberal demands to increase suffrage from 240K to 1M
- Reforms blocked by Prime Minister Guizot
1848
- Political Banquets Banned
- had been use to “grumble” about the king
- Reformists take to streets
- 1st casualties at hands of police
- Riot police vs. protesters
- Barricades and street fighting
- Cut off entire residential neighborhoods from government
- Turning point
- National Guard was summoned to take down reformists
- National Guard joins reformists
- Regular militia as well
- Success
- Guizot resigns
- 40 celebrators killed
- Talk of a Republic begins
- Abdication of Louis Philippe
- Declaration of France’s 2nd Republic
Colation Fractured
- Middle class moderate liberal republicans
- Working class radical republican socialists
- Louis Napoleon a.k.a. Napoleon III
- 1848: wins landslide victory
- 1851: coup d’etat
- declared himself hereditary emperor
General Pattern of 1848 Revolutions
Act 1
Scene 1
- Moderate Liberal Demands
- reform
- constitution
- end to censorship
- Government inflexibility
- Refusal to reform
Scene 2
- Violence
- An “Incident” such as troops using force to “restore order” in streets
- leads to Radicalization of demands
- Republic
- universal Suffrage
Act 2
Scene 1
- Revolutionary Gains
- Rebels in Power
- Resignations
- Abdications
- Capitulations
Act 3
Revolutionary coalitions fracture
Moderate Liberals
- Desire reform/ constitutions
- Abhorred revolution
- Monarchists
Radical Republicans
- Favor democracy
- oppose monarchy
Socialists
- Radical social revolutionaries