The French Revolution of 1848

(February 23, 1848 – December 2, 1848)

Causes:
 Unemployment
 Poor working conditions
 Long hours
 Low wages
 Bad economy
 Bad harvests
 Food prices were high
 People were starving
 Socialism was being exposed to the people by socialist.
 Louis Philippe opposed electoral reform

Demands:
 Franchise
 First group - wanted the right to vote to be extended to the lower bourgeoisie.
 Second group - were workers that wanted universal suffrage.
 Wanted King Louis Philippe to abdicate throne.

Results:
 Positive Results
 King Louis Philippe abdicated throne.
 French Second Republic was created ( 1848 – 1852 )
 Negative Results
 Established “national workshops” for the unemployed
 Louis Napoleon Bonaparte came to power and dissolved the national
assembly, re-established the empire, and became emperor, Napoleon lll .
 National workshops: Emile Thomas, the person in charge of the project
deliberately failed in organizing the shops properly and the people were
angered that they were given laborious work and meager pay.

Events:
 February 22: In Paris, revolt erupts against King Louis Philippe. Two days
later, he abdicated throne.
 February 23: Prime Minister Francois Guizot resigns.
 February 26: Provisional government is created, the Second Republic.
 May 6: Executive Commission of the French Republic is set up.
 May 15: Radicals invade the Chamber of Deputies.
 June 23 - 15: Tensions between liberal Orleanist and Radical Republicans
cause June Day Uprising starts after the closure if the national workshops.
  June 28: Executive Commission of the French Republic ends.
 November 4: France ratifies new constitution. The Second Republic of France
is set up, which ended the temporary government.
 December 10: Presidential election is held. Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte is
elected president of the French Republic.
 December 2, 1851: Napoleon III dissolved National assembly without the
Constitutional right to do so.

People:
 Louis Blanc “The right to work”: promoted National workshops (jobs for the
unemployed) but the project ended in a failure and he was blamed for it. Went
into exile and came back to France and in 1871 became a member of the National
Assembly.
 Pierre-Joseph Proudhon “Property is theft”: Was a writer, promoted reformation
of credit and exchange.
 Francois Guizot: Prime Minister made the French government conservative and
ran the government by means of political corruption. The people did like him.

 Provisional government ( “voice of the people”):

o Messieurs Dupont (de l'Eure)
o Lamartine, Cremieux
o Arago (of the Institute)
o Ledru-Rollin
o Garnier-Pages
o Marie
o Armand Marrast
o Louis Blanc
o Ferdinand Flocon
o Albert (a workingman).
 Timeline:

December
February May June July November December 1851
22 23 26 6 15 23 15 28 4 10 2

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Radicals invade the Chamber of Deputies.

King Louis Philippe. Two days later, he abdicated throne.
Provisional government is created, the Second Republic.

Presidential election is held. Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte is elected president o

Executive Commission of the French Republic ends.