Coup d\'etat of December 2nd, 1851

The coup d'etat of the December 2nd 1851 is the Coup d'etat carried out by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, president of the Republic, which arrives by this means to dissolve the French National Assembly without having the constitutional law of it, to only become Master of the France, and restores the vote for all, previously abolished by the Parliament. These decisions and the prolongation of its mandate at 10 years are voted by plebiscite by Référendum just like the establishment of the Second Empire as from the December 2nd 1852 becoming thus “Napoleon III, emperor of the French”

Reasons

Since he was elected by the vote for all with 74% of the voices and the support of the Parti the Order “President of the French” in 1848 against Louis Eugene Cavaignac, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte is in perpetual political confrontation with the deputies of the National Assembly.

This “cretin whom one will carry out”, according to the expression of Adolphe Thiers who believed to deal with imbecile easy to handle when it had supported it to be candidate with the presidency of the republic, proves finally much more intelligent and twisted. He managed to impose his own choices and not to be under the control of the Parliament, become again preserving after the Journées of June 1848. He moves away from the party of the Order, which elected it, and forms the “Ministère of the Clerks” with the general Hautpoul with his orders, in 1849. January 3rd 1851, it returns Changarnier, an opponent, which causes an open crisis with its party. This same year, it starts to finance unparliamentary newspapers, and forms a group of 150 deputies won over to his cause, the “Parti of the Elysium”.

The constitution establishing the not-re-eligibility of the president condemns Louis-Napoleon to leave the capacity in December 1852. First half of the year 1851 passed to propose reforms of the constitution so that it is re-eligible, Bonaparte organizes rounds in province, petitions. Two thirds of the general advices rejoin his cause, but the orleanists of Thiers are combined with the open fraction of left “parliamentary Mountain” to counter it. This majority votes the distrust of the ministry for the Clerks in January 1851. The Parliament refuses in block the constitutional reform on July 19th 1851, and removes even the Vote for all. The popular classes are not recognized any more in the mode.

Preparations

The Coup d'etat is thoroughly prepared starting from the August 20th 1851 with Saint-Cloud. The plot gathers Persigny, faithful of Louis-Napoleon, the duke of Morny, its half-brother, and the general of Saint-Arnaud. The October 14th, Louis-Napoleon redemande with the National Assembly to restore the Vote for all, but she refuses, just like (the November 13rd) her new proposal for a revision of the Constitution, in front of him to make it possible to be re-eligible as “a president of the Republic”. Organized, it names the general of Saint-Arnaud to the ministry for the War (October 27th), which recalls to the soldiers their duty “of passive obedience”, on November 1st 1851, by a circular which requires to take care of the hello of the company . Other close relations are placed at the stations - keys : the general Magnan is named ordering troops of Paris ; the prefect of the Haute-Garonne, Maupas, is promoted Prefect of police of Paris. Convinced of the need for a coup d'etat because of last the refusal of the Parliament, Louis Napoleon fixes it itself for the December 2nd, birthday day of the sacring of Napoleon in 1804 and of the victory of Austerlitz in 1805. The operation is baptized Rubicon , by allusion to Jules César.

Coup d'etat of December 2nd, 1851

In the morning of December 2nd, the troops of Saint-Arnaud occupy all the strategic points, of the Fields-Élysées to the Tuileries. After having made stop the principal opponents and having placed the army at the strategic places of the capital, Louis-Napoleon enacts six decisive decrees, makes post a “proclamation with the people” bound for the French, and another bound for the army, which declares the state of siege. Of the six decrees, one dissolves the National Assembly, another restores the vote for all, another declares that a news Constitution is in preparation. Its Appel with the people announces his intention to restore “the system created by the First Consul”.

This coup d'etat does not go without agitation. The members of Parliament take refuge in the town hall of Xe district and 220 deputies vote the forfeiture of Louis-Napoleon, in particular liberal orleanists like Rémusat or Salmon and of the republicans moderated like Pascal Duprat. They are stopped at once. In spite of skilful control by the army of this republican stronghold that is the capital, a Parisian insurrection begins with at its head several republican parliamentarians, like Victor Schoelcher or Victor Hugo. More than 70 Barricade S is drawn up and of the insurrectionists are cut down. The December 3rd, the deputy Jean-Baptiste Baudin is killed whereas it holds the barricade of the Faubourg Saint-Anthony. In the afternoon of the December 4th 1851, the shooting of the Boulevards makes 200 victims. At the evening, the popular revolt is subdued, Paris is under control, the Parisian ones turn over to their daily life. The last barricades, to which Hugo belongbelonged, fell only the December 5th.

National agitation

The news of the coup d'etat is still diffused through France and starts in other places some insurrections. The December 5th several popular movements are announced in several big cities, but particularly in the south-eastern (Manosque, Apt, Digne, etc). The department of the Low-Alps even comes from there to be managed by a “Departmental committee of resistance” , the December 7th 1851, but the army, faithful to the President is organized to restore the will of the executive. 32 departments are put in state of siege as of the December 8th, the zones of republican “resistance” to the coup d'etat are controlled in a few days, the opponents are stopped or must flee, such Victor Hugo which starts from itself to Brussels. 26.000 people are stopped, 15.000 are condemned including 9.530 deportees in Algérie, 239 to the Bagne of Cayenne. 80 deputies are banished

The appeasing

The ensured victory, the restored order, the Bonapartiste S settle. The generals Valiant and Harispe are made marshals France the December 11th. A Constitution is under development. A Référendum is also envisaged in order to require of the French to ratify the new order. The coup d'etat is presented like an security operation vis-a-vis the red peril

The 20 - December 21st it is finally by Plébiscite that the French accept the reforms of the “prince-president”, the coup d'etat is ratified by the vast majority of the 7.145.000 of “yes” vis-a-vis 600.000 “not”. Louis-Napoleon sees himself entrusting the capacities necessary to establish a new constitution.

Consequences

The French Constitution was thus modified. This one entrusted the executive power to a President elected for ten years, holder of the legislative initiative, thus reducing very strongly the margin of action of the legislative body in the tradition of the authoritarian regimes concentrating the capacities between the hands of the executive.

December 28th, 1851, the electorate comes to a conclusion favorably about the revision by 7.439.216 YES against 640.737 NOT.

The Second Republic goes, in less than one year, to moult towards the Second Empire, established, once again after referendum, by the Sénatus-consulte of the November 7th 1852. “Imperial dignity” was restored with the profit of President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, elected by the French people, which became officially “Napoleon III, Empereur of the French” as from the December 2nd 1852, date birthday symbolic system of the coup d'etat, the sacring of Napoleon i and the victory of Austerlitz.

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