Second Republic (France)

The Second Republic or Second Republic is the shape of government of France of February 24th, 1848 (provisional proclamation of the Republic in Paris) at December 2nd, 1851 (coup d'etat of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte). It makes following the Monarchie of July and is replaced by the Second Empire.

The Second Republic is an original mode in the history of France initially by its brevity, then because it is the last mode to be instituted following a revolution. It is finally the mode which definitively founded the Vote for all male in France and abolished the Esclavage in the French colonies.

An unexpected Republic

See also: French revolution of 1848

See also: Countryside of the banquets

The economic crisis, due to bad harvests of 1845 and 1846 and to the deficiency of the means of transport to convey helps, causes a rise of the food prices with its procession of urban misery and rural riots (Buzançais in 1847). On the other hand, the good harvest of 1847 fact of lowering the prices, which obstructs the large cereal producers like the small ones, who have evil to run out their production. The rural migration develops. Moreover, the rural world (75% of the population) reduced its consumption of artisanal, and industrial products. An economic crisis shakes this sector which strongly developed since 1840. Urban unemployment increases, the begging too. The French live a deep crisis then and express their dissatisfaction against the mode with the " Monarchy of July ".

The political system is blocked by the refusal, of the king Louis-Philippe Ier and his principal minister François Guizot, to extend the number of recipients of the mode censitaire. In 1848, there are only 241000 voters for nearly 35,5 million inhabitants. Most of the urban population (liberals, tradesmen, civils servant…), which does not reach the fateful threshold of 200 francs contributions, wishes to reach the national political life, which the government denies to him. Thanks to its fight against the republican ideas and with the practice of the official candidature and electoral corruption, the government has a comfortable majority with the House of Commons. To avoid the political explosion, and fascinating example on the gradual evolution of the taxable quota in England, the monarchists of the " opposition dynastique" organize, everywhere in province, a countryside of banquets by which they try to convince Guizot to widen the access terms with the vote. The first banquet takes place in Paris on July 9th, 1847 with 1300 people, including 85 deputies. The partisans of the moderate republican newspaper the National unite rather quickly in this countryside. February 22nd, 1848, the prohibition of a new banquet in Paris causes a demonstration at the time which protesters are killed by the army. Barricades are then built in the town of Paris. The king Louis-Philippe Ier refuses to see pouring blood to repress the Parisian insurrectionists; he abdicates in favor of his grandson count de Paris. But the deputies refuse to support a regency of the duchess of Orleans and mother of the king appointed thus. The republican deputies, gathered around the newspaper the National , create a Provisional government but, under the pressure of the Parisian insurrectionists, they must agree to be seen supplementing by " socialist " close relations of the newspaper the Reform . February 24th, the government proclaims the Republic on a purely provisional basis, while waiting for the acceptance of the fact by the province.

The impossible Social republic

See also: Provisional government of 1848

See also: constituent National Assembly (Second Republic)

See also: national Workshops

See also: Days of June 1848

February 24th, it is almost by surprise that the republicans reach the capacity, thanks to the Parisian insurrection. These " republicans of the veille" are divided. The majority are the moderate ones (Lamartine, François Arago) which is satisfied with political reforms. February 25th they restore the male vote for all (abolished since 1795 by the notable ones). They implement the " principles of 1789" , like individual freedom, thus on April 27th a decree puts definitively fine at slavery in the French colonies. Heirs to this Great Revolution (that of 1789), they wish that the people be able freely to choose their destiny and they are in favor that the Republic supports the Poles and the Italians risen against their sovereigns, or Austrians, but some, like Lamartine, preach prudence in this field. Other republicans are in favor of reforms social (Louis Blanc). For them the State must obtain means of combatting unemployment. They obtain, with difficulty, on February 27th the creation of the national Ateliers. Fault of obtaining the creation of a Ministry of Labor, they are invested in the meetings of the Commission of Luxembourg, where one thinks of a new organistion of work in order to improve the fate of the classes " populaires". Under their pressure, on March 2nd, the government decreases one hour the duration of the day's work which is from now on ten hours in Paris compared with eleven in province.

These authentic republicans see their political adversaries day before to become it " republicans of the lendemain". Many notable a Legitimist S, happy of the ousting of Louis-Philippe, and even of the Orléaniste S is joined the Republic. The vote for all appears a means to them to reconquer the capacity, since economic control that they exert on many rural, enables them to make pressure on the voters. They are the defenders of freedoms, in particular religious. They are horrified by the projects at Hippolyte Carnot which aim at laicizing teaching. For them, the Catholic church must control the training of the young French. They refuse the social reforms and are scandalized existence of the national Ateliers where the State pays former unemployed who do not make large - thing of useful, for the majority.

Unanimism " républicain" is of setting during a few weeks: the priests bless the " trees of Liberté" who are planted in many communes; it is the illusion of the advent of a " era nouvelle" , that of universal fraternity. The situation changes with the elections of April 23rd, 1848 to form the constituent Assembly which must pose the bases of a new political regime. The advanced republicans, conscious of control of rural by the notable ones, fear the results of the vote for all. In order to have time to develop their propaganda in province, they try to obtain a carryforward of the date of the elections. But on April 16th, 1848, the Minister of Interior Department, the republican Ledru-Rollin militarily breaks a demonstration organized to ask for a second carryforward.

the news assembled is dominated by the moderate republicans (approximately 500). But the monarchists, who will form the left the Order, are 200. The radical republicans add up approximately 100 deputies. The Socialists disappear from the Parliament (only Armand Barbès is elected). Dominated in fact by the conservatives the assembly eliminates the Socialists from the new government which she elects (Executive commission). Then benefitting from the failure of a republican demonstration organized for the defense of the risen Poles, it makes imprison the radical republican chiefs (Blanqui, Raspail…). She can then tackle the existence of the national workshops which are closed on June 21st. Part of popular Paris enters in insurrection the 22. In fact the Journées of June 1848 last until June 28th. The army, ordered by the republican general Cavaignac, represses the insurrectionists hard.

Once victorious, moderate republicans and monarchists disperse the workmen of the national Ateliers (on July 3rd), increase one hour day's work and make off-set in Algeria, without judgment, nearly 4350 insurgent. The Republican majority (urged on by the monarchists) gives up the Social republic. Moreover, the Catholic church, while lining up, except for some exceptions (Frederic Ozanam, Armand of Melun…), in the camp of the reaction, world cup workman (which was rather favorable for him to spring).

The impossible preserving Republic

See also: Government of the general Cavaignac

See also: French Constitution of 1848

See also: presidential Election of 1848

See also: First government Odilon Deck-beam

See also: French legislative elections of 1849

See also: legislative National Assembly (Second Republic)

See also: Second government Odilon Deck-beam

See also: Coup d'etat of December 2nd, 1851

The mortgage of a social republic being brutally raised, the majority of the Parliament (moderate republicans and monarchists) supports the Gouvernement of the general Cavaignac, republican but preserving and authoritative. It cancels the social measures taken in spring 1848, it limits freedom of expression drastiquement (law on the press and censures theaters). The Parliament, where since May 17th a commission works out the text of a Constitution, votes this one on November 4th. Beside a president of the Republic, chief of the Executive, elected for four years by the male and nonre-eligible vote for all immediately, seat a legislative Parliament elected for three years by the always male vote for all, which votes the laws and controls the government. Nothing is designed to peacefully regulate a possible persistent conflict between the president and the assembly. During the summer 1848, the municipal elections of July 3rd, and cantonal of the August 27th and September 3rd, show an evolution of the electorate. Dissatisfied with the fall of the prices, related to a good harvest, ulcerated average soldiers used to perceive " the Tax of the 45 centimes " , the rural ones repudiate the Republic. More thirty-five thousand mayors and assistant elected officials (on sixty-five thousand) occupied already these functions under the Monarchy of July. The legislative elections of the September 17th and 18th confirm the evolution: in thirteen departments, out of seventeen elected deputies, fifteen are monarchists.

The autumn is occupied by the preparation of the presidential election planned for on December 20th, 1848. The republicans divide themselves between several candidatures (Cavaignac, Lamartine, Ledru-Rollin). The Socialists present Raspail which is imprisoned since May 15th. The " Left the Order " lines up almost unanimously behind Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte. The result is without call: Bonaparte obtains more than seventy-five percent of the votes cast, Cavaignac, arrived second, having only nineteen percent of the voices. It is obvious whereas the elected assembly in April is not representative any more of the electorate . The president names Odilon Barrot with the head of a government with strong coloring monarchist. They will work to weaken the republican camp for the legislative elections that the Parliament (with Republican majority) is forced, on January 29th, under the military pressure, to accept for on May 13rd, 1849.

The minister of I' Intérieur, Leon To mow, obtains on March 24th with difficulty the prohibition of the political clubs. The public expression of the republican democrat-Socialists gathered in " republican Solidarity " created by Ledru-Rollin is thus made more difficult. The prefectoral administration is purified of its republican elements (often replaced by Bonapartists). To consolidate its preserving and catholic electorate, the Minister for the State education, the count of Falloux, in building site a complete reorganization of the educational system puts, which he wants to place under the control of the Catholic church. The government also manages to convince the Parliament which France must intervene in Rome, to support the pope Pie IX in difficulty (desire of the catholics) or to support the Roman republic threatened by an Austrian intervention (hopes of the republicans). If the left the Order gains these elections (53% of the voices, 64% of the elected officials), the democrat-Socialists progress (25% of the voices) whereas the moderate republicans are rolled (11% of the voices). With the great fear of the conservatives who see the projection of the " spectrum of the rouges" , France divides politically, and this for more than one century. The resumption of the hostilities to the Roman Republic makes it possible the government to get rid of the republican chiefs who oppose it after the fiasco of their manifestation of June 13rd, 1849 (34 deputies are suspended of their mandate, the majority are in escape towards the exile). However, on October 30th, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte returns the Barrot government and form a ministry of partisans. Concluding the purification of the administration and obtaining the vote of the Law Falloux, the ministry encounters a political resistance of the republican opinion. It appears with determination with the legislative elections complementary of March 10th and of April 28th, 1850. The republicans manage to make elect blackjack as of theirs to replace thirty-one of their deposed chiefs of their mandate by the " High Cour". To finish some, the Parliament and the government follow a policy reactionary. The electoral law of May 31st, 1850 attacks the vote for all and deprives of rights to vote a third of the electorate (especially the " classes populaires"). A news still reduces freedom of expression in the press (July 16th, 1850). The republicans are divided: the majority chooses a legal action, the minority (supported by the chiefs in exile) recommends the action of secret societies (particularly many in the Rhone-native valley).

Having suppressed the republican opposition, the left the Order prepares the future and tries monarchical fusion between Légitimiste S and Orléaniste S in order to restore monarchy. It is a failure in front of the intransigence of the Count de Chambord (legitimist) which requires an absolute monarchy. Bonaparte, tries to him to obtain from the assembly a revision of the constitution which would enable him to be represented in 1852. In spite of visits organized in province (Burgundy and Normandy during the summer 1850, again in Burgundy in June 1851) where its promises adapt to its audience, in spite of the wishes expressed by the general advices of the departments, chapters by the prefects, it does not manage to convince the assembly which refuses the revision on July 19th, 1851. There remains to him nothing any more but the solution of the coup d'etat. As of on August 20th, entreated prepare the operation, which must take place at the end of September. Following the hesitation of certain conspirators, it is finally deferred to December 2nd, 1851. October 27th, a new government is made up to this end, the ministry for the War and the Police headquarter of Paris being entrusted to Bonapartists. December 2nd, the army occupies Paris and the president dissolves the Parliament of which part of the deputies are stopped, after a show of resistance, restores the vote for all and convenes the voters with a plebiscite for the approval of the takeover by force.

Republican resistance in province in the Center, South-west, in Languedoc and in the VAr does not manage to save the Republic. The state of siege, the pressures on the civils servant transformed into campaign organizers, the call of the Catholic church to be voted yes, etc, push the voters to condemn the Republic December 21st and 22nd 1851: by quatre-vingt-douze percent of the soixante-douze percent of registered voters having expressed their voices, the French entrust to Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte the right to modify the Constitution of 1848. November 7th, 1852, the empire is restored by senatus consult.

Sources

  • Georges Duveau, 1848 , Gallimard, collection Ideas.
  • Ines Murat, the Second Republic , Beech, 1987
  • Philippe Vigier, the Second Republic , PUF, collection Which do I Know?

Quotation

To take again that of the old version

Related articles

to take again internal bonds old version

External bonds

to take again those of the old version

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to take again old version

BELOW OLD VERSION

Causes of the regime change

The leading causes of the fall of the Monarchy of July are

  • economic crisis
  • wear of the capacity
  • democratic aspirations.

The economic crisis which corrodes the Europe since 1845, initially agricultural (epidemic of Mildiou which affects the culture of potatoes, which causes also the Grande Famine ( The Great Famine , in Ireland), extended to industry. Of the production agricole (rarefaction of corn, rye and the barley) ruin baisse the rural populations (accounting for 75% in France) which consume less. Even if the crisis is not uniform (Mediterranean departments and the valley of the Rhone seeming a sheltered sector, countries of the Loire and plains of the Center, on the other hand, pretense to have suffered more from the Disette) and in spite of a lull in 1847, the consequences touch mainly the poorest peasants.

Hundreds of thousands of rural being obliged to restrict their purchases of clothing, wool industries, cotton and flax are weakened. Industry is in situation of surproduction and quickly the factories close, in particular the production units of small size, more sensitive to the economic situation.

The crisis reveals the fragility of the banking structure française: the majority of the banks not having been able to ensure a sufficient circulation of currency and the required investments the good walk of industry, the industrialists were quickly deprived of capital. This reduction in the capital in circulation explains banking panic in the great centers like Paris or Lyon. Even if the end of the year 1847 and the first weeks of 1848 are placed under the sign of an apparent recovery, the great uncertainty and the real precariousness of the Economic conjuncture have demographic consequences: unemployment increases, activating the Paupérisation and the migration towards the big cities where the unemployed hope to find work which they do not have any more in small rural industry. Thus the crisis accelerates the Urbanisation France (Rural migration) and consequently the political weight of the “rabble” urban, in particular Parisian.

The concentration of the working population in the cities supports the propagation of the ideas progressists . The notable Parisian ones also start to prefer the party of the Mouvement to that of the King. Irritated by the financial crisis, they return François Guizot, the chief of the government, person in charge of the situation.

The public meetings being prohibited, the opposition organizes banquets during which the toasts are the occasion of speech. The parliamentary session who opens the December 28th 1847 announces agitated. As of the January 3rd according to the students protest against the closing of the course of Jules Michelet. To the Parliament, the deputies carry out battle against the government on the corruption affairs and especially on the general policy.

The Parisian revolution of February 1848

See also: French revolution of 1848

The February 22nd 1848 a banquet “reformist” (called thus because the opponents claim the reform of the electoral law) of the National guard is interdict in the twelfth district of Paris, which causes the riot. The February 23rd at the evening, the troops in station in front of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Boulevard of the Nasturtiums opens fire on the demonstrators, which transforms the riot into Révolte. A score of deaths is counted. The bodies were shown the night-even with Parisian, walked on carts. Arms manufacture is dévalisées, of the barricades flower. The general Bugeaud remains impotent. The insurrectionists are victorious the following day and invest the castle of the Tuileries, the residence of the king Louis-Philippe. It is the revolution, the king abdicates. The revolutionists invade the Palais Bourbon to force the deputies to proclaim a provisional government and the Republic. The demonstrators burn the Trône of Louis Philippe Place of the Bastille, which constitutes a double symbol, that of the French revolution and that of the Révolution of 1830, commemorated by the Colonne of July.

Period of the Provisional government

See also: Provisional government of 1848

The provisional government is composed of republicans, for half of democrats and half of liberals. It also counts Louis Blanc, a theorist Socialiste and Alexandre Martin, a workman called “the workman Albert”. The writer Alphonse of Lamartine is the most famous man of this provisional government since he proclaimed the second republic on February 24th, 1848 on the balcony of the town hall. The spirit of this provisional government is multidimensional since it is influenced by several elements. First of all it there with the influence of the Revolution; it is precisely the influence of the Déclaration of the Human rights but this provisional government rejects part of this revolutionary period in particular the " white Terror " and the Capital punishment in political matters. Then one finds an influence of the Romantisme, therefore this government must open a new era, that of the Gospel and Démocratie. Finally one finds the influence of the Socialisme, which considers that the revolution was already made and that it is not any more to make, it is simply necessary to give a new reality to the immortal principles fixed by the Declaration of the Human rights. It is necessary to set up a social democracy. This idea, is opposed to that Karl Marx which, considers to him with its " Proclamation of the Communist party " written into 1848 that the French revolution of 1789 and thus that should be made again a revolution was middle-class, for this time to destroy the middle-class State.

Preparation of the new constitution

See also: French Constitution of 1848

To take again the republican tradition, the government decides to make write the new constitution by a constituent assembly, as in 1789 and 1792. This assembly is elected by the male vote for all the April 23rd by 7  800  000 French. They are moderate republicans (often makes of them republican monarchists camouflaged in of the following day ) who are elected, but they are less on the left than the republicans (republican of the day before ) having proclaimed the Second Republic.

Institution of the Republic

The constitution of the Second Republic distributes the capacities thus:

  • the Executive power: The president is elected for 4 years with the Vote for all male direct, in the majority relative with a minimum of 2 million voice; he is re-eligible only 4 years after the end of sound Mandat. He must be at least 30 years old. He has the armed force, without never being able to order it in person. He cannot dissolve the National Assembly either. It is him which names the Ministre S. It has the right of reprieve. Certain amendments had the aim of prohibiting with certain people to arise to the presidency (the components wanted to avoid a diverting of the mode by excluding from the race to the election the nephew of Napoleon and the family members royal), but they were not retained.
  • the Legislative power: A single assembly (Monocamérisme), the National Assembly (750 members of at least 25 years, elected for 3 years by the universal direct suffrage). Its members perceive an allowance.

The constitution of the Second Republic is promulgated by the president of the constituent Assembly the November 4th 1848. December 10th, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte is elected president of the Republic with 74% of the votes cast. Georges Boulay of Meurthe is its Vice-president.

Political life under the Second Republic

See also: legislative Parliament (1849)

and

See also: presidential Election of 1848

The riots of June 1848 run the mode, the national workshops being closed the workmen of Paris revolt and form barricades: one week of, thousand street battle of deaths, 4000 deportees in Algeria. Cavaignac which orders the army becomes president of the council and tries to be made elect president. The event marks the rupture of the national unit and the appearance of the " fights of classe" between middle-class man and workmen as Tocqueville will notice it.

Louis-Napoleon will be then elected with the presidency of the Republic thanks to the Parti the Order. The government then will remove the Vote for all partly by taking an easy way: obligation of residence of at least three years, which excludes the poor. One must also notice the vote of the Loi Falloux which facilitates the Private education, obliges the communes to have a school for girls and accentuates the control of the Clergé on the Enseignement.

Very quickly the mode seems promised with dead and one attends a speed race between the partisans of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte and the monarchists who prepare the restoration.

The coup d'etat

See also: Coup d'etat of December 2nd, 1851

The Coup d'etat is only the consequence of existing contradictions between the various political bodies of the time. Indeed, since December 10th, 1848 Louis Napoleon Bonaparte is president of the republic, elected official by the vote for all. At the time of the legislative elections of 1849, the conservatives are majority at the National Assembly: there is thus an impossible cohabitation between these two bodies. However, the constitution of November 4th, 1848 establishes a strict separation of the capacities between the bodies, a little on the model of J-J Rousseau (specialization of the authorities). There thus does not exist any means of reciprocal pressure between the bodies, which thus try to agree to function, in spite of the existing political opposition. In the event of conflict, there does not exist any constitutional solution, and it risk is that the two bodies deliver a power struggle. Here, the Exécutif has good lucks carry it since it has the armed force. Finally the element release of this coup d'etat is located in 1851 when Louis Napoleon Bonaparte asks the National Assembly to revise the constitution to allow him to represent itself with the next presidential elections. The deputies will refuse.

For the preparation of the coup d'etat of 1851, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte place of the close relations to the key positions. The Magnan general is named ordering troops of Paris, the general Saint-Arnaud is selected as Ministre for the War and the prefect of the Haute-Garonne, Maupas, is promoted prefect of police of Paris. It is Louis-Napoleon himself which fixes the coup d'etat at the December 2nd, birthday day of the sacring of Napoleon in 1804 and of the victory of Austerlitz in 1805.

After having made stop the principal opponents and having placed the army at the neuralgic points of the capital, Louis-Napoleon made post a proclamation bound for the French. He explained, in this Appel with the people which he had the intention to restore “the system created by the First consul”. Louis-Napoleon then made ratify his coup d'etat by Référendum, which rather in fact took the form of a Plébiscite. A vast majority of French agreed to follow the president lately elected.

The 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.

One can thus qualify this mode of authoritative. Moreover it moulted at the end of one year in a Second Empire, which did not surprise anybody. It is the Sénatus-consulte November 7th 1852 which restored “imperial dignity” with the profit of Louis-Napoleon who became thus Napoleon III.

References

  • Karl Marx published seven articles of 1851 with 1852 which it gathered under the title “ the 18 brumaire of Louis Bonaparte ”. It described there, so to speak hot, the events which led to the coup d'etat of the December 2nd 1851 by replaçant them in their economic context and social.
  • Ines Murat, IIe Republic (1848-1851) , Beech, Paris, 1987,533 p.

Quotation

“The Republic, in France, has this of private individual, that everyone holds to with it but that nobody wants some. ”
(Count Joseph Arthur de Gobineau, diplomat and writer French, 1816-1882).

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • Portrait and biography summarized of the president on the official site of the Presidency
  • To be insurgent and be citizen of Paris during the Second Republic by Louis Hincker.
  • Summarized on the Second Republic

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