French Second Republic (1848-1852)

• The difficult entry of France into the democratic era is marked by the Second Republic and the Second Empire (1848-1870)

The Second Republic (1848-1852)

• The Second Republic was a political democracy but had inequalities

The Establishment of the Second Republic

• Proclaimed in 1848 with democratic reforms
• Overturned the July Monarchy of LOUIS-PHILIPPE, which defended censitary suffrage and restricted freedoms
• The Revolution occurred in February 1848
• LAMARTINE and a provisional government proclaimed the Second Republic
• Adopted symbols like "liberty, equality, fraternity" as the motto
• Universal male suffrage and freedom of the press were restored in 1848
• The constitution confirmed national sovereignty and separation of powers
• A president would be elected to head the executive branch
• The president would have to accept laws passed by a legislative assembly
• The president could not be elected for two consecutive terms
• Women demanded civil and political emancipation in newspapers and clubs but were denied the right to vote
• Women's meetings were quickly banned by authorities

The Failure of Social Democracy

• The Second Republic struggled to meet the social expectations of the people
• Deputies passed social measures in 1848 like the guaranteed right to work, abolition of slavery and reduced working hours
• The state created national workshops to employ the unemployed and assign them to public works projects, paying them a salary
• The Second Republic lost the support of the working classes (peasants and workers) because the government increased taxes to finance the workshops, which angered the peasants
• The national workshops were deemed too expensive and closed in the June of 1848, leading to worker riots in Paris
• Lamartine, a former minister in the provisional government responsible for drafting the Constitution, supported the state's bloody repression of workers in June 1848, leading to his failure in the presidential elections later that year

An Ephemeral Republic

• The Second Republic was quickly overthrown
• In late 1848, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (LNB), nephew of Napoleon I, was elected as the first president, receiving approximately 75% of the vote
• He appointed royalist conservatives to his government
• They were grouped in the "Party of Order"
• They won the legislative elections in 1849
• Deputies of the Order passed laws restricting freedoms of the press, association, and assembly
• In 1850, they restricted universal suffrage by depriving 3 million French men of the right to vote, effectively reinstating censitary voting
• LNB wanted to remain in power after his first term, which the Constitution prohibited
• Facing the deputies' refusal to amend the Constitution, LNB organized a coup on December 2, 1851, dissolving the Assembly and arresting opposing deputies
• The Second Republic was abolished in 1852, replaced by the Second Empire

The Second Empire (1852-1870)

• It was an authoritarian empire despite democratic appearances

The Rise and Rule of Napoleon III

• LNB became Emperor Napoleon III (N. III) in 1852 and led an authoritarian empire
• Concentrated executive power and had the sole initiative in creating laws
• Maintained a legislative body of deputies and restored male suffrage to appear democratic
• The State favored "official candidates" supported by N. III, controlled the press and workers, and repressed opponents through arrests, deportations to colonies, and exile
• George Sand, a female novelist who had supported the Second Republic, campaigned for political prisoners
• She wrote letters to the Emperor demanding a general amnesty for political prisoners
• Her requests were initially refused, and censorship prevented her from publishing
• N. III increased his prestige by funding major works like the construction of the Opéra Garnier in Paris, renovations of heritage sites like cathedrals and the Château de PIERREFONDS, and expanding colonial conquests in North and West Africa, and Indochina

Opposition and Liberalization

• Maintained in spite of censorship and repression, and gradually liberalized the regime
• Some opponents exiled themselves and critiqued the Second Empire, like Victor Hugo, who published pamphlets against N. III (e.g., "Napoleon the Small", "The Punishments") from the Anglo-Norman islands of Jersey and Guernsey
• Imperial politics faced increasing criticism
• Republicans made progress in legislative elections despite censorship and official candidacies
• They advocated for the regime's liberalization, aligning with Adolphe Thiers' "5 necessary freedoms," including freedom of expression and the press
• Napoleon III gave concessions in response to the opposition to maintain power, including amnesties for opponents (1859), the right to strike (1864), and the end of press censorship (1868)
• The Legislative Body gained more powers, like proposing laws and questioning ministers