4. The July Monarchy (1830-1848)
The July Monarchy is marked by the triumph of the wealthy bourgeoisie, a return to Napoleonic influence and colonial expansion. Louis-Philippe is known as the "citizen king" because of his bourgeois manners and clothes, but his reign proves differently. Although Louis-Philippe's government revised the Constitutional Charters of 1814, it is still generally unresponsive to the needs of lower class citizens. Legitimists and Bonapartists, in addition to revolutionary leftists, begin to oppose the ruling government.
By 1840, agricultural production in the country is exceptional, and the industrial revolution allows for mass production of cotton. At this time, French cities are flooded with migration from the country. France experiences a severe economic crisis between 1846-1847, and the already poor working conditions for the lower classes worsen. In an attempt to demand electoral reform, the resistance organizes the Banquet Campaign in 1848. When the government refuses to allow the Banquet to meet on February 22, street fighting and uprisings break out all over Paris. On February 23, while trying to control the crowds, French troops fire on demonstrators, sparking the February Revolution of 1848. Louis Philippe flees to England, but the revolution proves eventually to be unsuccessful due to irresolvable differences between the radicals and the bourgeois. The French revolution inspires other revolutions throughout Europe, most of which also prove to be unsuccessful. In April, the French citizens elect moderates to the government, only to attempt to overthrow the newly elected National Assembly one month later. The attempt is a failure, and Napoleon III is elected president of the Second Republic on December 10, 1848.