POLITICAL STRUGGLES IN FRANCE

September 30, 2014• Quiz today! Take a few minutes to study! • After quiz we will begin Chapter 14 section 3-Politics in

France.

Revolt in France• In 1815 the Congress of Vienna restored the Bourbon

monarchy under Louis XVIII.• Louis died in 1824

• His brother / successor Charles X wanted to restore absolute monarchy. • Got help from the ultraroyalists–nobles favoring a return to the old

order.

Revolt in France• The king issued the July Ordinances.

• designed to dissolve the assembly, end freedom of the press, and restrict voting rights

• On July 27, 1830, angry Parisian workers and students revolted.

Revolt in France• By July 29, after Les Trois Glorieuses (three glorious

days) Charles X was forced to abdicate the throne. • Charles X fled to Great Britain.

The “Citizen-King”• Revolutionary leaders wrote a new constitutional

monarchy that was different than the old aristocracy.• Louis Philippe, a cousin of Charles, accepted the throne.

• became known as the “Citizen-King.”

The “Citizen-King”• The working-class demanded political reforms.

• voting rights• Louis Philippe and Prime Minister François Guizot refused

• Frustrated, the revolutionary leaders called for Guizot’s resignation.

Revolution of 1848• February 22, 1848, crowds flooded Paris streets, singing

“The Marseillaise” and protested against Guizot.• Louis Philippe abdicated and fled to Great Britain. • The Revo. of 1848 ended w/ rebels declaring France a

republic.• Austria, Italy, Prussia followed France’s lead.

• More political rights

The Second Empire• In the spring of 1848, Revolutionary leaders created a

new constitution for the 2nd Republic of France.• Featured many democratic reforms:

• Legislative branch called the Nat’l Assembly• election of a president• extension of voting rights to all adult men

The Rise of Louis-Napoleon• Dec. 1848, French voters elected Louis-Napoleon

Bonaparte.• nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte

• He presented himself as a democratic reformer, but wanted to be emperor.

• Supported:• Army • middle class • peasants• Catholic Church

The Rise of Louis-Napoleon• Lou-Nap’s support for the Catholic Church created an

uproar in Paris. • He used the uproar to his advantage.

• convinced the people that the republic was a failure.• Lou-Nap took control of the French government

• directed a coup d’état - a quick seizure of power, on Dec. 2, 1851

The Rise of Louis-Napoleon• Lou-Nap called for a plebiscite – national vote.

• asked the people to give him the power to create a new French constitution, which they did.

• In a 2nd plebiscite, the people approved the transformation of the French republic into a hereditary empire.

The Rise of Louis-Napoleon• 1852 Lou-Nap became Napoleon III, Emperor of France. • He restricted the press and limited civil liberties, but his

economic program was successful.

Crimean War• 1854 Napoleon III led France into the Crimean War,

• France and Great Britain vs Russia • over interests in the Ottoman Empire

• July 1853, Russia’s Czar Nicholas I seized Ottoman territory in the Balkans b/c the Ottoman emperor decided to side w/ France.

Crimean War• After the Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia in

October 1853• Great Britain • France• Sardinia (Tiny Italian kingdom) joined the conflict

• In fall of 1854, French and British armies invaded the Crimean Peninsula on the north shore of the Black Sea

Crimean War• Florence Nightingale, a nurse, improved hospital care

and saved many lives.• The 1856 Treaty of Paris:

• Ended the war • Forced Russia to return seized Ottoman territory• Banned warships and forts around the Black Sea

End of the Empire• Napoleon declared war on the Prussians on July 19,

1870, beginning the Franco-Prussian War.• The Prussians beat the French in just over 6 weeks. • Sept. 2, after a decisive victory at Sedan, the Prussians

took Napoleon III prisoner.

End of the Empire• Sept. 4, news of Napoleons capture reached Paris.

• crowds filled the streets and forced the collapse of the Second Empire.

• Prussian forces laid siege to Paris for 4 months before a truce was signed.

Making Peace• New National Assembly was elected in France

• dominated by royalists• The Assembly surrendered the provinces of Alsace and

Lorraine• France paid Prussia 5 billion francs – the equivalent of 1

billion dollars.

Making Peace• In March the Nat’l Assembly tried to restore order in

France.• particularly in Paris.

• Parisians staged an uprising in Paris.• Not happy w/ peace terms

• Gov’t demanded that Parisians pay the rents and debts that had been suspended during the siege.

• The Assembly stopped paying the Nat’l Guard.

The Commune of Paris• Paris workers established a Socialist government known

as the Commune of Paris.• The leaders of the Commune refused to recognize the

Nat’l Assembly• Leaders wanted to convert France into a decentralized federation

of independent cities• Civil war broke out - the Nat’l Assembly took the offensive

and regained control over Paris.

The Commune of Paris• The Commune of Paris promoted:

• End to gov’t support for religion• New revolutionary calendar• 10 hr. work day

The Commune of Paris• May 1871, the Assembly’s military arrested nearly 40,000

people and killed more than 20,000.• “Bloody Week”

• The rebellion set back the political and social advances made by workers.

The 3rd Republic• After the fall of the Commune, the French fought over

what form of gov’t it should take.• Finally, in 1875 a new constitution made France once

again a republic. • The 3rd Republic’s constitution provided for a two-house

legislature.

The 3rd Republic• The two houses elected a president

• served 4 years and had little real power• A cabinet of ministers was responsible for government

policy• the post of premier was created to handle all executive

business.

Threats• The new government was vulnerable to attack.• Threatened by General Georges Boulanger – popular war

hero.• 1889 Boulanger’s supporters urged him to overthrow the

Third Republic w/ a coup d’état.• movement collapsed when he fled the country to avoid arrest for

treason.

Threats• 2nd threat - the early 1890s centered around the

construction of the Panama Canal.• The project failed – thousands of French stockholders lost

money.

The Dreyfus Affair• 1890s – 3rd Republic’s biggest crisis• 1894 Alfred Dreyfus, a French army officer, was convicted

of selling military secrets to the Germans.• Found Guilty

• Later discovered that the evidence used against Dreyfus was forged.

The Dreyfus Affair• In 1899 – new trial was ordered.

• Military court found Dreyfus guilty, again! • Dreyfus won a presidential pardon• civilian court later declared him innocent as well.

The Dreyfus Affair• Socialists and anti-Catholics united to:

• Defend Dreyfus • Discredit the military

• Royalists, nationalists, and many Catholics joined in regarding Dreyfus as guilty. • Anti-Semitic

• Case proved that a Republic gov’t could survive in France.