The French Revolution of 1848 began the series of revolutions in Europe that occurred during 1848. These revolutions were meant to overthrow the old governments in Europe and create independent countries. The French Revolution ended Louis Philippe’s July Monarchy and established the French Second Republic. The June Days and the days of February were different. France was full of fights between different ranks.
There were many differences among the ranks of French society. There were several types of revolutionary: socialists, bourgeois and peasants. The socialists enjoyed a lot of popularity among the French working class. They wanted to see economic and societal reforms as well as the end of privately owned property. The liberal bourgeois wanted reforms in politics. The workers and bourgeois initially worked together to overthrow the monarchy. As soon as the goal had been achieved, many workers lost their jobs. Following this, the workers grew less friendly towards the bourgeoisie. Thus began the June days. Peasants also attacked workers, because they believed that socialists were planning to seize their land. The peasants were not happy. The days of February. A fascinating fact: Since political gatherings and demonstrations were prohibited in France, “fund-raising dinners” were held instead. This loophole allowed attendees to criticize current governments. The banquets were held from July 1847 until February 1848. When the government discovered what was going on, they banned them. In response, the populace revolted. On February 22, 1848, the first battle was between the populace and the Paris municipal guards. The current Prime Minister, Francois Guiizot, resigned the following day after this fighting. The revolting population gathered in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when they heard of his resignation. Parisian Guards fatally shot 52 of those gathered in a tragic accident later that same day. Louis Philippe resigned sometime during the remaining battles. Two days later, February 26, 1848 was the date of the Second Republic’s election.
The June days followed. They took place between June 23 and June 26, 1848. The Second Republic, which was then in charge of France, wished to shut the National Workshops. The National Workshops provided a wide range of jobs to French citizens who were unemployed. The Second Republic was unable to sustain them, despite their success. Even taxes failed to help. Workers revolted after learning about Second Republic’s plans. The National Guard was ordered to put down the revolt. The National Guard’s achievements in these three short days are staggering. The National Guard killed or injured ten thousand workers, and deported another four thousand to Algeria. The situation wasn’t just bad for workers. The National Guard lost 1,500 soldiers, and the French Army also suffered a loss of 1,000. In only three days, liberals defeated radicals.
As we have seen in this essay the most popular choice for groups to defend their ideas is to revolt and fight. Peasants who attacked socialists, believing they were attempting to seize peasant lands or workers who revolted against the Second Republic in order to maintain their jobs are examples. Some of the ranks supported their ideals through peaceful means. France’s citizens held nonviolent banquets to criticize the government.
There were many differences among the ranks of the French Revolution in 1848. The old French government was eventually overthrown. Not all revolutions in Europe ended with a happy ending.
