Notes
Slide Show
Outline
1
The Revolutions of the 19th Century.
  • Patricia Barry
  • © 2006.
2
Overview.
  • After the Napoleonic wars and the peace treaty of 1815, the monarchy was restored in France, with a younger brother of Louis XVI.
  • During the whole of the 19th century in France, people tried to find the right balance between the monarchists – who wanted a return to the Ancien Régime and the republicans, who wanted a more liberal government.
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Les revolutions.
  • The whole century is remarkable for its revolts and revolutions
  • In general, revolutions tend to be of economic, social or political origin.
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What’s a revolution?
  • In France, a revolution could mean:
  •  Having concerns about a regime that censors the media, restricts freedoms or liberty or suppresses opposition.
  • Finding suitable slogans
  • Demonstrating in the streets
  • Erecting barricades in the streets against the forces of law and order.
  • Fighting against the forces of law and order and/or the army.
5
The revolution of 1830
  • « The Revolution of 30th July ».
  •  The causes.
  • Charles X (another younger brother of Louis XVI) ruled like a king of the Ancien Regime.
  • He cancelled elections and suppressed the freedom of the press.
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The revolution of 1830
  • The events:
  • The Parisians threw up street barricades and forced the King to leave the capital.
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The révolution of 1830
  • The consequences:
  • The deputies in the National Assembly feared a republic, so they offered the vacant throne to Louis Philippe, the Duke of Orléans.
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The revolution of 1830
  • The consequences:
  • The events inspired Hugo to write « Les Misérables ».
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The Year of Revolutions - 1848.
  • The slogan:
  • « work or bread; bread or lead".
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The Year of Revolutions - 1848.
  • The cause:
  • Louis Philippe refused to reform an unjust electoral system.
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The Year of Revolutions - 1848.
  • The events:
  • Demonstrations were forbidden so the demonstrators organised banquets in favour of reforms.
  • A big banquet organised in Paris was forbidden, and the students and workers demonstrated.
  • More than a thousand barricades were erected in the streets of the capital.
  •  There was general insurrection throughout France.
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The Year of Revolutions - 1848.
  • The consequences:
  • There was fierce fighting in the streets of Paris.
  • Louis Philippe renounced his throne.  The Second Republic was proclaimed.  However, the new constitution no longer mentioned peoples’ working rights.
  • The repression was terrible.  11 000 workers were  arrested and 4 000 were deported to Algeria.
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The coup d’état of 1851
  • The causes:
  • The Second Republic, had, as its President, the nephew of Napoléon Bonaparte, Louis Napoléon Bonaparte.
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The coup d’état of 1851
  • The events:
  • President Bonaparte declared himself: « Emperor of the French».
  • His regime called itself « le second Empire ».
  • He called himself: « Napoléon III ».
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The coup d’état of 1851
  • The consequences:
  • Napoléon III set up an authoritarian regime.
  • He limited personal freedom, censored the press and crushed all opposition.
  • He expelled 70 deputies from the National Assembly (of whom one was Victor Hugo)
  • He confiscated the wealth of the Royal Family.
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The Commune of Paris - 1871.
  • Often referred to as:
  • « the bloody week".
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The Commune of Paris - 1871.
  • The causes:
  • After the siege of Paris (1870) the Parisians were desperate.  They were shamed by the misery and deprivations of the long siege, followed by surrender.
  • New repressive laws had also been introduced.
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The Commune of Paris - 1871.
  • The events:
  • The Parisians allied themselves with the National Guard and the army in Paris.  They formed: « la Commune de Paris ».
  • The government had to recruit new soldiers.  There was furious hand to hand fighting, street by street – it was a veritable carnage.
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The Commune of Paris - 1871.
  • The consequences:
  • More than 30,000 Parisian « communards » died.
  • The severe repression lasted for many months -  20,000 to35,000 executions, 50,000 arrests, 10,000 imprisoned or deported.
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And the last French revolution?
  • Was in May 1968


  • And the slogan?
  • « Métro, Boulot, Dodo » or « Métro, Work, Sleep ».
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May 1968
  • The causes:
  • Uni students denounced the attitudes of the government of the time and the middle class, towards the life of the working classes.
  • This was the « Metro, boulot, dodo ». (the daily grind of getting the Metro to work, working for the whole day, and returning home only to fall asleep.)
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May 1968
  • The events:
  • There were violent demonstrations against the forces of law and order in the streets of Paris.
  • The workers and unions united swiftly and called for a national strike.
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May 1968
  • The consequences:
  • France had to accept a very delicate political situation.
  • There were considerable reforms made to the work system.
  • There were reforms made to the university system