Failure of the July Monarchy and the 1848 Revolution

The year 1848 for all of Europe was a tumultuous one, with revolutions breaking out in almost every country. Through a chain of accidental circumstances, reform was being brought to the current governments because of three major reasons- the spread of nationalist programs, the emergence of liberal political activity, and economic crisis. One of the first countries in which revolutionary fighting broke out was France. This essay will use the works of Alexis de Tocqueville, a powerful political thinker, to discuss the failures of the July Monarchy, the circumstances which allowed the February Revolutions to take place and the legacy which these events left.

The July Monarchy (1830- 1848) was a time period marked by a moderately liberal state which was controlled mainly by the educated elite which greatly disenfranchised the middle and working classes. France was emerging from a period known as the Restoration where Ultaroyalist Charles X had been passed the title of king. His term was characterized by economic crisis, political duality and harsh ordinances that attempted to reconstruct a society of aristocratic privilege (Neurberger, Joan 28). Charles realized that he was wrong to attempt such policies, and abducted himself in 1830 after attempts of overthrow. After this, there was much debate on the kind of government that should be implemented; a democratic republic was being called for by a minority which hoped to establish universal suffrage and the liberal bourgeoisie called for a constitutional monarchy which would restrict the right to vote to the wealthy. The Chamber of Deputies nominated Louis Philippe to become the "King of the French", a title that he accepted which marked the beginning of the July Monarchy. Tocqueville says, "In 1830 the triumph of the middle class had been definite and so thorough that all political power, every franchise, every prerogative, and the whole government was confined and, as it were,