causes of the February Revolution of 1848 in France .

by - January 22, 2022

Discuss the causes of the February Revolution of 1848 in France .

Reasons for the February Revolution: -



Against the reactionary policy of Charles X, the Bourbon dynasty, re-established in France, fell in 1630 AD. Louis Philippe of the Orleans dynasty ascended the throne of France through the July Revolution. Louis Philippe was in power from 1830 to 1848. His reign was called "July Monarchy". Then, with the February Revolution of 1848, Louis Philippe's rule came to an end. The reasons for the February Revolution were -


1. Inflation and the food crisis: - Although the center of European politics, France was an agricultural country. From 1840-42 onwards, due to the inefficiency of the French monarchy, there was a sharp rise in inflation. On the other hand, there has been a recession in agriculture since this time. Production of potato, wheat and agricultural products is severely affected due to insect infestation, drought etc. As a result, food prices in France skyrocketed. As crop prices rise, so does the impact on manufactured goods. Louis Philippe failed to resolve the crisis.

2. Opposition of political parties: - After the accession to the throne, three major political obstacles were created in front of Louis Philippe. Liberals, on the one hand, expected Louis Philippe to introduce liberal democratic rule in France, and on the other hand , supporters of the Bourbon dynasty considered Louis Philippe's accession to the throne illegal. Again, the Bonapartist party sharply criticized Louis Philippe's weak policy, comparing it to Napoleon's glorious reign.

3. The dependence of the monarchy on bourgeois : - In the face of opposition from almost every political party, Louis Philippe became dependent on the bourgeoisie. This dependence was so great that the historian Takvil says that the rich bourgeoisie regarded Louis Philippe as an industrial enterprise. Louis Philippe gave the bourgeoisie chances to make a profit through the policy of tariff protection. For all these reasons, the reign of Louis Philippe is called the "bourgeois monarchy".

4. Discrimination against industrial workers: - Louis Philippe's bourgeois appeasement led to the development of mills in France by the bourgeoisie but the condition of the workers was very miserable. The workers lived in an unhealthy environment in the slums of the city. Their salaries were extremely low. Louis Philippe did not introduce any policy in the interest of the main driving force of the production system. The crisis created by the bourgeois through unlimited exploitation - also had an effect on the monarchy.


5. Weak foreign policy: - The French did not support Louis Philippe's policy of secession. He adopted a policy of inactivity without adopting any glorious foreign policy like Napoleon. He was also inactive despite having the opportunity to take part in the war of independence of Italy and Poland. Louis Philippe's foreign policy in the Near East  also proved to be a failure in the Near East.

6. The lower bourgeoisie or the petty bourgeoisie demanded the right to vote: - The lower bourgeoisie or petty bourgeoisie were educated and middle class. They were employed in education, law, government service, etc. But in France the petty bourgeoisie had the right to vote for only 1 in 150 male citizens. They started a fierce movement for suffrage under the leadership of La Martin, Thiers and others.

7. Louis Philippe's policy of moderation: - Louis Philippe took the throne of France in support of the citizens. So his throne was dependent on the support of the citizens. So while Louis Philippe initially supported the ideals of the French Revolution,in practice he was moderate. As a result, he failed to win the confidence of all political parties and the general public in France.

8. September Act: - Then Louis Philippe issued a reactionary law called the September Act. The main points of this law were -
(i) All forms of anti - government criticism are prohibited.
(ii) In the case of trial, the jury practice is abolished.
(iii) Newspapers are silenced.
(iv) The policy of inactivity is adopted in foreign affairs.

9. Direct cause: February 22 shooting: Liberals hold a rally in Paris to protest the September law and Louis Philippe's general policy. But the government declared the meeting banned. In protest, people rallied against Prime Minister Gizo. More than 20 people were killed when Gizo's bodyguards opened fire on the crowd.

Intense protests erupted throughout Paris in protest of this attack on the people. Extreme tensions were created throughout France. The citizens of Paris then started an armed revolt and demanded the resignation of the king. Violent riots broke out all over France. Slogan is created - Long live reform. Then, on 24 February, Louis Philippe abdicated in favor of his grandson and took shelter in England. But the people ended the monarchy on 26 February under the leadership of La Martin and established a democracy.


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