 Revolution
of 1848
• King Louis Philippe
abdicates throne
 Last French monarch
• Louis Napoleon
(nephew of Napoleon
Bonaparte) elected
President of the
French Second
Republic
 1851: Louis
Napoleon uses military to
seize complete control of government
 1852: grants universal manhood suffrage
and used a plebiscite to gain support for
the founding of a French empire
• Plebiscite: allowing people to vote on an issue
 1852: Louis
Napoleon was crowned
Napoleon III
• Second French Empire
 Kept
an extravagant court
 Controlled military, police, and civil
service
 He could introduce legislation to the
legislature
 He was given power to declare war
 Used plebiscite to legitimize his rule
 “Liberal
Empire”
 Promoted a strong economy
 Railroad construction expanded
 Construction projects provided jobs
 Modernized the streets and sewage
systems in Paris
 Legalized trade unions and gave workers
the right to strike
 Wanted
to restore France’s military and
diplomatic power
• Fought against Russia in the Crimean War
• Aided Sardinia against the Austrians
 Important step for Italian Unification
• France gained control of Algeria and territories
in Southeast Asia
 Conflict
between France and Prussia
leads to the Franco-Prussian War
 France defeated (1871)
 Napoleon III overthrown and exiled to
Britain
 French Second Empire collapsed
 Loss
of Franco-Prussian War resulted in
anarchy in Paris
 Paris Commune created
• government established by political radicals
and socialists to run the city of Paris separately
from the rest of France
• Goal: to create a democratic, proletarian
government
• Over 20,000 died when troops were sent in to
reclaim the city
 1875: Third
Republic firmly established
• Numerous scandals weaken the government
 Failure of the Panama Canal
 Dreyfus Affair