The Revolutions of 1848 in France

Economic and international influences

The French middle class watched the changes in Britain with interest. When Britain's Reform Act of 1832 extended enfranchisement to anybody paying £10 or more per month (previously the vote was restricted to landholders), France's free press took interest. While the working class was perhaps slightly better off than Britain's, nominal laws against child labor were routinely flouted, and unemployment threw skilled workers down to the proletariat level.

Related Topics:
Britain - Reform Act of 1832 - Child labor - Proletariat

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The year 1846 saw a financial crisis and bad harvests, and the following year saw a, economic depression. A poor railroad system hindered aid efforts, and the Peasant rebellions that resulted were bloodily put down. Perhaps a third of Paris was on the dole. "Dangerous" writers proliferated such as Louis Blanc ("The right to work") and Pierre Joseph Proudhon ("Property is theft!", "God is evil"); secret societies such as the Saint-Simonians sprang up.

Related Topics:
1846 - Paris - Dole - Louis Blanc - Pierre Joseph Proudhon - Property is theft! - Secret societies - Saint-Simonian

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