The Revolutions of 1848 in France

The Second Republic

After the revolution, the new provisional government, called the Second Republic, was wildy disorganized. After roughly a month, conservatives began to oppose the new government, using the rallying cry order, which the messy new republic admittedly lacked.

Related Topics:
Second Republic - Conservative

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In the year 1848, 479 newspapers were founded. There was also a 54% decline in the number of businesses in Paris, as most of the wealthy had left; there was a corresponding decline in the luxury trade and credit was unobtainable. National workshops of the "Right to Work" were set up, which failed to prevent further social disorder.

Related Topics:
1848 - Business - Credit

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The government set out to establish an economy and provide social services. New taxes were passed on the landed class, peasants, and small farmers, with the taxes intended to pay for social services for the unemployed in the cities. The taxes were widely ignored, and the new government lost the support of rural France. Hard-working rural farmers did not want to pay for unemployed city people and their new "Right to Work," which ballooned the population of Paris with far more job seekers than there were jobs. Some jobs were provided, such as building roads and re-planting trees, but it was clear the demands of government were far more pressing than the revolutionaries had forseen.

Related Topics:
Tax - Landed class

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The National Workshops and the "Right to Work" were later abandoned. Some enraged workers picked up guns, later leading to the "June Days Uprising." Before, workers and petit bourgeoisie had fought together, but now, lines were tighter.

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Universal male suffrage was enacted on March 2, giving France nine million new voters. Like all other European nations, women did not have the right to vote.

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