The French Revolution of 1848, which would lead to the establishment of the French Second Republic, begins.

The French Revolution of 1848 erupted from a volatile mix of economic hardship, political exclusion, and social tension that had been building throughout the 1840s. France was ruled at the time by King Louis-Philippe, whose July Monarchy favored the wealthy bourgeoisie while excluding most citizens from political participation. Voting rights were restricted to a small fraction of property-owning men, leaving workers and the middle classes increasingly frustrated. Poor harvests and an economic downturn worsened living conditions, especially in cities like Paris, where unemployment and food prices fueled popular anger.

The immediate trigger of the revolution was the government’s ban on political “banquets,” which reformers used as a legal way to campaign for expanded suffrage. When authorities prohibited a major banquet in February 1848, protests erupted in Paris and quickly escalated. Barricades were erected in the streets, clashes broke out between demonstrators and troops, and public support for the monarchy collapsed. Within days, Louis-Philippe abdicated the throne and fled into exile, marking the end of the July Monarchy and the sudden downfall of constitutional kingship in France.

In the wake of the king’s abdication, a provisional government proclaimed the Second Republic and introduced sweeping reforms. Universal male suffrage was established, dramatically expanding political participation, and the government promised the “right to work” for citizens. To address unemployment, it created National Workshops to provide jobs for urban workers. These measures reflected the strong influence of socialist and republican ideas, but they also exposed deep divisions between moderate republicans, who feared radical change, and working-class activists, who demanded more extensive social reforms.

Those divisions soon undermined the revolutionary momentum. The closure of the National Workshops in June 1848 sparked violent uprisings by workers, which were brutally suppressed by the army. Although the republic survived, power gradually shifted toward more conservative forces, culminating in the election of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte as president later that year. The Revolution of 1848 ultimately failed to establish a lasting democratic republic, but it left a profound legacy by expanding suffrage, highlighting class conflict, and reinforcing the idea that popular pressure could overturn established political systems in modern France.