A threatened system July Monarchy

this period of industrial revolution characterized appearance of new social phenomenon, known pauperism. related industrialization , rural exodus, working poor became increasingly large segment of population. furthermore, former network of workings men s associations of ancien régime had disappeared. workers had 14-hour working day, daily wages of 20 centimes, , no possibility of organizing in trade unions. 250,000 beggars registered, , 3 million citizens registered charity offices. state assistance nonexistent. social law of july monarchy outlaw, in 1841, labor of children under 8 years of age, , night labor of less 13 years. law, however, never implemented.

christians imagined charitable economy , while ideas of socialism, in particular utopian socialism (saint-simon, charles fourier, etc.) continued spread. blanqui theorized socialist coups d état, while socialist , anarchist thinker proudhon theorized mutualism. on other hand, liberals, inspired adam smith, imagined laissez-faire solution , end of tariffs, united kingdom, dominant european power, had started in 1846 repeal of corn laws.

final years (1846–1848)

the 1846 harvest poor, in france elsewhere (especially ireland, galicia , bohemia). rise in price of wheat, dietary staple of common people, provoked food shortage, while purchasing power decreased. resulting fall in domestic consumption led crisis of industrial overproduction. in turn led massive lay-offs, , large withdrawal of savings, leading banking crisis. bankruptcies multiplied, , stock prices on stock exchanges collapsed. government reacted importing russian wheat, created negative balance of trade. program of public works therefore stopped, including attempts improve france s coastal defences.

robert peel s government in britain collapsed in 1846 after disputes on corn laws, bringing liberals government led lord russell , lord palmerston. appointment of lord palmerston regarded threat france. guizot s effort bring rapprochement britain in 1840s virtually undone affair of spanish marriages, broke out year after palmerston attempted wed spanish queen member of house of saxe-coburg , gotha rather member of house of bourbon, guizot , british counterparts had agreed earlier in 1840s.

henceforth, there increase in workers demonstrations, riots in buzançais in 1847. in roubaix, city in industrial north, 60% of workers unemployed. @ same time, regime marred several political scandals (teste–cubières corruption scandal, revealed in may 1847, or charles de choiseul-praslin s suicide after having murdered wife, daughter of horace sébastiani).

since right of association strictly restricted, , public meetings prohibited after 1835, opposition paralyzed. in order sidestep law, political dissidents used civil funerals of comrades occasions of public demonstrations. family celebrations , banquets served pretexts gatherings. @ end of regime, campagne des banquets took place in of big cities of france. louis-philippe firmly reacted threat, , prohibited final banquet, held on 14 january 1848. postponed 22 february, banquet provoke february 1848 revolution.