h, within two years
and a half, had worshipped, scorned, and assailed him.

(1848) THE REVOLUTION OF FEBRUARY IN FRANCE, Francois P.G. Guizot and
Mme. Guizot de Witt

This outbreak marked one of the many transitions in French history,
leading to the establishment of the short-lived Second Republic, so soon
to be followed by the _coup d'etat_ of Louis Napoleon and the setting up
of the Second Empire. When France passed from the rule of the Bourbons,
represented by Charles X, to that of the Orleanists, in the hands of
Louis Philippe, the "Citizen King" (July, 1830), great hopes were
entertained by the constitutional party that this renewal of the
monarchy through the "July Revolution" would result in permanent
benefits. At first the new King enjoyed great popularity. In some
respects his government, compared with that of Charles X, was liberal,
and one of its early acts was an extension of the suffrage by decreasing
the amount of the property qualification for voters. The demand for
still further enlargement of popular rights became emphatic. The people
were divided mainly into three parties, and the difficulties confronting
the King were formidable. The Conservatives, who had placed him in
power, wished to prevent further changes in the State; the Moderates
asked for new reforms, especially for a still more extended suffrage;
the Radical party desired a republic.

The attitude of the Radicals caused Louis Philippe to halt in his
progressive policy. More than once his life was attempted, and in
consequence of such acts the liberty of the press and other privileges
were restricted. The greater part of the French people wished to have
the King intervene in behalf of Poland--which at that period was in a
state of almost chronic insurrection--as he had aided the Belgians
against Holland. In her Eastern policy France was defeated by the
Quadruple Alliance, formed by England, Prussia, Austria, and Russia, and
in consequence of this failure the King's prestige suffered. But the
question of extending the suffrage was kept always before the people,
and when the King refused to go further with that reform its advocates
urged their demands more strongly than ever. Lamartine founded a journal
in which he agitated for universal suffrage, and in this agitation many
other newspapers joined. Even Thiers, the leading statesman of the
Moderate party, asked for suffrage reform. Failing to control the
Legislative Assembly,