Louis Philippe

Start of His Reign LP’s supporters (the grande bourgeoisie) did a number of things to gain popularity for his regime at the start 1. He was not to be named Louis XIX to disassociate him from the Bourbons 2. He was ‘King of the French by the will of the people’ not King of France – suggesting he was a constitutional not divine right monarch 3. He adopted the revolutionary tricolour flag not the white flag of the bourbons How significant do you think these changes were?

Constitutional Change 1. King could no longer rule by ordinance and could not suspend laws alone 2. Assembly could now propose laws not just the King 3. Hereditary peers in Chamber of Peers abolished – now just life peers 4. Tax qualification to be a deputy (MP) lowered to 500 Francs and age limit reduced to Tax qualification for voting lowered to 200 Francs – doubled the electorate but still only 200,000 out of 35 million 6. National Guard reinstated in Paris 7. Press censorship abolished 8. Roman Catholicism no longer official religion now just ‘the religion of the majority’ How significant do you think these changes were?

A Middle Class Monarchy? All changes benefited the higher ranks of the bourgeoisie who both disliked absolutism but fear democracy and republicanism Louis Philippe was a monarch with middle class habits – cooked for himself, lived relatively simply, dressed like a bourgeois not a King – wore a top hat and carried an umbrella “Despotism had moved from Chateau to Stock Exchange” Is this a fair assessment?

Group Tasks Group A: Describe the Foreign Policy of Louis Philippe – include the Belgian Revolt, Treaty of London, Guizot and the Entente with Britain, 1846 Spanish marriages and impact on relations with Britain. Evaluate whether LP’s foreign policy was successful Group B: Describe the Domestic Policy of Louis Philippe – include Guizot and laissez faire, education policy, demands for parliamentary reform, rise of socialism and Bonapartism, Reform Banquets Evaluate whether it was domestic policy which sealed the fate of LP