On February 25, 1848, the Second Republic was proclaimed by Alphonse de Lamartine surrounded by Parisian revolutionaries; A provisional government was formed from 24 February to 9 May 1848, represented by the common people.
The regime applied universal male suffrage for the first time (vote of French citizens) and definitively abolished slavery in the French colonies.
But in the elections the conservatives won and the workers were removed from power. The people of Paris revolted again the same year. The army intervenes, thousands of people are killed.
On 10 December 1848, the first election of a President of the Republic by universal suffrage took place. It is Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon 1st, who wins.
As Louis Napoleon’s powers were due to expire in May 1852, the Assembly refused the Bonapartists the extension of the presidential term. On December 2, 1851, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte organized a coup d’état, allowing him to extend his presidential term by 10 years.