フランス第二帝政とパリ・コミューンについて（一）

On March 2, 1848, the Universal Election Law was enacted in France, and democratization has made great strides. However, the Second Republic (1848-52) was overthrown by a coup d'état by President Louis Napoleon, and the Second Empire (1852-70), in which Emperor Napoleon III reigned, was established. And this change was undoubtedly supported by the French people (also adult men), who chose this political system through democratic procedures. Why is that? 1. The election of the Constitutional National Assembly, which was held after the February Revolution, was a ＂universal election,＂ but the middle class (moderate Republicans) overwhelmed and a conservative assembly centered around a nobleman was born. It also showed that the implementation of the universal election has made great strides toward ＂equity＂ in politics, but that does not necessarily lead directly to ＂democracy＂. It also pointed out that reforms in the narrow political space of the capital, Paris, do not necessarily move national affairs as a whole, and that nationwide activities are needed in the future. On the other hand, the Republican of Bourgeois, who took the initiative in the state affairs, carried out a kind of military dictatorship to suppress the popular ＂June uprising＂. 2. However, it was not the Republican of Bourgeois but the Order Party (royalist and Catholic) that won the Legislative Assembly Election in 1849. And, President Louis Napoleon saw that the Order Party, which enacted the Election Eligibility Restriction Act, was receiving public opposition, and led public dissatisfaction to Congress. President Louis Napoleon caused a coup d＇etat and gained public support in the 1852 Constitution and the People＇s Vote on the Second Empire. He used newspapers and other mass media to gain public support, and developed a populism that used the democratic methods of universal election and referendum to attract the attention of the people. However, the reality is still a dictatorship in which the emperor concentrates all administrative, military, and diplomatic powers, and the first half of the Second Empire is called ＂authoritative empire＂. 3. Napoleon III, who had followed Saint-Simonism, achieved success in reforming the financial system and remodeling Paris. However, the Catholic Church confronted Emperor in the wake of Italian Unification War (1859-60), and the business community has gone away because of the conclusion of the British-French Treaty of Trade (1860). He also failed in diplomacy for Germany,Luxembourg, Mexico and Japan, which was attributed to ＂individual diplomacy＂ by the emperor. Napoleon III was forced to expand his support base not only to the small peasant population but also to small bourgeoisie and laborers, and changed his government to ＂free emperor＂ through three times of political reform. As a result, the parliamentary imperial government was formed, and the workers formed the International Workers＇ Association (Primary International). In particular, the enactment of the Public Assembly Act not only led to the rise of rebels in the legislature, but also the rise of people's clubs.