5. The Second Republic (1848-1852)
Napoleon III holds a great nostalgia for the past era of his uncle Napoleon I. At the elections held in April of 1848 Republicans win the majority of the Assembly. The Second Republic, in which the new president is limited to one term, proves to be a time of positive change for the Church. Roman Catholic Pope Pius IX is restored in Rome in 1849, and the Education Bill of 1850 greatly favors the Church. The first three years are also positive for the people and the democracy: Napoleon III abolishes slavery, instates universal suffrage, introduces social programs for the unemployed, and grants the press tremendous freedom.
By 1851, Napoleon III longs for additional authoritative power, and the government moves towards conservative traditions. With his half brother, the Duc de Morny, Napoleon III orchestrates a coup on December 2, 1851, resulting in the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly and the end of the Second Republic. By 1852, France drafts a new Constitution granting the president new dictatorial powers. The plebiscite names Napoleon III emperor of the Second Empire.