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The article focuses on Napoleon Bonaparte-Napoleon III considers the link between the Head of State and the people essential and his support to the former in public ceremonies, popular festivals, elections and plebiscite and relationship of those in power to the governed and election campaigns.

The article discusses the difficulties and failure of the second Republic and the abolition of slavery and the first election of a president the Republic.

Copyright of Parlement(s) is the property of Classiques Garnier Numerique and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Parlement(s) is the property of Classiques Garnier Numerique and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Parlement(s) is the property of Classiques Garnier Numerique and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

After the French Revolution, Alexis de Tocqueville sought to revise the French constitution and redefine the powers of the republic's president at the general assembly held during 1848-50. He believed the power of the government should be decentralized and kept in check by laws, so as not to become despotic. Tocqueville saw the election of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte into the presidency by the popular vote as an example of the people sacrificing democratic freedoms for material interests.

In this article Éric Anceau endeavours to show how opposition voters expressed their views in France from 1852 to 1870, during the Decennial Republic and the Second Empire. Universal suffrage was the cornerstone of these Bonapartist regimes, which nevertheless were very wary of it and sought to keep it under tight control. For this piece of research the author bases himself on the electoral minutes (Archives Nationales de France C 1336–1378, Moniteur Universel and Journal officiel de l'Empire français) and discusses matters in dispute. He studies the three key periods of the election—the campaign, the poll and the post-election period. The 1850s were quiet because of the repression and fear which followed the coup of 2 December 1851. In the early 1860s, the partial liberalization of the Empire and the revival of the opposition leaders enabled the voters to express their views without, however, guaranteeing that their choices would be taken into account. The elections were fraught with numerous acts of violence and infringements. In 1869–70, there was huge interest in the elections. Although abuse was rife, electoral practices were in the process of standardization. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this article, Éric Anceau examines the coup d'État of 2 December 1851, which was carried out by the President of the French Republic at the time, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, against the Legislative Assembly. By viewing the coup from the parliamentary side and by using the method of prosopography, the author reevaluates an apparently well-known period, while refraining from partisan judgements and hasty generalizations. In the first part, the author analyses the immediate and contrasted reactions of the 741 parliamentarians to the coup. He then describes their negotiations and alignments. He finally shows the consequences for the parliamentarians of their different attitudes towards the coup: active support, acceptance, total abstention (a stance chosen by approximately a fifth of them) or outright resistance. In fact, Éric Anceau shows the great variety of their responses. Nevertheless he underlines the undecided, wait-and-see and pragmatic attitude chosen by most of the representatives. He concludes by mentioning the long-lasting consequences of the coup on the relationship between the new regime and the former Assembly representatives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]