The Rise and Fall of Louis Philippe

On the 22nd of February, mass protests broke out across Paris along with the construction of barricades. Radicals led by democratic socialists like Louis Blanc set up their own government whose individual members called for universal male suffrage and guaranteed employment. The radical government succeeded in pressuring the moderate government to call for popular elections wherein roughly 10 million adult males were eligible to vote. On the 24th of February, Louis Philippe abdicated and a member of the National Assembly, Alphonse de Lematine declared that France would become a republic. While moderate Republicans formed the majority, this was partly because there was no strong candidate for the kingship. This left only one remaining house that had ruled France,