To prevent further revolutions and strengthen the European monarchies, the Great Powers decided to restore the Bourbon dynasty to the French throne at the Congress of Vienna. And the Charter of 1814 officially became the constitution of France, stipulating that the nation would be a constitutional monarchy. Naturally, this differed from the constitutional republic in the United States, which gave power to popularly elected representatives but legally restrained their powers via a constitution; differed from the republican form of government in France following the French Revolution, which gave unconstrained power to representatives; and differed itself from historical monarchies, which were not constitutionally, legally restrained. Instead, the constitutional monarchy of France created a three-branch government and limited the king’s power, but gave all the executive authority to the House of Bourbon.
With the death of his reigning brother, Charles X was crowned the king of France in 1824. However, his reign would hardly prevent further revolutions as the delegates in Vienna expected. A staunch ultra-royalist who believed in a strong monarchy and despised every aspect of the French Revolution, he refused to sympathize with any of the Revolution’s ideological inheritors and ignored both the socialists and the classical liberals. His ministry was almost exclusively filled with ultra-royalists, and he disbanded the civilian-led National Guard in 1827. Public disdain for Charles’ policies and infringement on civil liberties rose when the economy took a downturn. By 1830, the popularly elected Chamber of Deputies, the lower chamber of the bicameral legislature, passed a verdict of no confidence in the King. Later that year, the classical liberals took sweeping victories in the election and drove ultra-royalists out of office. In response, King Charles X broke the Charter of 1814 by dissolving the Chamber of Deputies, shrinking the number of eligible voters down to 23,000, and placing restrictions on the press. Protesters filled the streets. Some grieved the poor economy; others lost civil liberties through the violation of the constitutional Charter. Whatever their motives, all 14,000 protesters were united in their goal to depose the King, and physical violence was on the table. This entire ordeal became known as the July Revolution. As a result, Charles X abdicated the throne and fled to Great Britain. His cousin, Louis Philippe, was crowned in his place.
Asher Sisneros 