Part 2: Revolution
The elections continue throughout January without any problem and on the 11th of February the July Column is Unveiled. The July Column is a monumental column in Paris commemorating the 615 dead of the revolution of 1830 which saw the fall of King Charles X of France and the commencement of the July Monarchy.
In May the Federal Republic of Central America formally breaks up after 17 years of unrest in the country and a civil war. Elsewhere in the world the British sign the Treaty of Waitangi with the Maori Chiefs of New Zealand. The Treaty has established a British Governor of New Zealand and it also recognised Māori ownership of their lands and other properties, and gave the Māori the rights of British subjects.
In June Louis Napoleon attempts a coup in Boulogne hoping the people would join him but he was apprehended shortly after. He was put on trial, where, despite an eloquent defence of his cause, he was sentenced to life in prison in the fortress of Ham in the Somme department of northern France. Not long after the debacle with Louis Napoleon the Conservatives declare victory on the 3rd of July to our disappointment. With the Conservatives now in power our small industry and military begins to suffer due to their policies until they are replaced by the reactionaries in December.
In December the body of Emperor Napoleon I is returned to France nearly 20 years after his death in exile on the island of St Helena in the middle of the Atlantic. On the 2nd of March 1841 we annex the island of Tahiti in the pacific, the British where not happy with this as there where already British settlers on the island but now we have established a protectorate over the island and will now start building a naval base.
On the 31st of December after several years of debating the morals of slavery we decide that it is time to outlaw the practice of Slavery in the French empire. In March 1842 we take another look at the Gazette De France to find that the British are growing weary of our growing might and that the Austrian emperor Franz I has died at the age of 67.
On the 9th of June 1842 a crisis begins as the Russians support the Greek cause for independence. Upon hearing of the Russians supporting the Greeks we immediately decide to support the already frail Ottoman Empire. Only 4 great powers will take part in this crisis as both Prussia and Britain declined to join in the crisis due to both currently being at war with the Chinese. The Austrians join our side on the 2nd of July and the Spanish join our side on the 19th of July. Faced with the overwhelming might of France, Austria and Spain the Russians decide that provoking war is not worth the risk and they accept a white peace in august.
As one crisis in the Balkans ends another begins in the Low Countries in September as the Dutch agree to the terms of the treaty of London but the Belgians decline preferring to maintain control of Luxembourg and Limburg. The Dutch refusal to abide by the terms of the treaty of London provokes a strong response from the great power and even threats of war. We mobilized troops to the border in preparation for a war but soon we were forced to shift our attention elsewhere.
On the 15th of September revolts begin across the country with seemingly no explanation. After 2 weeks of fighting the Imperial guards are forced out of Paris by over 90,000 armed protestors. 11,000 men out of 27,000 men survived the battle of Paris and retreated northwards towards Amiens to regroup and resupply leaving the king to his fate. As the revolutionaries gather in Paris fighting continues to the east and west of the city with the army defeating the revolutionaries in Epinal and in several small battles in Brittany.
On the 2nd of December the 2nd French republic is declared after the king flees the country leaving the revolutionaries to organize fresh elections to determine the new leader of France. With the King no longer in power Louis Napoleon decides to return to the country in an attempt to gain power democratically by participating in the elections.
While we were dealing with our own little crisis the crisis in the Low Countries continued. On the 6th of January the crisis heats up when the Austrian’s declare war on Belgium to make Belgium release Luxembourg and return Limburg to the Netherlands.
On the 14th of February the elections come to a conclusion in a result no one expected, Louis Napoleon is elected President. Louis-Napoleon was widely expected to win, but the size of his victory surprised almost everyone. He won 5,572,834 votes or 74.2 percent of votes cast, compared with 1,469,156 for Cavaignac. The scale of his victory was incredible he has promised much to the people of France and hopefully he will deliver without getting France caught up in constant war like his uncle did.
On the 6th of July 1843 the war between Belgium and Austria comes to an end with Austria forcing Belgium to abide by the peace term of the treaty of London. On the 20th we form the foreign legion a military unit that has the distinction of allowing anyone to serve regardless of national background.
The remainder of 1843 goes by without any significant events transpiring besides the British takeover of Natal in South Africa. On the 31st of March 1844 a small number Occitanian Nationalists rise up in rebellion before being dispersed by the army a few days later. After 2 months of debate in the government Louis Napoleon decides that it is time to expand our possessions in Algeria further and declares war on Algeria on the 24th of November 1844. This war should be won easily enough but this conflict will mark Louis Napoleon’s first act of aggression and his first major foreign policy decision but will his acts have any consequences.
