# French Provisional Government of 1848

The Provisional government was the first government of the French Second Republic, formed on 24 February 1848 following the abolition of the July Monarchy by the February Revolution. The provisional government was succeeded on 9 May 1848 by the Executive Commission.

## Formation

The Provisional Government was formed after three days of street fighting in Paris that ended in the abdication of King Louis Philippe I at noon on February 24. The leaders of the government were selected by acclamation in two different meetings later that day, one at the Chamber of Deputies and the other at the Hôtel de Ville. The first set of seven names, chosen at the Chamber of Deputies, came from the list of deputies made by the moderate republican paper Le National. The second set of names, chosen at the Hôtel de Ville, came from a list made by the more radical republican paper La Réforme. In addition to the first set of deputies it included three journalists and a representative of the workers. Later that evening the combined list was acclaimed at the Hôtel de Ville.
The members of the new Provisional Government collectively acted as head of state. They included the former deputies Jacques-Charles Dupont de l'Eure, Alphonse de Lamartine, Adolphe Crémieux, François Arago, Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin, Louis-Antoine Garnier-Pagès and Pierre Marie de Saint-Georges. The three journalists were Armand Marrast, Louis Blanc (a socialist) and Ferdinand Flocon. The representative of the workers was Alexandre Martin, known as "Albert".

## Ministers

Like its successor, the Executive Commission, the provisional government had a collective leadership, that exercised the power of head of state (French: Chief d'état) for all its duration.
The positions of power in the Provisional Government were mainly given to moderate republicans, although Étienne Arago was made Minister of Posts and Marc Caussidière became Prefect of Police. Alexandre Martin ("Albert"), Louis Blanc and Ferdinand Flocon did not get ministerial portfolios, and so had little power. The ministers were:
| Portfolio | Holder | Party |
| President of the Council of Ministers | Jacques Charles Dupont | Moderate Republican |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Alphonse de Lamartine | Moderate Republican |
| Minister of the Interior | Alexandre Ledru-Rollin | Radical Republican |
| Minister of Justice | Adolphe Crémieux | Moderate Republican |
| Minister of Finance | Michel Goudchaux | Moderate Republican |
| Minister of Public Works | Pierre Marie de Saint-Georges | Moderate Republican |
| Minister of Trade and Agriculture | Eugène Bethmont | Moderate Republican |
| Minister of Education | Hippolyte Carnot | Moderate Republican |
| Minister of War | Jacques Gerbais de Subervie | Military |
| Minister of the Navy and Colonies | François Arago | Moderate Republican |
| Ministers of State | Louis-Antoine Garnier-Pagès | Moderate Republican |
| Ministers of State | Armand Marrast | Radical Republican |
| Ministers of State | Ferdinand Flocon | Radical Republican |
| Ministers of State | Louis Blanc | Socialist Republican |
| Ministers of State | Alexandre Martin | Socialist Republican |

### Changes

* On 5 March 1848, Louis-Antoine Garnier-Pagès succeeded Michel Goudchaux as Finance Minister.
* On 20 March 1848, General Eugène Cavaignac succeeded Jacques Gerbais de Subervie was War Minister.
* On 5 April 1848, François Arago succeeded General Cavaignac as War Minister.

## Key events

| February 24: | Revolution in Paris Abdication of Louis Philippe I Formation of the Provisional Government |
| 25: | Alphonse de Lamartine opposes the adoption of the red flag Mobile National Guard created Decrees concerning the right to work and the creation of workers' associations |
| 26: | Creation of the National Workshops Abolition of the death penalty for political offenses |
| 28: | Demonstration of public works and buildings workers in the place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, Paris, to demand a Ministry of Labor and the 10-hour day Creation of the Government Commission for workers headed by Louis Blanc, which implements the national workshops |
| 29: | Suppression of the Octroi and salt taxes |
| March 2: | Abolition of the system of bargaining for hiring Reduction of hours in the working day |
| 4: | Creation of the commission to implement abolition of slavery in the French colonies Decision not to intervene on behalf of other European peoples revolting against their governments |
| 5: | Universal suffrage decreed for males Convocation of a constituent assembly decided, with elections set for 9 April Forced used of banknotes to prevent disappearance of the gold holdings of the Bank of France |
| 7: | Reopening of the Paris Stock Exchange (closed from 22 February) |
| 8: | National Guard opened to all citizens Creation of a school of administration to train officials |
| 9: | Abolition of imprisonment for debt |
| 12: | Abolition of corporal punishment in criminal matters |
| 13-18: | Revolution in Berlin |
| 14: | Elite units of the National Guard abolished |
| 16: | Establishment by Louis-Antoine Garnier-Pagès of a 45 centimes tax, unpopular in rural areas |
| 17: | Workers demonstration in Paris for postponement of the election of the Constituent Assembly. Elections postponed to April 23. |
| 21: | Revolt in Bordeaux against envoys of the provisional government |
| 23: | Creation of the Central Workers Committee of the department of Seine |
| 30: | Failure of the expedition of the Belgian Legion in Belgium |
| April 3: | Revolt in Valence against envoys of the Provisional Government Failure of the Voraces Legion of Lyon to raise Savoy |
| 5: | Revolt in Besançon against envoys of the provisional government |
| 16: | Failure of the Paris demonstration for a further postponement of the election of the Constituent Assembly |
| 23: | Moderate success in elections to the National Assembly |
| 27-28: | Street fighting in Rouen between supporters of the defeated Democratic Republicans and those elected from the bourgeois list |
| 27: | Abolition of slavery in French colonies |
| 29: | Louis-Eugène Cavaignac appointed governor of Algeria |
| May 4: | First meeting of the National Assembly Assembly unanimously proclamats the Republic |
| 6: | Election by the Assembly of a new government: the Executive Commission |