The 1848 revolution in France was a protest against the corrupt and conservative monarchy of King Louis-Philippe.

The immediate trigger was the government's banning of political banquets, which were being used to organize opposition.

This led to three days of street fighting in Paris in February 1848.

King Louis-Philippe abdicated and fled to England, bringing an end to the monarchy.

A new provisional government was formed, which proclaimed the Second Republic of France.

The provisional government was a tense coalition of moderate liberals and radical socialists.

The socialists established 'National Workshops' to provide employment, but this policy was opposed by the liberals and property owners.

Conflict between these factions led to the 'June Days' Uprising, a bloody street battle where the army brutally crushed the Parisian workers.

The subsequent presidential election was won by a landslide by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, nephew of Napoleon I, who appealed to conservatives and those desiring order.

The Second Republic was short-lived, as Louis-Napoleon staged a coup in 1851 and later declared himself Emperor Napoleon III, ending the republic.