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CHAPTER XXXVIII THE REVOLUTIONS OF 1848 AND THEIR RESULTS I. THE SECOND REPUBLIC AND SECOND EMPIRE IN .FRANCE 885. General Revolutionary Movement in Europe in 1848. In 1848 the gathering discontent and the demand for reform sud- denly showed their full strength and extent ; as if obeying a pre- concerted signal, the liberal parties in France, Italy, Germany, and Austria, during the early months of 1848, gained control of the government and proceeded to carry out their program of reform in the same thoroughgoing way in which the National Assembly in France had done its work in 1789. The general movement affected almost every state in Europe, but the course of events in France, and in that part of central Europe which had so long been dominated by Metternich and Austria, merits especial attention. 886. Unpopularity of Louis Philippe. In France there were various causes of discontent with the government of Louis Philippe. The liberals maintained that the king had too much power and demanded that every Frenchman should have the right to vote so soon as he reached maturity. As Louis Philippe grew older he not only opposed reforms himself but also did all he could to keep the parliament and the newspapers from advo- cating any changes which the progressive parties demanded. Nevertheless, the strength of the Republicans gradually increased. They found allies in the new group of socialistic writers who desired a fundamental reorganization of the State. 887. The Second Republic Proclaimed. On February 24, 1848, a mob invaded the Assembly, as in the time of the Reign of Terror, crying, " Down with the Bourbons, old and new ! 499