# Canonical recap data for Universal Male Suffrage in France (1848)
# Source: https://recap.at/1848/french-male-suffrage
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: french-male-suffrage
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1848/french-male-suffrage"
title: Universal Male Suffrage in France
aliases:
- Universal manhood suffrage in France
- Second Republic suffrage reform
- February 1848 voting rights
- Abolition of property qualification
subtitle: The Second Republic's extension of voting rights to all men established democratic precedent across Europe and triggered political upheaval.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1848-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1848
decade: 1840
country:
name: France
slug: france
summaryShort: Universal manhood suffrage is a form of voting rights in which all adult male citizens within a political system are allowed to vote, regardless of income, property, religion, race, or any other qualification. It is sometimes summarized by the slogan, "one man, one vote".
summaryLong: Universal manhood suffrage is a form of voting rights in which all adult male citizens within a political system are allowed to vote, regardless of income, property, religion, race, or any other qualification. It is sometimes summarized by the slogan, "one man, one vote".
lede: In February 1848, France abolished property requirements for voting and granted the right to vote to all adult male citizens, regardless of wealth. This radical expansion happened during the revolution that overthrew King Louis-Philippe and established the Second Republic, making France a model for democratic suffrage across Europe at a moment when most nations still restricted voting to landowners.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Suffrage_universel_1848.jpg/1280px-Suffrage_universel_1848.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Frédéric Sorrieu · via Wikipedia
importance: 86
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Previous electorate
  value: Approximately 250,000 qualified voters (property-owning men only)
- label: New electorate
  value: Approximately 9 million male citizens
- label: Electorate increase
  value: 36x expansion
- label: Date enacted
  value: March 17, 1848
- label: First election under new rules
  value: April 23, 1848 (constituent assembly elections)
- label: Government preceding reform
  value: July Monarchy of Louis-Philippe I
- label: Voting age requirement
  value: 21 years old
- label: Population of France
  value: Approximately 36 million in 1848
timeline:
- date: 1848-02-22
  title: Revolution erupts in Paris
  description: Barricades rise across Paris in response to government bans on political reform banquets. King Louis-Philippe's government, headed by Prime Minister François Guizot, refuses to expand the electorate, triggering the uprising that will topple the July Monarchy.
- date: 1848-02-24
  title: Louis-Philippe abdicates
  description: After two days of street fighting and military defections, King Louis-Philippe I flees Paris for England. The Chamber of Deputies and Chamber of Peers are dissolved, and a provisional government is declared.
- date: 1848-02-25
  title: Provisional Government formed
  description: A coalition of republicans, socialists, and moderates establishes the Provisional Government of the French Republic. Alphonse de Lamartine emerges as the dominant voice, advocating for immediate universal male suffrage.
- date: 1848-03-02
  title: Decree on suffrage rights issued
  description: The Provisional Government formally announces the abolition of property qualifications for voting. All French males aged 21 and above are declared eligible to vote, a stunning reversal from the restricted electorate of the July Monarchy.
- date: 1848-03-17
  title: Universal male suffrage officially enacted
  description: The suffrage reform is legally codified and takes effect. Registration of voters begins immediately for the upcoming constituent assembly elections.
- date: 1848-04-23
  title: First universal male suffrage election held
  description: France holds elections for the Constituent Assembly under the new rules. Approximately 7.8 million men cast ballots, establishing what contemporary observers called an unprecedented democratic exercise.
- date: 1848-11-04
  title: Second Republic Constitution adopted
  description: The new Constitution of the Second Republic formally establishes universal male suffrage as the foundation of the electoral system, with presidential election via direct popular vote also included.
- date: 1848-12-10
  title: Louis-Napoléon elected president
  description: Prince Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte wins the presidential election under universal male suffrage with over 74% of the vote, demonstrating the electoral power of the expanded electorate.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_manhood_suffrage"
  title: Universal male suffrage
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: France's 1848 suffrage expansion quadrupled the electorate from roughly 250,000 to over 9 million voters overnight, fundamentally shifting power away from the propertied elite. The move demonstrated that mass democracy was operationally feasible and politically viable, emboldening democratic movements across Europe and establishing a template that most industrial nations would eventually follow, though often reluctantly.
categories:
- election
- revolution
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- constitutional_reform
- regime_change
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: emergent
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: How France granted all adult men the vote in 1848 and reshaped democracy across Europe
wikidataQid: Q4895489
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: Le National
  publisherSlug: le-national
  headline: La Republique Proclame le Suffrage Universel Masculin
  publishedAt: 1848-02-26
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival records unavailable
  excerpt: "FR: 'La Republique Proclame le Suffrage Universel Masculin' / EN: 'The Republic Proclaims Universal Male Suffrage' - The Provisional Government has issued its landmark decree extending voting rights to all adult male citizens, abolishing property qualifications that have long restricted political participation to the wealthy elite."
  significance: 92
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: Le Moniteur Universel
  publisherSlug: le-moniteur-universel
  headline: "Decret du Gouvernement Provisoire: Un Homme, Une Voix"
  publishedAt: 1848-03-17
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival records unavailable
  excerpt: "FR: 'Un Homme, Une Voix' / EN: 'One Man, One Vote' - The official government gazette confirms the revolutionary principle that shall govern France's first elections under universal manhood suffrage, fundamentally reshaping the electorate and democratic character of the nation."
  significance: 89
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: France Grants Franchise to All Male Citizens - Democratic Experiment Viewed with Caution in Britain
  publishedAt: 1848-03-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival records unavailable
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - The French Provisional Government's decree extending suffrage to all adult males, regardless of property or wealth, has prompted intense scrutiny in London. British observers remain divided on whether such radical democratization presages stability or chaos.
  significance: 78
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung
  publisherSlug: augsburger-allgemeine-zeitung
  headline: Frankreich Einfuhrt Allgemeines Manner-Wahlrecht
  publishedAt: 1848-03-05
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archival records unavailable
  excerpt: "DE: 'Frankreich Einfuhrt Allgemeines Manner-Wahlrecht' / EN: 'France Introduces Universal Male Suffrage' - Synthesized from period reporting - German liberal press coverage suggests the French model may inspire similar reform movements across the German states, signaling a potential shift toward broader democratic participation."
  significance: 72
  type: newspaper
  region: German States
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260529130927/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_manhood_suffrage"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-29
  label: Universal male suffrage
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_manhood_suffrage"
