What were the causes of the July Revolution?

Answer 1

The July Revolution was a culmination of a series of problems in France that can be defined as both long term and short term. Charles X is usually the one who bears the brunt of the blame in the fall of the Bourbons but Louis XVIII also plays a role. There were also a number of recalcitrant factors such as economic failure and so some extent, the uncompromising position of the French people as well the as the legacy of Napoleon.

Long term included the stigma attached to being a Bourbon and the associations of the Ancien Regime. There was always a fear or suspicion that a counter Revolution could be planned and the Pays Legal, the middle class which constituted the bulk of the Bonapartists, Liberals and Constitutionalists as well as the Republicans were very sensitive to any change the monarchs imposed on the Charter, especially if it threatened their new status or the freedoms that the Revolution had gained. This was one of the contributing reasons why the Four Ordinances of St Cloud in 1830 provoked such violent response that resulted in the July Revolution.

Political instability was an issue both Charles and Louis failed to solve, something that would hinder the economic recovery and industrialization of France as well as provide trigger to the fall of the Bourbon dynasty. The Republicans deeply distrusted the Anti-Republicans and the Royalists. The fact that the opposing party was almost always the majority to the ruling body's part caused a great deal of friction and could likely unseat the monarch.

The personalities of Charles and Louis were both unsuited to their roles as Kings: one was overweight, old and had gout; the other was arrogant, an Ultra and deluded himself about his popularity and loyalty to the Ancien Regimes. Charles X was particularly disliked for his policies which seemed to threaten the Charter perpetually.

One of the biggest long term problems that plagued both rulers was the presence of Napoleon. Louis XVIII had revealed a great weakness when he fled France in the Hundred Days and it was obvious that the general population still regarded Napoleon with adoration and admiration. So much for the Restoration. Even in Louis Philippe's rule, the boredom of the French lent much frustration and people often dreamed of the days of the Republic and the glory of military conquest in the Empire.