Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. The Presidency of the Second Republic. The Constitutions of 1848 and 1852 in France.

For a long time, historiography has neglected research into the origins of the Presidency in France during the 1848 Revolution. Only recently have a number of studies opened up new and stimulating avenues of inquiry, both politically and institutionally. This volume analyses the reasons that led the Constituent Assembly to choose the form of the Presidency of the Republic, which was unprecedented on the European continent. This research, underpinned by extensive documentation and existing literature, focuses on the political education of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, which would shape his future decisions regarding the democratic-parliamentary system of the Second Republic and internal conflicts, viewed through the prism of the Presidency and its holder. The appendix to this volume includes the Marrast Report, which served as a preparatory document for the work of the Constituent Assembly, the Constitution of 1848, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte’s appeal to the French people, and the Constitution of 1852.