The impossible gouvernement representatif: constitutional culture in restoration France, 1814-30

Abstract

The following article aims at integrating the constitutional history of Restoration France into the context of recent developments in cultural history. It analyses the Charte constitutionnelle as a means of legitimization for the Bourbon monarchy and of integration for the society of Restoration France. As a result it suggests the ambivalence and the precarious character of the constitution’s integrative force. Even if the Charte was, at least for a certain time, able to convince large parts of the political left that a constitutional Bourbon monarchy was an acceptable system for the post-revolutionary era, it was no basis for an understanding between the different political camps in Restoration France. This party struggle, together with the behaviour of the kings, continuously endangered the institutions of Bourbon rule and ultimately contributed to its downfall.