Two waves of crisis lashed the Second Restoration. The first began with Decazes's decision to alter the Lainé Law in late 1819, and culminated in the arrival of ultraroyalist rule under Villèle in December 1821. The second began with Villèele's decision in October 1827 to call a general election, and culminated in the Revolution of 1830. The first crisis thus fostered executive despotism; the second led to the triumph of parliamentary government.

Crucial to such differing results was the role of the Centre-Right. Under Richelieu in 1820, the Centre-Right allied with the Right and the consequence was a shrewd combination of gradualist counter-revolution and administrative despotism. Confronted by Polignac in 1829, the Centre-Right aligned with the Liberal Opposition, and the consequence was success for the Liberal argument that the Charter was a contract between king and nation. If one asks why the Centre-Right acted so differently, the answer lies less in the Liberal message than in Liberal means. The content of Liberal appeal remained largely consistent during the Restoration, but after 1823 association with insurrection was abandoned. Proposals for change could be well received by both the electorate and the general public, but they had to be put forward by legal reform, not threats of violent upheaval.