In the decades after 1815 political competition was largely restricted to a small elite which employed constitutional and legal means to safeguard its particular interests both against the state and the disenfranchised masses. When disorder threatened it was possible to justify the brutal deployment of military force. Subsequently, the rapid emergence of an urban-industrial society, together with renewed revolution in 1830, and particularly 1848, provided reminders of the fragility of the socio-political system and caused intense social fear. With the introduction of manhood suffrage and extension of democratic liberties and aspirations, the Second Republic encouraged a substantial expansion and intensification of political competition. In this situation most members of the social elite, at least temporarily, and irrespective of previous political allegiances, would be prepared to welcome the installation of a dictator capable of safeguarding ‘Christian civilisation’.

The development of the political system and evolution of political opportunity structures have previously been considered in my The French Second Empire: An Anatomy of Political Power. This book has attempted to chart an alternative course. The primary objective has been to study the emergence of political culture(s), the diverse beliefs and attitudes concerning citizenship and political processes, within a society undergoing rapid institutional and social change. This has required analysis of the values and behaviour of individuals and interest groups.