# Louis-Napoléon elected president (1848)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1848-louis-napoleon-elected-president
Location: France
Categories: ruler-change

Bonaparte won the first direct presidential election by universal male suffrage. Within the broader Restoration, July Monarchy & Second Republic period, Post-Napoleonic France alternated between restored monarchy, constitutional reform and revolution. Industrialization, colonial expansion and new social movements culminated in the democratic upheaval of 1848. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (President of the French Republic). Louis-Napoléon elected president mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Louis-Napoléon elected president mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy.

Ruler at the time: [Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte](https://history-france.com/rulers/louis-napoleon-bonaparte)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Louis-Napoléon elected president](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Louis-Napol%C3%A9on+elected+president&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Louis-Napoléon elected president](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Louis-Napol%C3%A9on+elected+president)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)