# Louis-Napoléon’s coup d’état (1851)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1851-louis-napoleon-s-coup-d-etat
Location: France

The president dissolved the legislature and seized authoritarian power. 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’s coup d’état is a useful marker in the longer transformation of political authority, society and culture in France. 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’s coup d’état is a useful marker in the longer transformation of political authority, society and culture in France.

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

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Louis-Napoléon’s coup d’état](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Louis-Napol%C3%A9on%E2%80%99s+coup+d%E2%80%99%C3%A9tat&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Louis-Napoléon’s coup d’état](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Louis-Napol%C3%A9on%E2%80%99s+coup+d%E2%80%99%C3%A9tat)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)