Monarchist France

How would it be possible for France to remain/become a monarchy again? I assume Napoleon III not being captured after Sedan could be a start.
 
How about the Bourbonist heir is not born and Orleanisrs take back the throne in 1870.

Presumably referring to the fact that immediately after the Franco-Prussian War, monarchists were the majority in the French parliament. The Bourbon pretender, Henry V, refused to accept the throne unless the country dropped the tricolor and went back to the old flag with the lilies. Thus the restoration never happened.
 

Archibald

Banned
Well, talking about Napoleon III, this thread should be in pre-1900 section.

Try this guy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri,_Count_of_Chambord

To make a long story short: Louis XVI had two brothers, Louis XVIII and Charles IX. All three were king of France, the last two in the 1815 - 1830 era.
Charles IX was the French monarchy last hope, and he had a son (that was assassinated in 1820) and a grandson, Henri, count of Chambord.
In 1870 when Napoleon III was crushed and the empire collapsed, France was on the brink of a constitutional monarchy, British style.
The 3rd Republic really took off after 1880. Thus for a decade there was a serious possibility (and the last in history in fact) to restore the monarchy.
Unfortunately for the monarchists, Henri V was an idiot that refused to make concessions to the Republicans.
The final straw was when he refused the tricolour flag in favour of the fleur-de-lys. That made a French constitutional monarchy impossible.
After 1880 a return to the monarchy in France is essentially ASB - even in 1914, and even more in 1940.
The monarchists numbers and influence seriously dwindled, After1890 their credibility took a huge hit with the Action Française - a hodgepodge of monarchism, anti-semitism, and conservatism (among many others tendencies). The Action Française last hurrah was Vichy France, which explain why the French have very little affection for monarchy today.
 
Considering the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War and the 1848 Revolution and the continued widespread support (outside of Paris which was firmly Republican) for a Bourbon Constitutional Monarchy I'd argue that in most worlds you get a least one more King of France. The problem is Paris. Which post 1790 is firmly Republican in sentiment and had a distressing habit of throwing up barricades, which due to the centralised nature of French government (of any variety) generally resulted in Monarchs getting booted out.
 
The last possibility for France to have a monarchy is France not declaring war to Prussia and a Napoleonic dynasty surviving. Despite what the results of the (first) 1871 elections says, there was no monarchist majority in the French population.
First, deputies were elected by a winners takes all in each department (much like the current US electoral college, meaning a party with less voices could be leading the parliament.).
Second, elections in most of north east France were overseen by the Prussian forces, which wanted the pro-peace monarchists to win.
Third, monarchist ran on an electoral program of peace while some republicans wanted to pursue the war
Fourth, monarchist electoral lists where the worse list of opportunists ever seen in any French elections. People on this list were ranging from moderate republicans to ultra-reactionnary legitimists.
Fifth, the results of the partial election later in the same years gave to the republicans 99 seats compared to the monarchists 12.
sixth, the monarchists were so divided that despite their majority in the national assembly, a republican president of the assembly was chosen and a republican head of state.
seventh, the monarchy wouldn't have the support of the army, as the generals were usually republicans at this point (there was a law voted by the monarchists to remove voting rights to the member of the armed forces due to this).

So no, after the Franco-Prussian war, monarchy is dead in France.
 
How would it be possible for France to remain/become a monarchy again? I assume Napoleon III not being captured after Sedan could be a start.

Have the Count of Chambord die shortly before the OTL promulgation of the Third Republic. The Orleanist candidate becomes king, and has the support of Orleanists and Legitimists, per their pact.
 
With a 20th century pod, have the republicans be discredited by the vichy regime, while having some branch of pretenders being active in the resistance. Maybe the father broadcasting from britain, while the son fights in the maquis.

One would need a non-deGaulle leader of the free french, tho.

Tough, but maybe doable?
 
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