| The assembly completed the new constitution and provided a strong president and a single chamber—both elected directly by universal male suffrage. The constitution also replaced the notion of the right to work with the notion of the right to receive fraternal assistance. It provided such assistance to the elderly, the ill, and the children if their families could not support them. In doing so, it changed “liberty, equality, fraternity” to “liberty, equality, fraternity, and Family, Work, Property, and Public Order.” | 1 |
| Louis-Napoleon was elected president with 5,327,345 votes to 1,879,298 for his opponent. Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleon I's nephew, profited by his link with the “Napoleonic Legend” and the perception of the need for a strong man in government. He took the oath as president (Dec. 20) and appointed a ministry dominated by Orléanists, despite the fact that the national assembly was Republican. | 2 |
