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| 1850 |
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| Education reform. The president placed schoolteachers under the control of prefects (Jan. 9). | 1 |
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| March 15 |
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| The Falloux Law, a concession to the Catholic majority, was approved by the president. The law extended the role of the Catholic clergy in education by providing lower standards for Catholic teachers than for state teachers. It gave the clergy a role in school inspection and permitted the substitution of Catholic schools for lay schools in communes and departments. | 2 |
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| May 31 |
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| A new electoral law required three years of residence in one place for eligibility to vote; residence had to be attested by a tax receipt or employer's affidavit. This affected migratory industrial workers, who tended to be radicals. Clubs and public meetings were forbidden (June 9) and Republican newspapers overwhelmed with lawsuits and fines. | 3 |
| Louis-Napoleon attempted to have the assembly revise Article 45 of the constitution, which forbade the president to serve two consecutive four-year terms, but the assembly defeated the revision by nearly 100 votes (July 15, 1851). Louis-Napoleon decided to resort to force. | 4 |
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