A barricade at the corner of the Boulevard Rue Mazagran in Paris, 1848. In France, the catalyst for the revolutions in the rest of Europe, the monarchy was replaced by the Second Republic, with Louis Napoleon as president from 1852. A series of revolts occurred in various parts of Europe against monarchical rule. Although some of the revolutionaries had republican ideas, many more were motivated by economic grievances. None of the revolutions enjoyed any lasting success, and most were violently suppressed within a few months.