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How did Charles Baudelaire participate in the French Revolution of 1848?
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Charles Baudelaire
French poet and critic Charles Baudelaire, photograph by Étienne Carjat, 1863.
It is a common misconception that Charles Baudelaire’s involvement in the French Revolution of 1848 was merely a display of youthful rebellion. While some accounts of his actions remain uncorroborated—such as the story of him brandishing a gun and calling for the death of his stepfather, General Aupick—more recent scholarship indicates he held a serious commitment to radical politics, likely aligning with the socialist-anarchist views of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon.1
Baudelaire is reliably documented to have participated in the following events:
- February 1848: He took part in the riots that led to the overthrow of King Louis-Philippe and the establishment of the Second Republic.1
- June 1848: He joined the working-class uprising.1
- December 1851: He participated in the resistance against the Bonapartist military coup, an event he later cited as the conclusion of his active political engagement.1
Following the 1851 coup, Baudelaire shifted his focus exclusively toward his literary career.1