Sorry if this is vague or seemingly obvious, but hear me out. I've been reading Les Miserable and Hugo spends a lot of time commenting on the political and religious landscape of his day. It seems that there were differing beliefs on the overall outcome of the revolution.
So my question is what was the impetus for the revolution? What made it have such an impact on France and the world? And why were there such mixed feelings about it.
Note that I am not only french history dumb, but history dumb in general. Thanks for any help in understanding this momentous historical event.
You may need to be a little more specific, since the "revolution" that Hugo wrote about in Les misérables was in fact the June Rebellion of 1832.
To give a brief primer, France's 19th century was peppered with revolution. The first revolution that is commonly referred to as "The French Revolution" was in 1789. After a number of other "revolutionary moments," Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the government in 1799 (also known as the "18th Brumaire" according to the revolutioary calendar), eventually to become emperor in 1804.
In 1815, the French became disillusioned with his rule (for many reasons too long to give in a summary, but mostly because of his defeat at Waterloo), and became a Monarchy again under Louis XVIII. The period from 1815-1830 is known as the Bourbon Restoration, as Louis XVIII came from the Bourbon dynasty of monarchs.
In 1824, Louis XVIII died leaving no heirs, so the French crown landed on Charles X's head.
In 1830, a popular uprising wrest control away from Charles X, and gave it to Louis-Phillipe, from the Orleans dynasty. They effectively switched one king for another, and France began the "July Monarchy," which was in many ways more liberal and more in touch with the revolutionary ideals brought forth in the Revolution of 1789.
In 1832, a reactionary uprising, also popular, but this time firmly Republican, tried to oust Louis-Phillipe from the throne to bring back the Republic inaugurated in 1789. Many have read this uprising as a result of dissatisfaction in the outcome of the 1830 revolution. This rebellion was quickly suppressed by the state. This is the rebellion Hugo wrote about in Les Miserables.
In 1848, another popular republican uprising finally managed to de-throne Louis-Phillipe. A new government was set in place, known as the Second Republic. The men of '48 saw themselves as direct and legitimate inheritors of the 1789 Revolution.
However, soon after, the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte - known as Louis-Napoleon or Napoleon III - made his way into politics, and much in the same way his uncle had, ends up earning enough public support to become emperor in 1852.
The period from 1852-1870 is known as the Second Empire, all under the rule of Napoleon III.
In 1870, Napoleon III is caputured by Prussian troops during the FRanco-Prussian war, and once again, the Republic is declared in Paris. If you're keeping count, this is around the third time this has happened, so it became known as the Third Republic.
Not six months after the Third Republic is declared, yet ANOTHER popular uprising takes place in Paris. Many people were angry with the composition of the government, notably because it was not nearly revolutionary enough. The Third Republic was in some ways a prolongation of the Second Empire, especially since bourgeois notables were still running the show to the detriment of working classes.
In 1871, these working classes revolted, and took over Paris. These short few weeks were known as the Paris Commune.
The French army regulars quickly bombarded the town, and the revolutionaries were shot or exiled.
After that, the Third Republic would stay the course for nearly 70 years.
I know it's sort of unfair to throw so much at you and still hope to be helpful, but I really do hope it was. Hugo's depiction of the 1832 rebellion was very sympathetic to the revolutionary cause, and can be considered a relatively accurate representation of certain facets of every republican moment in the 19th century.