The Restoration Trap Part II: Three Days in July – What the French Revolution of 1830 Teaches Us About Resistance

In Part I, I drew the historical line between Charles X of France and Donald Trump. Both rose to power on promises of restoration. Both alienated legislatures. Both flirted with silencing dissent. Charles went too far. Trump might, too.

So what happened when Charles X crossed the line? The answer lies in events that started 26 July 1830.

​Charles issued a set of repressive orders known as the July Ordinances, which:

• Suspended freedom of the press
• Dissolved the progressive legislature
• Changed election laws to favor loyalists (Alpha History)

By the morning of July 27, Parisians revolted. Workers, students, and even some middle-class citizens took to the streets. What followed wasn’t a chaotic civil war—but a highly focused push to defend civil rights and constitutional government.

Despite personal risk,  the media took the lead in keeping citizens of France informed and helped kick off the revolution. Tradesmen, workers and merchants followed suit. Charles abdicated, fled to Britain, and the monarchy was replaced (briefly) by a constitutional regime.

What can that teach us?

Resisting Autocracy Doesn't Require Violence
The July Revolution worked not because it burned everything down, but because it focused on defending institutions, not destroying them. The press played a critical role. So did moderate politicians who refused to accept illegal decrees.
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Today, we’re not facing royal ordinances, but we are looking at:

• Plans to dismantle civil service protections (via Project 2025)
• Open threats to prosecute political opponents
• Legal theories that place the president above the law (Heritage Foundation, 2024)

The Power of Civil Society
In 1830 France, it was the teachers, printers, municipal workers--not just elites—who resisted. They refused to implement illegal orders, slowed down compliance, and gave people space to act.
Here in the U.S., we’ll need:

• Lawyers and judges who uphold the law, even under pressure
• Journalists who don’t flinch when the subpoenas arrive
• Public servants who know that democracy is in their job description

Final Thought: The Resistance Is Already Here
If President Trump continues to try to govern like Charles X, the institutions that survive will be the ones willing to say "no"—even when it’s hard. The American republic won’t be saved by spectacle. It will be saved by professionals, institutional guardians, people who know their history and hopefully the rest of us.

The July Revolution was three days. But its effects rippled across Europe.

Let’s learn something from it.

Sources & Citations:

• Alpha History – July Ordinances and Revolution
• Encyclopedia of Revolutions of 1848 – France
• Heritage Foundation – Unitary Executive Theory
• Project 2025 Blueprint
• Washington Post – Trump's Second-Term Blueprint​