Democratic reforms spread through England in the 19th century, establishing principles like merit-based government positions, adjusted voting districts, and workers' rights. France experienced repeated political upheavals, overthrowing King Charles X in 1830 after he tried to restore absolutism, and King Louis Philippe in 1848, leading to the rise of Louis Napoleon. Multiple wars weakened France, including defeat by Prussia in 1870, while internal conflicts included the revolutionary Paris Commune being crushed in 1871. The Dreyfus Affair trial divided France along anti-Semitic and pro-Jewish lines but demonstrated the stability of the new Third Republic.