08 Europe Chapter 8 FranceThe Third Republic from 1870 to 1914.docx

08 Europe Chapter 8 FranceThe Third Republic from 1870 to 1914.docx

《08 Europe Chapter 8 FranceThe Third Republic from 1870 to 1914.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《08 Europe Chapter 8 FranceThe Third Republic from 1870 to 1914.docx（15页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

08EuropeChapter8FranceTheThirdRepublicfrom1870to1914

TheThirdRepublicfrom1870to1914

A.PoliticalsituationafterthedownfalloftheLiberalEmpire

ThecollapseoftheSecondEmpireatSedanpromptlyrevivedFrenchrepublicanism,especiallyinParis.AprovisionalGovernmentofNationalDefencewassetupinParisunderGeneralTrochu,chosenmainlyfromParisiananti-BonapartistsintheAssembly.Therewastheemergenceofshort-livedgovernmentsafterthefallofNapoleonIII.Thiswastheproductoffiercepoliticaldebate.Therewasmuchpoliticalin-fighting.ManyFrenchpoliticiansseemedtorepresentonlylocalorothervestedinterests,ortobemotivatedsolelybyself-interest.

1.EngagementintheFranco-PrussianWar,1870-71

a.AfterthesurrenderofNapoleonIIIatSedaninSeptember1870,theconditionofFrancewasdeplorable.ArepublicangovernmentwassetupinParisanditwasdeclaredtofighttheGermans.Thecrywasraised:

“WewillnotyieldaninchofFrenchsoilnorastoneofFrenchfortresses.”WhilethePrussianarmiesmarchedtowardstheFrenchcapital,Thiers（thepresident）wentonatourofthecapitalsofEuropewithaviewtosecureforeignhelpagainstPrussia.

b.Butafterasiegeof4monthsandthebombardmentoffourweeks,Parisalsosurrendered.Mostoftheprovincesweretiredofwar,themonarchistpartiesstronglyopposeditscontinuationwhilesomeextremerepublicanswantedtocarryontothebitterend,ThiersatlasttriedtosecurelenienttermsfromBismarckandheleftnostoneunturnedtoachievehisobjective.

c.ThepreliminariesofpeaceweresignedatVersaillesinFebruary1871andwereconfirmedbythetreatyofFrankfurtofMay1871.FrancehadtosurrenderAlsace-Lorraine.Shealsoagreedtopayawarindemnityof200,000,000francswithinthreeyearsandduringthatinterval,aGermanarmyofoccupationwastoremainontheFrenchsoilandwastobesupportedbyFrance.

2.Thesettingupofanewrepublicwiththedominationofmonarchists

a.TheNationalAssemblywaselectedinthebeginningof1871.InAugust1871,arepublicwassetupwithThiers,anOrleanist,asthepresidentwithanelectionofaNationalAssemblybyuniversalsuffrage.Thierswasoriginallyabelieverinconstitutionalmonarchybuthewasnotafraidofarepublicangovernmentaswell.

b.SincerepublicanismwasstillthoughttobeviolentandsincetheFrenchlongedforpeace,thenewAssemblycontainedonlyabout200republicansandsome500monarchists.ThefirstjoboftheAssemblywastoratifytheTreatyofFrankfurtandcrushtheParisCommune.

3.Internalunrest:

ParisCommune

InMarch1871aclashoccurredbetweenthecitizensofParisandmilitaryforceswhenthemilitarytriedtocollecttheartilleryatMontmartrewhichhadbeenusedtodefendthecityagainsttheGermans.SeverefightingtookplaceinParis.On18thMarchradicalsocialistsledbyDelescluzedeclaredtheActsoftheVersaillesParliamentnullandvoid,proclaimedtheCommuneandranuptheredflag.

a.ReasonsfortheParisCommune

i.Refusaltoacceptdefeatandthepeaceterms:

SomeFrenchmendidnotwanttoacceptdefeat,includingGambetta（arepublican）whocampaignedforacontinuationofthewar.ThisrefusalwasinpartaprotestofcivicprideinParisagainstthehumiliationofdefeat.Also,manyFrenchmendislikedthefactthatthePrussiansweretobepermittedtomakeanofficialentryintoFrance.

ii.Theroyalistgovernmentanditsmeasures:

ParisiansfearedapossibleroyalistsrestorationanddislikedthedecisiontomovetheAssemblytoVersailles,asthisseemedtothemtohaveadistinctlyroyalistflavor.Theyhadsufferedterribleprivations,includingseverehunger,duringthesiege.Thierslaterevenaddedtheireconomictroubles,deterioratingmoralebyaskingpeopletopaybackallrentsanddebtsinfullwithinteresttolandlords.Thiswasdifficultforthepoorerclassesatatimeofwidespreadunemployment.TherewerefurtherdiscontentduetotheterminationofwartimepaytoanddisarmamentofParisNationalGuard.ThiersorderedtroopsintoParistocarryoutthismeasure.

b.Objectivesoftherebellion

i.ThediversecollectionofMarxist,socialist,anarchistandJacobinrevolutionarieshadnoclear-cutprogramme.However,theaimoftheCommune,accordingtoadeclarationon19thApril,wasthatFrancewouldbecomeavoluntaryandspontaneousFederationofCommunes.Eachonewouldcontrolitsownbudget,policyandNationalGuard.ThisfederalschemereflectedtheParisianyearningfordecentralisationandmunicipalautonomy.

ii.Itwasanti-German,republicanopposingtowealthybourgeois,aristocratsandclergy,infavourofthegovernmentcontroluponprices,wagesandworkingconditions.

iii.Itwasalsoanationalistrebellion,aprotestagainstthesurrendertotheGermans,fromwhichdevelopedtheCommunard’sdesiretoreconstructFrance.Thatreconstructionshouldbeintheinterestsofthemasses.

iv.Itwasthustosomeextentasocialistprotest,aworkers’movement,reachingbacktotheJuneDaysof1848.Butitwasmorethanthat:

itwasessentiallyParisianandessentiallyFrench,aconsequenceofthecity’shumiliationatthehandsoftheGermans,andtheCommunardsincludednotonlysocialistsandcommunists,butpetti-bourgeosieradicals.

c.Result

i.ThespiritofrevoltspreadalloverthecityanditdevelopedintoawarbetweenParisontheonesideandtheNationalAssemblyatVersaillesontheother.TowofthegeneralsotheVersaillesgovernmentwerecapturedandshotbytherebels.ThegovernmentforceswerewithdrawnfromParisbyThiersandthecitywasleftentirelyinthehandsoftherebelswhosecuredcompletecontroloverthesame.

ii.SinceThiersregardedtheParisCommuneasathreattonationalunity,theCommunewasfinallysuppressedin1871underMacMahon,asupporteroftheBourbons.ItmarkedtheendofParisianeffortstodictatethesystemofgovernmentinFrance.Manyrebels,includingmanyradicals,wereimprisoned,exiledorputtodeath.

iii.AfterthesuppressionoftheParisCommune,MacMahonwaselectedPresidentin1873byapredominantlyroyalistassembly.In1875theNationalAssemblywashoweverdissolvedbecauseithadgivenbirthtothenewconstitution.

d.Significance

i.ItloweredFrenchprestigeabroad:

EuropeanpowersbecamesuspiciousofrepublicanFrance,whichhadbeenestablishedonlyafterbitterdomesticupheaval.

ii.Itincreasedthebitternessbetweensocialclasses:

Whenleft-wingradicalismincreasedinthe1880stheworkerswerelessinclinedthanformerlytosupportrepublicanism,whichtothemhadbesomeassociatedwithrulebythemiddleclass,thegroupwhichhadtakensuchheavyrevengeontheCommunein1871.

iii.ItledtoafirmerfoundationfortheRepublic:

Left-wingradicalismwaseradicatedasaforcefornearlyadecade,sincemanyoftheextremistshadbeeneitherexiledorexecuted.Francehadbeenunderarepublicangovernmentthatamovementforthesuppressionofprivatepropertyhadbeensubdued.Moderationbecamethekeynoteoffuturegovernment.Thusmanypotentialmonarchistsupporterswerewonovertorepublicanism.

iv.TerminationofParis’sinfluence:

Parisceasedtoexertthepoliticalinfluencethatithadpreviously.Thedyingflickerofthetraditionofthebarricadesof1789and1848hadbeenshownintheactivitiesoftheCommune.

v.Growthofsocialism:

ThetemporaryexpulsionofsocialistandCommunistmovementsfromFrancecontributedtothegrowthofsocialismelsewhereinEurope.

4.Partypoliticsfrom1875to1914

Inthe1870sthemainpoliticalstruggleinFrancewasthatbetweenrepublicansandmonarchist.Ofsome10millionelectorsthemajoritywereruralandconservative.

--TheRepublicanpartywhichGambettadidmuchtocreateappealedtopeasantproprietorsandsmallbusinessmen.

--Theradicalwing,theOpportunistandRadicals,whoappealedtothepeasantryandtothemiddleclass.

--Ontherightwing,divisionsremainedbetweenthevariousmonarchistsandBonapartists,butstrongsupportalsoexistedfortheCatholicChurch.

--aSocialistLabourPartywasfoundedin1879,butitbecamefragmentedwhichweakenedthelabourmovement.

So,nosinglegroupcouldgainthemajoritysupport.Notuntilaleft-wingcoalitionunderReneWaldeck-Rousseaucametoofficein1899,didaFrenchmoderategovernmentsurviveforthreedecades.

B.EconomicsituationafterthefallofLiberalEmpire

1.Populationincreaseofeconomy

a.ComparedwiththeGermanReichtheFrencheconomygrewslowlyintheperiodfrom1871to1914,andthepopulationhardlyincreasedatall.NeverthelesstheFrenchvolumeoftraderemainedtwicethatofRussiathroughouttheperiod,anditcontinuedinitsturntorunatalmosthalfthatofBritain.

b.France’surbanpopulationalmostdoubledbetween1871and1914,bringingacorrespondinginterestinlabourorganizationsandsocialism,butstilllessthanhalfofthepopulationasawholelivedintowns.ThestrongruralelementinFrenchsocietystrengthenedtheforcesofconservatism.

2.Heavyblowtoeconomy

DuetotheTreatyofFrankfurtaftertheFranco-PrussianWar1870-71,FrancesufferedgreatlyfromindemnityandthelossofAlsasce-Lorraine.ThesetwosettlementsstruckablowattheFrencheconomyaswellasatFrenchpride,thoughtheformerwassettledeasilybytheprosperouseconomycreatedundertheThirdRepublic.

C.MajordomesticworksoftheThirdRepublictoconsolidatethegovernment

1.SuppressionoftheParisCommune（referstothepartofinternalunrest:

ParisCommune）

2.Militaryrecoverymeasures

In1872anewarmylawwasproclaimed.TheFrencharmywasreorganisedonthePrussianmodel.Aco