French History
Franco-Prussian (Franco-German) war of 1870, between the Second French Empire and the Northern German Confederation States, had immense effects on France, mostly because it lost the battle. Before its defeat, France enjoyed absolute hegemony in Europe under Emperor Napoleon the third and, after failing to Prussia, lost its territorial domination. To mark the end of the war, Germany and France signed the Treaty of Frankfurt in 1871, in which France surrendered Alsace and Lorraine provinces, which were German dialects under French control (Eckhardt, 1918). The annexation of Alsace and Lorraine led to the unification of Germany under Prussian’s King Wilhelm 1. Moreover, France was required to pay five billion francs as indemnity and compensation to Germany, who won the war. To ensure the payment is paid in full, German army troops occupied French provinces and left after five years when France cleared the indemnity.
After the fall of the Second French Empire owing to the surrender of King Napoleon, the third to Prussia, the Third French Empire, and the German Empire was formed. With the capture of King Napoleon the third, France had no political leader leading to further annexation of French Church states by Italy in 20th September 1870, and finalizing the unification of Germany. The Government of National Defense, based in Paris, became the first administrative body under the Third French Republic. However, with the siege of France capital Paris in 1871 by Prussia, it was difficult to break out from Prussia’s rule leading to the formation of the Paris Commune, a government that ruled Paris for two months (18th March-.28th May). Nevertheless, the Paris Commune was subdued by the French military troops on 21st May 1871, where a majority of Paris nationals lost their lives during the ‘Bloody Week.’ Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
The Third French Republic, moreover, advocated for a transitional form of government that would allow for the inclusion of newly acquired French states as well as in the event where the ruling government falls or is dissolved. The 1875 French Constitutional laws made provisions of a parliament consisting of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies and a president to rule the state. Some French nationals and leaders, however, sought to reestablish a monarchical government, but a significant number of French leaders supported a Republican government, especially Adolphe Thiers. After the suppression of the Paris Commune radical government by French troops under Adolphe Thiers, he was elected the President by the Third French Republic in August 1871. President Thiers managed to make peace with Prussian Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck leading to an early withdrawal of German troops from French territories (Wetzel, 2003). Despite his achievements, Thiers suffered opposition from French advocates of a monarchical government in France and later resigned in 1973 and succeeded by Patrice de Mac-Mahon, who was the reigning Duke of Magenta.
After losing the Franco-German war, General Patrice de Mac-Mahon was elected the leader of the Army of Versailles, which succeeded in defeating the Paris Commune government in May 1871 (Steefel, 2O18) The win marked the onset of his political career after the resignation of Adolphe Thiers. Mac-Mahon was a traditionalist and a strict catholic who disregarded socialism and secular politicians. However, Mac-Mahon remained a custodian of the Constitution and ignored the French monarchist’s attempt to overthrow the government. Moreover, Mac-Mahon avoided any meetings with the leader of the Republicans and called for parliamentary elections of the Third Republic of France ruling government. The dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies by Mac-Mahon led to a public rampage and the Republican victory during the elections resulting in his political retirement.
Under the Moderate Republican ticket, Jules Grevy was appointed the French President after Patrice de mac-Mahon on January 30th, 1873. Grevy became the first Republican President of France after his monarchical predecessors and remained unopposed until his resignation in 1887 owing to his son-in-law, Daniel, who was involved in a trafficking scandal. However, President Jules Grevy was not an accomplice; instead, he refused to assume responsibility for the son-in-law’s crime.
The Eiffel tower was proposed and designed by Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, who started the construction on 28th January 1887 two days before the appointment of Jules Grevy as the President of France. The Washington Monument was the tallest human-made structure in the world at the time the Eiffel tower construction continues. The first stage of the development of the Eiffel tower was completed on 20th March 1888. The second stage construction of the Eiffel tower successful on 21st August 1888. The Eiffel tower design, however’ suffered a lot of criticisms from early French architectures and artists. Still, despite the contentions, the tower was completed on March 15, 1889, and became the tallest building in the world. On 26th May 1889, the Eifel Tower lift is serviced and allowed for human use (Goubert, 2002).
On 4th January 1894, the Franco-Russian alliance is confirmed, primarily due to the strengthening of the German empire and formation of the Triple Alliance of 1882. The Triple Alliance was a collective understanding between Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary, which made the three states close allies to each other. Italy sought support from German against France, especially during the scramble for African nations, specifically in the Northern part of Africa. The three-member states agreed to aid each other in the event where there was an attack from France. In regards to Austria-Hungary, the alliance ensured Italy acted neutral in the fact where Russia and Austria-Hungary were at war.
After President Grevy’s resignation, Marie Francois Sadi Carnot is elected president of France on 3rd December 1887 due to a good reputation he had maintained and the support of key figures like Georges Clemenceau. President Carnot took office at a time when the revanchist movement was seeking popularity under General Georges Boulanger. Under the Third French Republic, France established powerful colonial empires in some parts of Africa and Asia as they tried to retaliate after losing the war to Prussia. France believed that there would be another Franco-Prussian war, and they, therefore, had to gather more allies to win the war. France wanted to reclaim Alsace and Lorraine provinces, which had been annexed by Germany after the 1870 war. The hostility between France and Germany continued to escalate, and French nationalists strived to take revenge on Prussia. Consequently, the aftermath of the Franco-German war led to the birth of French revanchist ideology, which advocated for combative nationalism.
The revanchism ideology emphasized the use of aggressive and combative methods of reclaiming lost provinces from the Germans. After Boulanger’s arrest and exile, Carnot had to take responsibility as France president, especially during the celebration of the French Revolution and the Paris Exhibition opening ceremony. Despite the success, President Carnot suffered criticism owning to the Panama Canal Affair, a French affair that activists regard as the most infamous project resulting in the loss of billions of francs. The French Government under Carnot leadership is guilty of involvement in corruption to cover up the financial troubles the Panama Canal project was experiencing.
During the 1893 presidential elections, Georges Clemenceau suffered defeat as he sought a second presidential term. The Panama Scandal was the reason for Clemenceau’s failure as the French nationals no longer trust the government. The monarchists regarded the Republicans as corrupt and with utter distrust after the Panama Affair. To address the Panama Scandal, the New Panama Canal Company, A French company foresees the construction and the completion of the project. However, the project, which was initially managed by a French company, was later taken over by America, who completed the project in august 1914.
Despite the scandal, President Carnot advocated for the Franco-Russian alliance, also known as Russo-French Rapproachement aimed at strengthening the relationship between Germany and France. The hostility witnessed between the two states led to the birth of the revanchist movement, an ideology President Carnot discouraged. Instead of resulting in war, Carnot proposed for France and German to forge an agreement that would promote peaceful mutual economic ties. One particular alliance formed was the Triple Alliance of 1882. Since Russia had supported France during the Franco-German war, Carnot sought to develop military cooperation with Russia owing to similar interests. French, therefore, signed a treaty with Russia, which necessitated the provision of Russian military aid in the event of another German attack formalizing the Russo-French army alliance. The alliance was a result of the establishment of the Triple Alliance bloc headed by the Germans (Von Moltke, 1907).
On 27th June 1894, Jean Casimir-Perier took assumed presidency under the Left Republican political party after the assassination of President Carnot. He contested the presidential seat alongside Henri Brisson and Charles Dupuy. However, president Casimir-Perier only ruled after failing to gather support from his ministers. According to his explanation, Casimir-Perier resigned from office as his minister disrespected him and never sought his permission while making critical government decisions. The Dupuy ministry was the first to offer the resignation, which motivates Casimir-Perier to retire from politics and venture into the mining industry. President Casimir-Perier remained the first president of France to have served for a short tenure.
Still, in 1894, the Dreyfus scandal brought divisions within the Third French republic after the conviction of Captain Dreyfus on charges of treason. Dreyfus was a French national from Alsace, who was an artillery/military officer. There were allegations that Dreyfus shared critical French military information with the Germans in Paris, which prompted his imprisonment in French Guiana for five years. Following an investigation by Georges Picquart, evidence showed that Dreyfus was innocent and that the real traitor was Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy, who was a French army major. Evidence also showed that Ferdinand forged the documents, and Dreyfus is in for another trial in France. The scandal, therefore, created two factions in the Third French Republic as some supported Dreyfus’s innocence and the other who agrees with his participation in the treacherous act.
The retrial of Dreyfus was successful, and Ferdinand Walsin was convicted for treason and imprisoned for ten years. Dreyfus was released and cleared of the treason charges, and in 1906 he was reinstated back into the French Army as a major. Consequently, the Dreyfus scandal led to further divisions in France, such as Dreyfusards and anti-Dreyfusarsd’, anticlerical, and pro-republicans. Despite the divisions, the affair led to the rebirth of military nationalism and the reform of French Catholicism owing to Dreyfus’s Jewish faith. It further motivated the fellow Jews to seek independence from Europe (Marshall, 1963).
On 17th January 1895, Felix Faure was elected president of France under the Moderate political party, following President Casimir-Perier’s resignation. Henri Brisson also contested for the seat, but despite garnering more votes in the first ballot, Felix Faure had the absolute majority of the votes. Felix Faure, to gain an absolute majority, strived to unite the moderate Republican Party and was successfully nominated due to his excellent reputation. President Faure offered amnesty to anti-government movements and organizations in 1895, which saw a lot of French nationals return to France. Furthermore, President Faure’s presidential tenure was affected by the Dreyfus affair, which continued as he was an anti-Drefusard supporter gaining his constant criticisms’ from Dreyfus supporters.
Emile Loubet assumed office on 18th February 1899, after serving as France Prime Minister under the democratic-republican alliance. The Republican Party was keen on addressing the Dreyfus affair, and President Loubet requested for Waldeck-Rousseau to form a committee to look into the issue leading to Dreyfus pardon and freedom. Loubet was thus successful in addressing the Dreyfus scandal, which had become an issue owing to the divisions within the Third French Republic. Despite the success, Loubet’s presidency suffered criticism due to the move to separate the state and clergy, a move that was highly opposed by Waldeck- Rousseau, who was a catholic. However, the step was passed later in July 1905 in the Chamber of Deputies. In 1900, President Loubet inducted the Paris Exhibition and also hosted Emperor Nicholas the second of Russia and then in 1902 visited Russia.
Bibliographies
Eckhardt, Carl Conrad. “The Alsace-Lorraine Question.” The Scientific Monthly 6, no. 5 (1918): 431-443.
Goubert, Pierre. The course of French history. Routledge, 2002.
Marshall, Philip R. “Chapman, Guy,” The Third Republic of France: The First Phase, 1871-1894″(Book Review).” The Historian 26, no. 1 (1963): 105.
Steefel, Lawrence D. Bismarck, the Hohenzollern Candidacy, and the origins of the Franco-German War of 1870. Pickle Partners Publishing, 2018.
Von Moltke, Helmuth Graf. The Franco-German War of 1870-71. Harper, 1907.
Wetzel, David. A Duel of Giants: Bismarck, Napoleon III, and the origins of the Franco-Prussian War. Univ of Wisconsin Press, 2003.