Establishing the Third Republic (1871–1890)
- The Third Republic was born after France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) and the fall of Napoleon III.
- Its start was rocky: Paris radicals established the Paris Commune (1871), which was violently suppressed by government troops.
- Monarchists were still powerful in the early years and wanted to restore a king, but disagreements among them prevented a full restoration.
- The new Republic relied on fragile coalitions in parliament, which made governing unstable.
- Boulangisme (led by General Georges Boulanger in the late 1880s) threatened the Republic by rallying nationalists, monarchists, and discontented groups. His sudden fall in 1889 saved the Republic, but it showed how fragile it was.
Crises and Divisions (1890–1914)
- The Dreyfus Affair (1894–1906) deeply divided France: Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer, was falsely accused of treason.
- Conservatives, the army, and the Catholic Church supported his conviction, while liberals and republicans defended him.
- The affair revealed rising anti-Semitism and distrust of the military, but also strengthened the Republic when Dreyfus was finally exonerated.
- The Republic faced corruption scandals (e.g., the Panama Canal scandal) that damaged public trust in government.
- Political extremes grew: radicals and socialists demanded reform, while right-wing nationalists opposed the Republic and feared decline.
- Despite instability, the Republic expanded education reforms (e.g., secular schools under Jules Ferry) and gradually became more accepted by French society.
Common Mistake
- Students sometimes treat the Third Republic as stable from the start, forgetting it faced decades of crises before gaining legitimacy.
- Some confuse Boulangisme with the Dreyfus Affair. They were different threats, from different decades, but both revealed divisions in French politics.
Exam technique
- When answering, show continuity and change: early fragility (1870s–80s) → growing legitimacy by 1914 despite scandals.
- Always connect specific events (Commune, Boulangisme, Dreyfus Affair, corruption) to the bigger theme of “stability and crisis.”
Self review
- Why was the Third Republic unstable in its early years (1871–1890)?
- What was Boulangisme, and why did it threaten the Republic?
- How did the Dreyfus Affair divide French politics and society?
- To what extent did the Third Republic become more stable by 1914 despite scandals and political extremes?
