The Third Republic of France - Part 1

The Third Republic of France experienced numerous difficulties, yet it survived and became the longest-serving regime in modern French history. Let's look at how that happened and what some of the causes of its resilience were.

The Third Republic of France managed to survive for nearly 70 years despite facing many problems. A world war, political isolation periods, economic disagreements, and many more things had happened to its disadvantages. There were also some problematic external relations of France while the whole world was struggling as well. Hence we can say that despite all this, the actions that led to a kind of solid foundation of the republic in its early years were the main reasons it continued for this long.  It had a nice start that will help it gain some acceleration towards a developing republic so that it lasted more than anticipated.

France had democratization and nation-building processes simultaneously. Kevin Passmore supports the importance of democratic culture by saying that for optimists, it protected France from extremism in Europe. The mobilization of Catholics and socialists to the war effort in 1914 demonstrated their integration into the Republic; communism flourished only after accepting the Republic in 1935, and fascism made little progress.

The abovementioned strong foundation can be explained with republicanism having gained a new meaning until approximately the 1880s. It used to get related to more radical, terrorist, and revolutionary ideas. However, this changed with a more moderate attitude. The new republic was designed as a conservative republic as opposed to a social/revolutionary republic, as they were rising ideas at that time. However, it was also not like the Bonapartists. So we can say that it started with a nice balancing attitude, aiming for a less divided masses.

Moreover, although there were some controversial views against this, there had been significant steps towards nation-building and the adaptation of the masses to it. Military service becoming compulsory, constructing new railways, changing street names, deciding three-color flag, national anthem, and the 14th of July can be given as some examples.

The anonymous author of an article, "Du rôle social de l'officier", argued that in view of the new rule requiring universal military service, the army, through the officer, had a responsibility to serve as an educator in society. Due to the fact that all young men were required to serve in the army, the officer who could form them had a lot of potentials that might be leading to him being able to channel a sense of common purpose and harmony among soldiers. Meaning promoting national unity.

For references and further readings you can check:

Kevin Passmore, "The Republic in Crisis: Politics 1914-1945," in J. McMillan (ed.), Modern France, pp.39-73.

Venita Datta, Birth of a National Icon: The Literary Avant-Garde and the Origins of the Intellectual in France (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1999), pp.135-166.

For photos: 1 / 2