Establishment of the Third Republic in France through Universal Suffrage and Republican Symbols
Download
Read an extract
Themes
Third Republic, universal suffrage, Léon Gambetta, French Revolution, republican regime, voting, political practices, symbols, democracy, popular sovereignty, human rights, fundamental freedoms, civic life, town hall, republican power, conservatives, monarchists, political crisis, equality, stability, suffrage censitaire, Ancien Régime, despotism, obscurantism, polling station, female exclusion, political history, France 1870, 1789 conquests
Reader
Abstract
Extract
of 4
Abstract
The Third Republic in France successfully established and developed itself on both political and symbolic levels through the implementation of universal suffrage and the utilization of symbols inherited from the French Revolution. This is evident in Léon Gambetta's speech on October 9, 1877, and Alfred Bramtot's depiction of a polling station in 1891. The republican regime relied on democratic practices such as voting to bring stability and equality, embodying the values of the French Revolution like human rights and popular sovereignty. Gambetta's speech, delivered after the political crisis of May 16, 1877, underscored the importance of universal suffrage as a guarantor of the democratic regime and equality among citizens. The image of men gathered in a polling station at the town hall, a symbolic place of republican power and civic life, demonstrated the rooting of these values in society. By leveraging the legacy of the French Revolution, the Third Republic asserted itself against conservative opponents and despotism, ultimately establishing a stable, though imperfect, regime that lasted until 1940. The use of universal male suffrage and symbols from the French Revolution enabled the republican regime to take shape and root itself, defending democracy and promoting equality among citizens.
Extract
[...] His speech takes place after the crisis of 16 May 1877. The second document is a painting by Alfred Bramtot, made in 1891 and titled 'Universal Suffrage'. It is a scene of a polling station at the town hall of the Lilas, at the moment when the republican regime is already well established. These documents lead us to ask ourselves how, on the political and symbolic levels, the republican regime manages to assert itself and take root under the Third Republic? [...]
[...] We can thus conclude that thanks to these two documents, which are separated by about fifteen years, it is possible to see the progress made during this period by the Republicans to establish the Republic. They used political practices such as universal suffrage and voting to bring stability and equality to the Republic, while relying on symbols inherited from the French Revolution. This Third Republic, which will last until 1940, is however imperfect (women are excluded from politics) and will not prevent political crises from succeeding each other throughout its existence. [...]
[...] Document 2 illustrates these ideas, showing men of all ages, dressed differently (top hat, apron, work blouse) to represent the bourgeois, the artisan and the worker. However, this equality is limited as women, despite their important role during the French Revolution, are excluded from voting. In document they are only symbolized by a small girl. The vote and universal suffrage thus allow the republic to assert itself and defend democracy against conservatives. However, political practice is not enough to anchor the republican idea in people's minds. [...]
[...] The republican regime of the Third Republic relies on symbols of 1789 to rally minds to the republican cause. It is what Gambetta recalls in his speech: « to [an a society that will not be made to renounce the conquests of 1789, sanctioned by the French Revolution". Gambetta addresses the deputies, claiming « Today, citizens as at the time of the Revolution, thus signifying that all are equal. Faced with conservative opponents, Gambetta thus insists on the legacy of the French Revolution and its values, such as human rights, fundamental freedoms or popular sovereignty, which are the bulwarks against the Ancien Régime, despotism and obscurantism. [...]
[...] Gambetta recalls that French society is « torn from her forever in the sun of the old regime and now rests on « there is a fixed deadline for the exercise of its sovereignty The table of document 2 shows the exercise of this sovereignty with men gathered in a polling station. Voting is therefore the main republican political practice against monarchists. Furthermore, universal suffrage is also a republican practice. It is the guarantor of the democratic regime as Gambetta says: « this deep and lasting order cannot in fact exist that in the name of the majority which is expressed by universal suffrage. [...]
