Founding the Republic, 1870-1875
France was ruled by Emperor Napoleon III. In 1870 he went to war with Prussia and lost. After the defeat at Sedan, people in Paris declared a Republic on 4 September 1870. A republic is a country without a king or emperor, where the people elect their leaders.
The first years were hard. France lost land in the east, and in 1871 there was a bitter fight in Paris called the Commune, which the government crushed. Many people were afraid of the Republic. Some wanted a king back.
In 1875 a set of constitutional laws settled things. There would be a Chamber of Deputies elected by all men (universal male suffrage), a Senate and a President chosen by both. The Republic won by a very small number of votes, but it lasted until 1940.
Symbols that make a nation
The Republicans wanted every citizen to feel proud of the Republic. They chose symbols: the tricolour flag, Marianne (a woman wearing a cap, whose bust stood in every town hall), the song La Marseillaise (anthem from 1879), the motto Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and the national holiday on 14 July (from 1880). Statues of famous people and street names also taught the same story.
Fundamental freedoms (1881-1884)
After 1879, committed Republicans ruled and passed laws to protect freedoms:
- 1881: the freedom of the press. Newspapers could be printed without asking the government first.
- 1881: the freedom of meeting. People could gather to talk about politics.
- 1884: trade unions became legal, so workers could join together. (Another law, in 1901, allowed all kinds of clubs and associations.)
- Mayors of towns were now elected by town councils (1884).
These rights allowed citizens to share ideas, argue and help the Republic work.
School, town hall and barracks
Three places taught people to be citizens:
- The school. Minister Jules Ferry made primary school free (1881), then compulsory for children aged 6 to 13 and secular (1882). Secular (laïque) means state schools do not teach a religion; religion is for family and church. Pupils learned to read and write in French, history and the Republic's values. Girls got their own secondary schools from 1880.
- The town hall (mairie). Here people voted, registered births and had civil weddings.
- The barracks. Young men did military service, which mixed boys from all regions.
Opposition and the Dreyfus affair
Not everyone loved the Republic. Some supported a king or an emperor. Some Catholics feared the Republic was against the Church. Some officers and nationalists distrusted it.
In 1894 Captain Alfred Dreyfus, an army officer from a Jewish family, was accused of giving secrets to Germany. He was wrongly convicted. Later proof showed another officer was guilty, but the army tried to hide it. In 1898 the writer Émile Zola wrote the open letter J'accuse to defend him. France split into Dreyfusards (who wanted justice) and anti-Dreyfusards (who defended the army, and many were openly anti-Jewish). In 1906 Dreyfus was cleared. The affair showed the dangers of hatred and the importance of justice and a free press.
The 1905 law separating the Churches and the State
Disputes between Republicans and the Catholic Church continued. The law of 9 December 1905 made the State and the Churches separate. The State no longer paid priests or recognised an official religion. It guaranteed freedom of conscience and the free practice of every religion. This is the base of laïcité (secularism) in France: the State is neutral, and every person is free to believe or not.
Women denied the vote and the wider picture
The Third Republic said "equality", but women could not vote or be elected. Under the Civil Code, a married woman needed her husband's permission for many things. Some women, such as the writer Hubertine Auclert, demanded the vote, but parliament refused. French women got the vote only in 1944 (first used in 1945), which is 74 years after the Republic began.
The Republic also built a large overseas colonial empire in these years. This brought rule over other peoples without the same rights, which sits uneasily with the Republic's own principles. Historians still discuss it.
The period ended in 1914 with the start of the First World War. The Third Republic itself lasted until 1940.
Try it
In the 3D: go to the last step and move the year slider from 1870 to 1914. Predict first: in which year will the school become compulsory? Then check. Notice the women group at the front: what does the label tell you?
At home: draw your own timeline with 6 events from the lesson. Write one cause (why) and one result (so what) beside each.
Key formulas and definitions
- Third Republic = 1870 (Republic declared) to 1940; this lesson 1870-1914
- 1875 laws = Chamber of Deputies (men elected) + Senate + President
- 1881 = free press, free meetings, free primary school; 1882 = compulsory and secular school
- 1884 = trade unions legal; 1905 = Churches and State separated
- 1894-1906 = Dreyfus affair; women got the vote in 1944
Worked examples
1. Why did the Third Republic make school free, compulsory and secular?
To teach all children to read and think as citizens of one nation, to give every child a chance and to keep religion in family and church life, not in state schools.
2. How long did the school age run if school was compulsory from 6 to 13?
13 − 6 = 7 years of compulsory school.
3. How many years did women wait for the vote after the Republic began in 1870 (vote in 1944)?
1944 − 1870 = 74 years.
4. Explain the cause and the result of the Dreyfus affair in one sentence each.
Cause: an innocent Jewish officer was blamed and the army hid the truth. Result: France split, a free press and writers like Zola fought for justice, and in 1906 Dreyfus was cleared.
5. What does "secular" (laïque) mean in the 1905 law?
The State is neutral. It does not pay or favour any religion, and every person is free to believe or not.
Common mistakes
- Mixing the dates: school became free in 1881 and compulsory and secular in 1882; the Church-State law is 1905.
- Saying the Republic gave equal rights to all. Women could not vote, and colonised peoples had fewer rights.
- Thinking secular means against religion. It means the State is neutral and protects freedom of belief.
- Thinking the Dreyfus affair was only about one man. It divided society about justice, the army and hatred of Jews.