Gambetta and the Making of the Third Republic

This book is a detailed study of part of Léon Gambetta's career and of his role in the seven years crucial to the making of the Third Republic, the longest-lived regime in France since 1789. With one exception, devoted to his so-called dictatorship during the Franco-Prussian War, there has been no study of Gambetta in English since a biography by H. Standard which appeared in 1921. Yet, after making a name for himself in 1868 at the age of thirty, he became one of the most consummate politicians in France and certainly the greatest orator. Regarded by his enemies on the Right as a dangerous Radical and warmonger, he grew increasingly moderate and became the leader of the group eventually known as the Opportunists. His astuteness and ability as an opposition leader enabled him to play an important part in securing support for the Republican constitution of 1875 and in defeating the forces of the monarchist Right in the crisis of the 'Seize Mai' which threatened the Republic in 1877. The book throws light upon the intricacies of French politics. It makes use of Gambetta's own newspaper, the République Française, and of much published and unpublished French material, including many letters exchanged by Gambetta with he Créole mistress, Léonie Léon, to whom he was devoted and whose influence upon him has been so much debated. It also draws largely upon contemporary English sources. Separate chapters are devoted to the army, in which Gambetta, formerly Minister of War in the provinces during the war of 1870-1, was intensely interested, and to foreign affairs which increasingly fascinated him as ministerial office once more appeared to be within his grasp.