Panama Affaire 1893

As is so often the case in French history, the signs of a loyal opposition hardly had time to take root before another crisis highlighting the dangers of a Republic occurred.  This time it involved a man who had given France so much glory only years before: Ferdinand de Lesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal.

Lesseps had tried to build a canal in Panama and things were not going well.  Yellow fever was rampant and killing off most of his white workers who had no immunity to the disease.  Bu the biggest problem was that he tried to build the canal without locks.

As he ran out of money, he needed new loans to keep going.  So, he paid off newspapers to say things were going well.  But, he also gave large amounts of money to Deputies in the Assembly to vote for new bonds for the canal to be finished.  From 1888 onward Lesseps had paid out and the Republic had kept the project going.

But, in 1892, Rightist newspapers found out and published all the sordid details.  Sadly, Jews were prominent in the affair.  It seemed typical to the Right: Robber Republicans, Protestant Church-haters like Ferry and their Jewish friends made up a Republic—and its scandals.  Seemingly all Radical politicians were found to be accepting money to vote for bonds for a failed project.  Even Clemenceau was involved and the leadership of the Radicals was gutted for many years.  However, only one politician was convicted of anything—and only because he came clean.  Another committed suicide.  The Right’s suspicions of a “government of robbers” was confirmed.  The Republic had not changed.

As a result of the scandal, the Radicals became rather conservative.  They had to. Their top people were disgraced and the old suspicions of a Republic had been confirmed by the scandal