Crises of the Third Republic
If there was one clear characteristic of the Third Republic to 1914, it was that it had numerous crises that threatened civil war, revolution or foreign invasion. Here are some of those crises.- Seize Mai. The reaction to the firing of a Premier by the President established the dominance of the legislature over the President and was a victory for Republicans.
- Boulanger Affaire. A near coup d'etat by a popular General was thwarted due to his own failings at the crucial time and was a victory for Republicans
- Panama Affaire. An enormous scandal seemingly including all Republicans badly damaged the Republican cause and emboldened the Right.
- The Dreyfus Affaire. The conviction of the Jew Alfred Dreyfus on charges of spying for Germany seemed to confirm the analysis of the Right that a Jew could not be a true Frenchman and would have loyalty to Germany instead. However, a later investigation by an anti-Semitic intelligence officer, George Picquart, found that not only was Drefyus NOT guilty, but that counter-intelligence had botched the entire case. For his efforts, Picquart was imprisoned for slander and France teetered on the edge of civil war. A huge victory for the Republicans
- 1898 Fashoda Crisis. France nearly went to war with Britain over the "sixty mud huts" village of Fashoda on the Nile. France backed down and gave up her dreams of regaining her pre-eminent position in Egypt.
- Emile Combes "laicizes" the Church. Shortly after the Dreyfus Affaire, Emile Combes, a Church-hating Republican, decided to break the power of the Church in France once and for all. He expelled all foreign priests, closed down all the Catholic schools in France and locked the doors of Catholic Churches for two years and unilaterally declared a separation of Church and State in France with no compensation for lost church property. This essentially removed Catholics from public life in France if it came to politics.
- General Andre/Freemasons Affair. Combes followed up his anti-Church efforts by having the Minister of War, General Andre purge the army of those generals who were devout Catholics. Using the Freemasons to spy on the Catholics was a mistake since there was an angry reaction from the public when new leaked out. Andre and Combes lost their jobs as a result. Minor victory for the Right, but the army was badly weakened.
- 1905 Moroccan Crisis. France nearly was invaded by Germany over the issue of French influence in Morocco. France was saved by the British at the Conference of Algeciras. Britain began to act like a French ally.
- 1911 Moroccan Crisis. Very similar to the 1905 crisis, Germany again threatened war after French troops seized Fez to restore order in Morocco. Germany was again blocked by Britain at another Conference, but France was forced to give up some land in Cameroon in Central Africa.
- The Madame Caillaux Affaire. The newspaper publication of a steamy set of letters by the mistress of a former French Premier led to a murder and a sensational trial that distracted the French from the momentous events of July 1914 on the eve of WWI.