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