by Mike Collins,
Class of 1999
Background
Perhaps the single most important event in the history of the French Third Republic in
the nineteenth century is Seize Mai. "Le Seize Mai" (16 May 1877) demonstrates
constitutional republics were succeeding monarchies at the time of the Third Republic by
limiting the powers of the president in appointing ministers.
The French Third Republic was created after the end of the Franco-Prussian War and the
expulsion of the communists from the Paris Commune. In the wake of defeat against the
North German Confederation, Emperor Louis Napoleon abdicated and Adolphe Louis Thiers, a
famous French writer and politician, was chosen the lead the provisional government.
Thiers was subsequently elected president on August 30, 1871. However, he was forced to
resign by his monarchist opponents in 1873.
The stage was set for the monarchists to take over the country again. However, the
monarchists, holding legitimacy to rule France, could not resolve differences between
Bourbons and Orleanists. The Bourbons preferred restoring the line of King Louis XVIII and
Charles X to the throne, while the Orleanists preferred to put a descendant of Citizen
King Louis Philippe, who made France a constitutional monarchy for 18 years, on the throne
of France. With the extreme liberals dead or out of the country (many went to Devil’s
Island), the time seemed right for a king. The people would trust a monarch now more than
ever because of the hate towards the liberals for seeming to cause the unprecedented
carnage of civil strife in revolutions and rebellions since the Restoration and the
legitimacy of the King supported by the church.
The Accidental Republic
A second Restoration was not to be. There was a vote to decide which constitution,
largely republican or monarchist, in 1875 to decide. The chamber was split, but the
monarchists were sure of a victory. However, one man on the monarchist side was late for
the vote, and the republicans won. The French Third Republic was born, and many refer to
the nation at the time after the famous vote as the "accidental republic". Yet,
the monarchists were not going to give up that easily, especially with significant public
support.
The most important grab at power in the struggle between the Right and Left in the
Third Republic was Seize Mai. After the monarchist majority dumped Thiers in 1873, Marie
Edme Patrice MacMahon was elected as president for a seven-year term. MacMahon, though a
moderate royalist, not quite willing to go to measures to restore a monarchy but carried
out measures to suppress republicans, even after they came into a majority in the chamber
of deputies. MacMahon went so far as to force the republican Premier, Jules Simon, to
resign on the 16th of May, 1877, when Simon went against a new monarchist
proposal.
The Consequences of MacMahon's Abuse of Power
MacMahon went further, dissolving the chamber of deputies and ordering new elections in
October of the same year. During this same time, MacMahon appointed two royalist cabinets,
one in May and one during the new elections. As the republicans once again gained a
majority, MacMahon was forced to accept a cabinet of ministers the chamber approved of at
the end of the year.
The events of Seize Mai proved significant in demonstrating republics were gaining
power over previous monarchist governments. In a throne-and-alter scenario with the king
supported by the church and presumably given the right to rule by God, the king has almost
absolute powers, sometimes called the "Divine Right of Kings". Charles X
approved of this method, even after the revolution and unrest in France between 1789 and
1798, and so was at least partially responsible for instigating the revolution of 1830 and
making France a constitutional monarchy in which the powers of the king are limited to a
varying degree. Yet, in a republic, the people have more power to decide the fate of the
nation, as they can elect a parliament, or in the case of France, a chamber of deputies.
The powers of legislation and some powers of executing the laws are removed from the
executive branch of the government (formerly headed by the king, but now the president)
and given to the chamber. Thus, when MacMahon had to get the approval for his ministers,
policy makers, from the chamber, it removed some of the powers of government from the
executive branch.
In addition, the ministers the chamber of deputies would approve of, naturally, would
be of the same party as the republicans in the chamber, so the overall power and majority
of the monarchists would decline and the balance of power of the type of government the
future of France would have would shift. Therefore, Seize Mai was significant because it
influenced the future of France and demonstrated the rise of republics by limiting the
powers of the executive office, in which rested the power to appoint ministers to head
plans for the government and the nation.
Conclusion
It could be opined the monarchists caused their own downfall. Charles X insisted on
more power for himself, and MacMahon insisted on complete loyalty to rightist philosophy.
So it seems the personal desires of the person in the executive office were what decided
it. Yet, the power ultimately rests in the hands of the people of the nation who
instigated the revolutions against their leaders and elected representatives to the
chamber. The future of France was its people.
MacMahon was plagued by conflict with the chamber of deputies for the rest of his
presidency. He resigned in January of 1879, before the end of his term of seven years.
Jules Grevy became the next president of the Third Republic, and "Bloody Ditch"
between the Right and the Left continued; yet one of the most influential events of the
era was most certainly Seize Mai.
Bibliography
"France". Encarta 98 Multimedia Encyclopedia. CD-ROM.
Microsoft
Corp., 1998.
"MacMahon, Marie Edme Patrice de". Columbia Encyclopedia, Fifth Ed. Columbia
"Thiers, (Louis) Adolphe". Funk and Wagnall’s New Encyclopedia. 1993 ed.
By Michael Collins, 1999 |