8. The Third Republic (1871-1940)
The Third Republic is officially established under Thiers after the French defeat by Prussia. In 1873, Thiers is replaced by Marshal Mac-Mahon who will come to be known for his public moral order. The new Republic Constitution is adopted in 1875, and the entire regime is Republican by 1879. During the 1880s, France continues to expand railroads and places an emphasis on public education. Scientific progress, as well as industry development, change the work conditions in factories. Paris once again hosts the Universal Exposition in 1878, 1895, and 1900. The intensifying debate between the Church and State is not resolved until 1905 when the government officially separates the two by law. France continues colonial expansion under the Third Republic, extending to Morocco, Tunisia, West Africa, Madagascar, and Indochina.
In 1894, Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish French officer, is wrongly blamed for German espionage and is convicted. Public opinion in France is dividedfor the next decade between those who believe that Dreyfus is guilty and those who claim he is a mere scapegoat for an anti-Semitic cause. In 1898, Emile Zola publishes his famous "J'accuse" against the French government and in defense of Dreyfus. The Dreyfus Affair results in amassive wave of nationalism and anti-Semitism that sweeps over France.
In 1913, Poincaré is elected president of the Republic. France enters the First World War in 1914 and loses 10% of its population by the end of the war in 1918. The 1919 Treaty of Versailles, however, places the responsibility of war on Germany and restores Alsace and Lorraine to the French. France experiences a severe depression in the 1930s, and the Popular Front made up of Socialists and Communists wins the elections of 1936, leading to many social and labor reforms.
The Second World War begins in 1939, and France is defeated by Germany in June, 1940. In July, Marshal Marshal Pétain sets up the Vichy government, and the Third Republic is voted out of existence. The Fourth Republic is not officially established until 1946.