French legislative election, February 1871
Encyclopedia
French legislative elections to elect the first legislature of the French Third Republic
were held on 8 February 1871.
This election was held during an explosive situation in the country: following the Franco-Prussian War
, 43 departments were occupied. Thus, all public meetings were outlawed. Only Paris
had an electoral campaign.
This election allowed candidates to run in more than one seat
at a time. Originally planned to accommodate 765 deputies, this number was reduced as some candidates were elected in more than one seat. Adolphe Thiers
was elected in 86 seats.
This election saw the victory of monarchists (Legitimists
, Orleanists) favourable to peace with the German Empire
win a large majority.
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
were held on 8 February 1871.
This election was held during an explosive situation in the country: following the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, 43 departments were occupied. Thus, all public meetings were outlawed. Only Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
had an electoral campaign.
This election allowed candidates to run in more than one seat
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
at a time. Originally planned to accommodate 765 deputies, this number was reduced as some candidates were elected in more than one seat. Adolphe Thiers
Adolphe Thiers
Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers was a French politician and historian. was a prime minister under King Louis-Philippe of France. Following the overthrow of the Second Empire he again came to prominence as the French leader who suppressed the revolutionary Paris Commune of 1871...
was elected in 86 seats.
This election saw the victory of monarchists (Legitimists
Legitimists
Legitimists are royalists in France who adhere to the rights of dynastic succession of the descendants of the elder branch of the Bourbon dynasty, which was overthrown in the 1830 July Revolution. They reject the claim of the July Monarchy of 1830–1848, whose kings were members of the junior...
, Orleanists) favourable to peace with the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
win a large majority.
Parliamentary groups
| Affiliation | Party | Seats | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republicans French Second Republic The French Second Republic was the republican government of France between the 1848 Revolution and the coup by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte which initiated the Second Empire. It officially adopted the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité... |
|||
| Radical Republicans Republicanism Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context... |
38 | ||
| Moderate Republicans Republicanism Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context... |
112 | ||
| Right Right Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory... |
|||
| Liberals Liberalism Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,... |
72 | ||
| Orléanist Orléanist The Orléanists were a French right-wing/center-right party which arose out of the French Revolution. It governed France 1830-1848 in the "July Monarchy" of king Louis Philippe. It is generally seen as a transitional period dominated by the bourgeoisie and the conservative Orleanist doctrine in... s |
214 | ||
| Bonapartists Bonapartism Bonapartism is often defined as a political expression in the vocabulary of Marxism and Leninism, deriving from the career of Napoleon Bonaparte. Karl Marx was a student of Jacobinism and the French Revolution as well as a contemporary critic of the Second Republic and Second Empire... |
20 | ||
| Legitimists Legitimists Legitimists are royalists in France who adhere to the rights of dynastic succession of the descendants of the elder branch of the Bourbon dynasty, which was overthrown in the 1830 July Revolution. They reject the claim of the July Monarchy of 1830–1848, whose kings were members of the junior... |
182 | ||
| Total | 675 | ||