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Bordeaux Pact

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Le Libérateur du territoire, Jules Garnier, 1878, Musée du Château de Versailles. During the session of 16 June 1877, opposition deputies, contesting the legitimacy of the Cabinet, challenged the Government. In response, the Minister of the Interior, Fourtou, stated, "The men in the Government are drawn from the Assembly elected in 1871, which can be said to have been the pacifier and liberator of the territory." In response, several members of the Assembly stood and pointed to Mr. Thiers: "Here is the liberator of the territory!"

The Bordeaux Pact refers to a proclamation made by Adolphe Thiers on 10 March 1871, establishing an institutional status quo between monarchists and republicans during the early days of the French Third Republic. This pact delayed the debate over the form of the new regime.

To end the Franco-Prussian War, the Government of National Defense requested an armistice with Prussia on 28 January 1871. Bismarck refused, insisting that negotiations could only take place with representatives elected by the people. Consequently, a National Assembly was elected on 8 February 1871. This Assembly, dominated by monarchists seeking peace, appointed Adolphe Thiers as head of the Executive Power on 17 February 1871. The peace treaty was signed in Frankfurt am Main on 10 May 1871.

The monarchists, who held a majority in the Assembly, were divided between Legitimists (a minority with 182 seats) and Orleanists (the majority with 214 seats). They anticipated a swift restoration of the monarchy, while the republicans, a minority in the Assembly, aimed to reform the Republic. Adolphe Thiers sought to avoid deciding the regime's nature until peace with Prussia was secured and postponed the debate to navigate this opposition. This agreement, known as the Bordeaux Pact, was reached while the government was based in Bordeaux. The pact was formalized between Thiers and the National Assembly, which convened at the Grand Théâtre.

Despite the pact, the regime quickly adopted a parliamentary character, and Thiers clashed with the Assembly as the government moved toward a conservative Republic. Paradoxically, these conflicts and the failure of the monarchist Restoration strengthened the Republic's tendency. The Rivet decree, passed almost unanimously, named Adolphe Thiers "Head of the Executive Power" of the French Third Republic. The Rivet law (31 August 1871), the first constitutional act, officially designated Thiers as President of the Republic while stripping him of all executive power.

References

  1. Decree of 17 February 1871, known as the Rivet Decree: "The National Assembly, holding sovereign authority, considering it necessary, 'pending a decision on France's institutions,' to provide for the immediate needs of government and the conduct of negotiations, decrees: Mr. Thiers is appointed Head of the Executive Power 'of the French Republic'; he shall perform his duties under the authority of the National Assembly, with the assistance of ministers he selects and presides over."
  2. The Rivet Law or "Constitution" of 31 August 1871, aimed at reducing Thiers' influence over the Assembly, despite or because of his popularity: "The Head of the Executive shall take the title of President of the Republic," but his powers will end with those of the Assembly, marking an evolution toward a parliamentary regime with a "government" responsible to the Assembly and a Head of State with a more limited role.

Bibliography

  • Démier, F. (2000). La France du 19th century : 1814-1914. Éditions du Seuil. 294 p.
  • Fureix, E. (2014). Le siècle des possibles : 1814-1914. Paris: Presses universitaires de France. 148 p.
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