The German Influence in France after 1870: The Formation of the French Republic

299 Pages·1979·5.854 MB·English

by  Allan Mitchell

The German Influente in France
after 1870

The German Influence
in France after 1870
The Formation
of the French Republic
by Allan Mitchell
The University of North Carolina Press
Chapel Hill
© 1979 The University of North Carolina Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
Cloth edition, ISBN 0-8078-1357-5
Paper edition, ISBN 0-8078-1374-5 pbk.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 78-31677
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Mitchell, Allan.
The German influence in France after 1870.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. France—Politics and government— 1870-1940.
2. France—Relations (general) with Germany.
3. Germany—Relations (general) with France. I. Title.
DC340.M64 320.9'44'081 78-31677
ISBN 0-8078-1357-5
T$BN 0-8078-1374-5 pbk.
Contents
Preface I ix
Introduction I xi
1 The Improvised Republic I 3
The Birth of the Republic I 3
Bismarck and Thiers I 6
The Price of German Consent I 10
The Paris Commune
and the Frankfurt Treaty I 15
2 The Cost of Liberation I 21
French Finances and
the First Public Loan I 21
The German Occupation I 21
Tariffs, Taxation, and
the Second Public Loan I 34
Diplomatic Isolation
and Military Evacuation I 40
3 The Political Alternatives I 49
The Monarchists I 49
The Bonapartists I 56
The Thierists I 62
vi
The Gambettists I 69
MacMahon I 16
4 The Constitutional Compromise I 85
The Limitations of Diplomacy I 85
The Presidential Septennate I 91
The Techniques of Intimidation j 99
The Wallon Amendment I 105
5 The Deadlock I 113
The Effects
of Economic Interdependence I 113
The War Hoax of 1875 I 124
The Politics of Polarization I 130
The Signs of Erosion I 138
6 The Test of Strength I 144
“Salutary Fear” and
the Crisis of Seize Mai / 144
Politics and Prefects I 150
The German Connection I 159
The Collapse of Conservatism I 170
7 The Opportunist Republic I 177
The Afterglow of Victory I 177
The Outcome of Protectionism I 185
The Upsurge of Radicalism I 193
Climax and Anticlimax I 200
Notes I 207
Bibliography I 251
Index I 265
Tables
1. The First Public Loan, 1871 I 26
2. The Second Public Loan, 1872 I 39
3. Annual Average Growth of Product, 1870-1913 I 116
4. Indexes of Industrial Production, 1870-1913 I 117
5. Net National Product: Decennial Rates of Growth I 118
6. French Imports (Special Commerce), 1857-1883 I 187
7. French Exports (Special Commerce), 1857-1883 / 187
8. French Importation of Key Commodities, 1877 I 188
9. Volume of German Imports, 1870-1890 / 193

Preface
The relationship between France and Germany, their similari­
ties and their differences, is a theme that has fascinated me since
my first experience in Europe. Scarcely a decade after the Second
World War, nothing could have been more natural for a young
American student than to perceive the two nations as variations of
the same civilization. The cold war was in progress and Western
unity was very much the vogue: the Marshall plan, the treaty of
Rome, NATO, and all the rest. On both sides of the Rhine, Euro­
peans seemed somewhat battered, troubled, often indistinguish­
able in the streets. The same cloud of exhaust fumes from motor
scooters hung over every town. From Mont-Saint-Michel to Mu­
nich the dollar was still an almighty passe-partout, and even with
a modest stipend I was able to explore both countries at leisure.
That seems long ago, but the traces remain. In part this book
is therefore autobiographical. It is also the result of several subse­
quent years of archival work in France, Germany, and the United
States. Just as any other wandering scholar, I have incurred more
personal and professional debts along the way than I could hope to
list. To select only a few names is distressingly arbitrary. Yet as
a minimum I want to thank three French professors who offered
me encouragement during the early stages of my investigation:
Georges Castellan, Claude Digeon, and Jacques Droz. My grati­
tude is no less for the cordiality of three German historians who
took me into their homes and afforded me the benefit of their
advice: Josef Becker, Michael Stürmer, and Hans-Ulrich Wehler.
Finally, I owe a word of appreciation to three Americans: Fritz
x / Preface
Stem, who allowed me to steal a look at the Bleichröder papers in
his New York kitchen; David Landes, whose incisive critique led
me to revise substantially several portions of my manuscript; and
my colleague and friend H. Stuart Hughes, whose support has
been constant over the two decades since we first met in California.
In addition, it is more than a duty to acknowledge financial
assistance that has been granted by the Rockefeller Foundation, the
American Philosophical Society, the American Council of Learned
Societies, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the
research committees of Smith College and the University of Cali­
fornia, San Diego.
None of the foregoing names is invoked gratuitously. All
have at one time or another been important to me, and all bear a
heavier responsibility for this book than they could possibly have
realized. At least they have some excuse for its deficiencies.
La Jolla, California
July 1979