In this book, Pierre de Coubertin recounts the history of the Third Republic. Key events and politics are examined, but the author also deals with social issues, education, ideas and habits, and relations with the Church.

Excerpt from The Evolution of France Under the Third Republic Just a hundred years have elapsed since the first French Republic attained apparent stability, with high prestige and virtual paramountcy throughout Europe. The political fortunes of France since that time have been full of a strange and seemingly capricious variety. As one looks back, however, over the course of things since the revolutionary period, it becomes plain not only that the last quarter of the hundred years has been by far the best epoch for the French people, but also that the caprice and contradiction of French political history have been rather upon the surface of events, while the real life of the nation has unfolded by processes of development which make the present order in some true sense the logical and necessary outcome of all that has gone before. It has not been the task of our author in the present volume to treat of the entire century. He finds it desirable, nevertheless, briefly to recite his philosophy of the political evolution of France since the first Napoleon. His views seem to me to disclose not merely a typical French aptitude for generalization and the rationale of things, but further than that a justness of judgment and a reasonableness that inspire the utmost confidence. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This book provides a detailed account of French history from the oripins of the Thrid Republic, born out of the collapse of Napoleon III's Second Empire, to the coming of the Great WAr in 1914. Part 1 begins with the fall of the "notables" and the victory of the republicans. Then follows a picture of the economy and society of late nineteenth-century France, and an examination of spiritual and cultural development under the increasing threat from nationalist and socialist forces. The moderates' brief ascendancy at the end of the century followed by the extreme sentiments unleashed at the time of the Dreyfus affair, brings the story in Part 2 to a more passionately political period, when the republic finallynbecame established as a bulwark of bourgeois prosperity, witnessing the rise of the banks and big business, and the dangerous revival of colonial expansion.

The National Book Award–winning historian’s “vivid and moving” eyewitness account of the fall of France to Hitler’s Third Reich at the outset of WWII (The New York Times). As an international war correspondent and radio commentator during World War II, William L. Shirer didn’t just research the fall of France. He was there. In just six weeks, he watched the Third Reich topple one of the world’s oldest military powers—and institute a rule of terror and paranoia. Based on in-person conversations with the leaders, diplomats, generals, and ordinary citizens who both shaped the events and lived through them, Shirer constructs a compelling account of historical events without losing sight of the human experience. From the heroic efforts of the Freedom Fighters to the tactical military misjudgments that caused the fall and the daily realities of life for French citizens under Nazi rule, this fascinating and exhaustively documented account brings this significant episode of history to life. “This is a companion effort to Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, also voluminous but very readable, reflecting once again both Shirer’s own experience and an enormous mass of historical material well digested and assimilated.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

An essential introduction to the major political problems, debates and conflicts which are central to the history of the Third Republic in France, from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 to the fall of France in June 1940.It provides original sources, detailed commentary and helpful chronologies and bibliographies on topics including:* the emergence of the regime and the Paris Commune of 1871* Franco-German relations* anti-Semitism and the Dreyfus Affair* the role of women and the importance of the national birth-rate* the character of the French Right and of French fascism.

This book is a history of France during the period of the Third Republic, which lasted from 1870 to 1940. Coubertin examines the political, social, and economic changes that occurred during this turbulent time, including the Dreyfus Affair, the rise of socialism, and the impact of World War I. This is an essential work for historians of modern France. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.