kcguy
Jr. Member
Posts: 1,033
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« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2017, 07:09:35 PM » |
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OK, I'll respond, despite having little prior knowledge and doing no further research. I'll let others correct my mistakes.
The First Republic happened during the 1790's. It followed the forced abdication of Louis XVI, and it ended when Napoleon Bonaparte had himself crowned Emperor, ushering in the First Empire. A noteworthy figure of the First Republic was Robespierre.
The Second Republic happened during the 1840's and was the most short-lived of the Republics. It followed the deposing of King Louis-Philippe, and it ended with the founding of the Second Empire, under Napoleon's nephew, Napoleon III. I'm not aware of anything noteworthy happening under the Second Republic.
The Third Republic came into being around 1870 or 1871, following defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and the overthrow of Napoleon III. My impression is that the Republic wasn't very popular in its early years, but it was helped by the fact that the monarchists were divided between at least three candidates. The Third Republic probably reached its apex during the First World War. Things went downhill in the 1930's when fascist and communist forces refused to cooperate with other parties, and the previously-weak presidents began ruling by decree. The Third Republic petered out with the Vichy government.
The Fourth Republic was founded after WWII, and its government structure was largely based on the Third Republic. At first, the Fourth Republic worked fairly well, with right-wing forces largely discredited and the Communist Party willing to go along to get along. But as the decade progressed, the weaknesses of the Third Republic began to resurface.
The Fifth Republic was founded in 1958, and its most notable feature was a much stronger presidency. It's my impression that the president actually chooses the prime minister from the majority party in Parliament, even when the president is not from that party. But I may be completely wrong about that.
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