•Age of Enlightenment•The French Revolution•The Republic

The History of the Democracy in France

Age of Enlightenment

1) Ideas and Callas Affair

2) Freedom of thought and expression

3) Separation of the 3 powers imagined and claimed by Montesquieu

Voltaire and the “Affaire Calas”

Context: Louis XV catholicism : religion of State

Error of justice caused by the religious intolerance and the victim of which was Jean Calas ; he was a trader who lived in Toulouse and he was of Protestant religion.

After being falsely accused of killing his son because he wanted to convert to Christianity, Calas was executed in Toulouse on 10 March 1762.

Voltaire used this judgment to create the Treaty against Intolerance in 1763.

Cause by religions intolerance

Principles defended by the French philosophers of the Enlightenment

-Denounced intolerance, life at the court and injustice-Freedom of conscience-Educate people (creation of the Encyclopedia)-3 powers must be separated

The Age of the Enlightenment is an intellectual movement of the 17th century. During 16th and 17th century, there were many religious wars and it was an intolerance period. In the XVIII eme century, people were not free to think and to express themselves. It was always necessary to be in agreement with the king.

After the death of Louis the 14th, there are philosopher's movements which are going to try to liberate the thought of people.

In the middle of 18thcentury, Diderot and d’Alembert created the encyclopedie to shine thought of people.

Obscurantism : anything is based on the reason and the thought of people is absent.

Light: is an opposition of the obscurentism ; it consists to liberate thought of people.

The famous philosopher of the 18th century are Diderot, Rousseau, d’Alembert, Montesquieu and Voltaire.

Louis 14 Versailles

Diderot

D’alembert

Freedom to think and to express oneself

The first person who had the idea of separating the three powers in France was Montesquieu in XVIIIe century. According to him to separate the powers could limit the injustices.

For him, if a person own the three forms of power, the country is an absolute monarchy.

Montesquieu was inspired by the first form of democracy created by Athenes. It’s in 507 before J.C. to 322 and English Constitution.

Separation of the 3 powers imagined and claimed by Montesquieu

Montesquieu

Atheniene democracy

Executive power Legislative power

Judiciary power

What does he do Made execute the laws

Discuss and passes the laws

considers violations of the law

Law courtPresident and the government

SénatAssemblée nationale

• The important dates • The Constitution • The Statement (declaration) of Human Rights and of the Citizen

The important datesMay 5th, 1789: the General States open in Versailles June 17th, 1789: the National Assembly June 20th, 1789: the « jeux de paume »July 9th, 1789: the National Assembly becomes constituent July 14th, 1789: storming of the Bastille: prison which

represented absolutism August 11th, 1789: civil and fiscal decree of legality August 26th, 1789: statement (declaration) of the human

right and the citizenSeptember 3rd, 1790: 1st French ConstitutionSeptember, 1792: 1st Republic

The constitutionThe constitution fundamental text which fixes the organization

of the powers of the State and the sovereignty of the nation.June 20th, 1789 : The King forbids access to the room where the

General Assembly was being held. The representatives of the Third Estate met then in a gymnasium intended for the « jeux de paume », a sport played at that time. They made a commitment not to part before having given France a Constitution.

The French people solemnly proclaimed its attachment to Human Rights and to the principles of national sovereignty such as defined by the Declaration of 1789, confirmed and completed by the introduction of the Constitution of 1946, as well as in rights and duties defined in the Charter of the environment of 20.

The bill of rights and the citizenAs a consequence, the National Assembly recognizes

and declares, in the presence and under the aegis of the supreme Being, the rights of men and of citizens.

Some articlesArt. 1st. People are born and remain free and equal.

Social distinctions can only be based on the common utility.

Art. 2. The purpose of any political association is the protection of men’s natural and imprescriptible rights. These rights are: freedom, property, safety, and the resistance to oppression.

Art. 3. The principle of any Sovereignty lies essentially in the Nation. No body, no individual can practice authority which does not emanate from the Nation.

Its legacyThe legacy of the Declaration of the Rights of Men

and Citizens are: The first constitution and all those that followed And, lately, the word democracy!

Federation Party It was celebrated in Paris, on July 14th, 1790, one year

after the storming of the Bastille. In a climate of national union, a big crowd gathered around the king and members of parliament. Louis XVI attended this party, and took an oath to the Nation and to the law.

Since 1880, this event has been celebrated, every July 14th, as the French National holiday.

First RepublicThe First Republic, officially named French Republic,

refers to all the republican systems of France between September, 1792 and May, 1804. Brought by the French Revolution, the First Republic followed the Constitutional monarchy which disappeared on August 10th, 1792 with the storming of the Palace of the Tuileries by the « sans culottes ».

It announced a new era of exercise of power in Europe. September 21st, 1792, members of parliament of the Convention gathered for the first time and decided unanimously on the abolition of the constitutional monarchy in France.

On September 25th, 1792, the Republic was declared " one and inseparable »

The third Republic reinforced the main symbols and principles of the French republican model: the tricolour flag, Marianne, the national anthem: La Marseillaise , the motto « Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité ».All of these things are a revolutionary legacy.

The Third Republic of France

  The Third Republic began in 1870 and ended in 1940.

The President was elected for 7 years.

 The State didn’t want the young French to attend catholic schools anymore. 

So the State created the public instruction which was free, compulsory and secular (non religious) in 1882.

In 1905, there was the separation between the Church and the State.

It created secularism, which is one of the most important values of the Republic of France.Liberty of conscience and of cult

Separation between the Church and the State

1889 : The Eiffel Tower

In 1936, the left wing won the legislative elections and sat at the Parliament.It was called “le Front Populaire”. It took some importants social laws as the “Congés payés”.The French population could enjoy paid holidays for one week: that was extraordinary!

 It also limited the number of hours of work: the French could only work 40 hours per week!Nowadays, the time of work is 35 hours per week.

The population was happy but these laws were very expensive and this government had to leave. The third Republic ended because of world war II. The system of Vichy other throws the Republic and floot the democracy for 4 years (1940 - 1944).

The Fifth Republic of France It was created by “Général de Gaulle” in 1958. He 

had been elected President andhe proposed a new constitution in September. He reinforced the executive power.

May 68First, Général de Gaulle was loved by the French.

However, some people and students thought he was too harsh and they organised huge demonstrations in Paris in May 1968.Charles de Gaulle resigned in 1969.

In 1981, François Mitterand became the first socialist President of the fifth Republic. He promulgated some social laws such as the abolition of the death penalty in 1981.

In 1995, Jacques Chirac, who was from the right wing, was elected. He decided to reduce the presidential mandate from 7 to 5 years.

Nowadays, our president is François Hollande and he is the second socialist president.He was elected in 2012.

The political organisation of the 5th Republic in France

art.2 : The Republic is “indivisible, secular, democratic and social”

As we told you before, there are 3 important powers in France: The executive power (President and ministers) The legislative power (the Parliament: Assemblée Nationale + Sénat).The judicial power (magistrates :judges+prosecutors).It has to sanction people when they break rules/disobey to a law.

The Presidents of the fifth Republic