Proclamation of the French Republic (September 4, 1870)

Proclamation of the French Republic (September 4, 1870)

Bronze high relief by Léopold Morice, Monument à la République, Place de la République, Paris, 1883.
Date	September 4, 1870
Location	Paris, France
Theme	Establishment of the Third Republic, Government of National Defense

The proclamation of the French Republic on September 4, 1870, announced to the French people that the Republic was being reestablished, thereby founding the Third Republic, and causing the downfall of Emperor Napoleon III and the fall of the Second Empire. This event represents the fourth French Revolution, following those of 1789, 1830, and 1848.

French troops were defeated by the Prussian army and subsequently surrounded in Sedan, where Emperor Napoleon III surrendered on September 2. The news of the defeat was received in Paris the following day and caused considerable shock. The indecision of the Council of Ministers, which was led by the Empress Regent, and the Legislative Body [fr], where Orleanist deputy Adolphe Thiers and Republican deputies supported a solution involving a national unity government drawn from the elected national representatives, resulted in a popular uprising.

On the afternoon of September 4, the Palais Bourbon, the seat of the Legislative Body, was stormed. Republican deputies Léon Gambetta and Jules Favre proclaimed the regime's fall and led the crowd to Paris City Hall, where the Third Republic was proclaimed. Meanwhile, the Empress fled the Tuileries Palace. A Government of National Defense was formed, under the presidency of General Trochu, to continue the war against Prussia.

The proclamation of the Republic did not immediately result in stability. The government could not withstand the siege of Paris and signed an armistice in January 1871. Following the Paris Commune uprising and the monarchists' victory in the legislative elections held on February 8, 1871, the new regime appeared weakened.

The founding event of September 4 is often overlooked in collective memory. Rarely celebrated by republican governments, it receives little attention in the extensive historiography of the Third Republic, and is the subject of few studies in its own right. September 4, 1870, differs from other revolutionary episodes in that it did not result in the loss of life or the construction of barricades. Consequently, some historians are reluctant to classify it as a revolution.