“Mr. Thiers’ Republic” in the Assessments of Russian Diplomatians, August 1871 – October 1872

Abstract

The author explores the history of the establishment of the republican system in France in the early 1870s. The period is associated with the activities of the first President of the Third Republic, Adolphe Thiers (1871–1873). Russian diplomats in Paris, Ambassador Prince Nikolai Orlov and Embassy Counselor Grigory Okunev, witnessed first-hand Thiers’ efforts to stabilise France after its defeat in the War of 1871. They developed a trusting relationship with Thiers, who initiated Russian diplomats into his plans. For this reason, the study of dispatches, letters, and analytical notes regularly sent from the Paris Embassy to St. Petersburg is of particular interest to those who study the initial period of the formation of the Third Republic. Until recently, this type of sources has attracted little attention on the part of researchers. This article fills up this obvious gap. The study of diplomatic communications demonstrates that Russian diplomats were quite objective in their analysis of the internal political processes taking place in France after the end of the Franco-German War. They gave a balanced assessment of Thiers’ work, tracing the evolution of his views from constitutional monarchist to conservative republican. The chronological framework of the article covers the period from Thiers’ election as President of the Republic in August 1871 to October 1872, when a crisis arose in his relations with the monarchist majority of the National Assembly.