Alexandre Ribot : Odyssey of a Liberal in the Third Republic

In 1878 Alexandre Ribot assumed his place at the left-center of the French Chamber of Deputies. From here he began a lifelong effort to establish a moderate republic based upon his conception of liberal political values. The time seemed propitious to instill lofty purpose into French political life, for his entry into the Chamber coincided with the consolidation of the republican regime following the crisis of 16 May. But the first wave of republican anti-clericalism revealed the fragility of Ribot's hopes. During the next forty years, successive dramatic phases in republican history - Boulangism, the Dreyfus Affair, separa­ tion of church and state, the emergence of socialism, and ultimately, the demands of wartime leadership - would test Ribot's system of political values. Adaptive and resilient, he refined his definition of liberalism in response to political change and the charge that his plea for liberty and toleration had become instead sanctuary for a privileged class in French society. Front Matter....Pages I-XII Values and Career Choice, 1860–1878....Pages 1-22 Politics as a Profession, 1878–1889....Pages 23-45 Ministerial Politics, 1890–1895....Pages 46-71 Illusions, 1895–1899....Pages 72-88 Opposition, Partial Reconciliation, 1900–1914....Pages 89-115 Final Service (I): War Finance, 1914–1916....Pages 116-138 Final Service (II): Premier, 1917....Pages 139-158 Troubled Victory, 1918–1923....Pages 159-171 Jugement....Pages 172-175 Back Matter....Pages 176-184