ORDINARY CITIZENS AND THE FRENCH THIRD REPUBLIC : negotiations between people and parliament, c... .1900-1930

This book analyzes the negotiation of socio-political concepts, such as citizenship, republicanism, and representation, between “ordinary” French citizens and their representatives in parliament during the early twentieth century. By examining the letters written to French Deputies of the Chamber (députés) at a tumultuous time in French political history, the author sheds light on the role that politically unorganized citizens played in the process of democratization. Central to the investigation are the aspirations, wishes and demands of individuals acting on their own or as spokespersons for informal communities. The way that they formulated personal requests in their letters to députés reveals their expectations of political representatives, the regime, and their own place in society. By taking a closer look at the epistolary relations between voters and non voters on the one hand and their deputies on the other during a time of rapidly succeeding governments, economic crises and changes in electoral laws, this book demonstrates how the Third Republic’s existence was co-determined by ordinary citizens’ perceptions of the regime. Helping readers to reflect on the nuances of the politicization process, this innovative book offers unique insights for those researching French political history and modern European political culture. Preface 5 Acknowledgments 8 Contents 10 Abbreviations 12 List of Figures 14 1 Introduction: Finding Citizens in the Web of Political Concepts 16 Representation, Democratization, and the First World War 17 Lines of Inquiry into Interactions Between French Citizens and Deputies 24 Private Letters Between Clientelism and Politicization 31 Part I Materiality of the Negotiation Process 54 2 Citizens in the Chamber and the Deputies in Their Constituency 56 Citizens Attending the Plenary Debates 57 Appointments and Consultation Days 64 3 Written Communications and Their Material Characteristics 83 Pneumatic Cards and Petitions to the Chamber 83 Epistolary Etiquette in Letters of Request, Thanks, or Congratulations 88 Channels of Communication and Networks of Mediation 97 4 First World War Correspondence and the Deputies’ Accessibility 125 Information Exchange Between Homefront and Warfront, Paris and Prison Camps 126 Deservingness of Solidarity Between Charity and Justice 135 War-Related Requests Between Emotion and Mutual Education 143 5 Conclusion to Part I 178 Part II Typology of the Deputies’ Roles 183 6 The Impartial Deputy 189 Transcending Party Boundaries 192 a. Pre-war impartiality 194 b. From the “Union sacrée” (1914–1919) to the “Bloc national” (1919–1924) 198 c. During the Cartel of the Left (1924–1926) 207 d. During the National Union (1926–1928) 210 e. In the turbulent thirties 213 Transcending Geographical Boundaries 221 7 The Sacralized Deputy 245 The Deputy-Protector, -Benefactor, and -Friend 245 The Deputy-Cult as Political Religion 267 8 The Deputy-Lawyer 299 From Religious to Regional Defense? 301 “Frenchness” and Naturalization 312 Lawsuits and Conflicts of Interest 317 9 Conclusion to Part II 332 General Conclusion 336 Bibliography 343 Index 358