France after the Franco-Prussian war was in both economic and political crises. In the treaty of Frankfurt she had agreed to pay 5 billion francs in reparations to Germany to allow a German army of occupation to remain there until the debts were paid. She had surrendered the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine to Germany, and had agreed to allow a triumphant German army to march through the streets of Paris in return for allowing France to keep the town of Belfort, in Alsace. The people of France were poor, humiliated and disillusioned with the government that had allowed the demise of their country.

Furthermore, Bismarck's policy of isolation made it almost impossible for France to form alliances within Europe which would help her to regain some of her former power.

The people of France were resentful towards G

Alfred Dreyfus was a member of the army - he was the subject of a lot of distrust because of his taciturn personality and his Jewish-alsatian background. When it was discovered that someone had been delivering secret information to the Germans he fell under immediate suspicion . He was tried and found guilty, on the strength of the handwriting on a note, and sentenced to spend 20 years on Devil's island. The incident divided the people of France into Dreyfusards and Anti-Dreyfusards and when he was eventually cleared of all charges this split amongst the people was deepened. The Dreyfus affair which dragged on for more than twelve years further revealed the precarious position of the republic, and the deep divisions in French society. Whether Dreyfus was guilty or not was forgotten and the affair became a battleground. The military claimed that the prestige of the army was more important than justice for the individual. The crisis was of profound importance in French politics and nearly caused a civil war - which would have been welcomed in Berlin.

Adolphe Thiers, a liberal monarchist, was head of the national assembly. Communes were established all over the country to represent each of the towns in the assembly , and the first real threat to the 3rd French republic came about as a result of this. The Parisians believed that the new bourgeois government was failing to recognise the special position of the people of Paris, who had just undergone a four-month siege. Revolution broke out in march 1871, supported by workers and lesser bourgeoisie. In may of that year the revolution ended, a failure because of lack of support outside Paris. As a result, Paris was placed under martial law and restrictions were enforced in the larger cities of France. This reaction to the

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Approximate Word count = 1200
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)