- In full:
- Marie-Edme-Patrice-Maurice, comte de Mac-Mahon, duc de Magenta
- Born:
- July 13, 1808, Sully, France
- Died:
- October 17, 1893, Loiret (aged 85)
- Title / Office:
- president (1873-1879), France
Patrice de Mac-Mahon
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Who was Patrice de Mac-Mahon?
Patrice de Mac-Mahon (1808ā1893) was a marshal of France and the second president of the Third French Republic. Mac-Mahon began his army career in 1827 and distinguished himself in the Crimean War. In the Italian campaign of 1859, his victory at Magenta resulted in his being created duc de Magenta. In 1864, he became governor-general of Algeria.
Mac-Mahon became president of the republic in 1873. During his term, the constitutional laws of 1875 were promulgated, and the elections of 1876 returned a large majority of republicans to the new chamber. Mac-Mahon resigned on January 28, 1879, after republicans gained a majority in the Senate. The constitutional crisis during his presidency was resolved in favour of parliamentary as against presidential control.
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When was Patrice de Mac-Mahon president of France?
Patrice de Mac-Mahon, a marshal of France, served as the second president of the Third French Republic. He reluctantly assumed his presidential duties on May 24, 1873, following the resignation of Adolphe Thiers.
During Mac-Mahon's presidency, the constitutional laws of 1875 were enacted, and he grappled with complex political issues. A crisis arose in 1877 when he dismissed republican Jules Simon, leading to a struggle between presidential and parliamentary control. After the republicans gained a majority in the Senate, Mac-Mahon resigned on January 28, 1879.
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How did Mac-Mahon become president of France?
As president of France's Third Republic, Patrice de Mac-Mahon was elected on May 24, 1873, succeeding Adolphe Thiers after his resignation. French rightists turned to Mac-Mahon, and the National Assembly elected him president the same day. On November 20, 1873, the National Assembly passed the Law of the Septennate, granting him presidential power for seven years. Although Mac-Mahon reluctantly assumed his presidential duties, lacking a strong grasp of the complex political issues of the time, he played a significant role in shaping the Third Republic.
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What were some important challenges Mac-Mahon faced during his presidency?
During his presidency, Patrice de Mac-Mahon, the second president of the Third French Republic, faced several significant challenges. A primary difficulty arose from the strong divisions between republicans and monarchists in the National Assembly.
Mac-Mahon, a monarchist at heart, was elected president by rightists in 1873. The constitutional laws of 1875 were adopted during his term. A crisis emerged in 1877 when Mac-Mahon dismissed the republican premier Jules Simon, which heightened tensions with the Chamber of Deputies.
Ultimately, Mac-Mahon's efforts to assert presidential control over the government failed, leading to his resignation in 1879 and solidifying the dominance of Parliament in the Third Republic.
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How did Mac-Mahon's actions influence the French government?
As president of the Third French Republic, Patrice de Mac-Mahon's actions significantly shaped the French government. His election in 1873 occurred after Adolphe Thiers resigned. Mac-Mahon reluctantly assumed his duties, lacking political expertise. A key moment was the seize mai crisis in 1877, when he dismissed Jules Simon, a moderate republican, leading to a conflict between presidential and parliamentary control.
The subsequent elections resulted in a republican majority, forcing Mac-Mahon to accept a ministry of mostly republicans. In 1879, after republicans gained control of the Senate, Mac-Mahon resigned. His presidency established the precedent of parliamentary control over the executive branch, making the role of president largely honorific in the Third Republic.
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Why is Patrice de Mac-Mahon remembered in French history today?
Patrice de Mac-Mahon is remembered as the second president of the Third French Republic, a period during which the Republic took shape and the constitutional laws of 1875 were adopted. His presidency saw the establishment of important precedents affecting the relationship between executive and legislative powers. A key moment was the seize mai crisis in 1877, precipitated by Mac-Mahon's dismissal of Jules Simon, which tested the balance of power between the president and Parliament. The resolution of this crisis ultimately favored parliamentary control, establishing the president's role as largely honorific during the Third Republic.
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Patrice de Mac-Mahon (born July 13, 1808, Sully, Franceādied October 17, 1893, Loiret) was a marshal of France and the second president of the Third French Republic. During his presidency, the Third Republic took shape, the new constitutional laws of 1875 were adopted, and important precedents were established affecting the relationship between executive and legislative powers.
A descendant of an Irish family that fled to France during the time of the Stuarts, Mac-Mahon began his army career in 1827 in Algeria and distinguished himself in the storming of Constantine (1837) and in the Crimean War (1853ā56). The climax of his military career came in the Italian campaign of 1859, when his victory at Magenta resulted in his being created duc de Magenta. In 1864 he became governor-general of Algeria. Commanding the I Army Corps in Alsace during the Franco-German War (1870ā71), he was wounded and defeated at the Battle of Wƶrth. After a short convalescence at Sedan, Mac-Mahon was appointed head of the Versailles Army, which defeated the Paris Commune revolt in May 1871.
When Adolphe Thiers resigned as president of the republic on May 24, 1873, French rightists turned to Mac-Mahon as his successor; he was elected president the same day. On November 20 the National Assembly passed the Law of the Septennate, conferring upon him presidential power for seven years. The marshal assumed his presidential duties somewhat reluctantly, for he disliked publicity and lacked an understanding of the complex political issues of his day.
During Mac-Mahonās term the constitutional laws of 1875 were promulgated. The National Assembly dissolved itself, and the elections of 1876 returned a large majority of republicans to the new chamber. The first crisis came in December 1876, when the republican chamber compelled Mac-Mahon to invite the moderate republican Jules Simon to form a government. The conservative Senate disapproved of Simon because he had purged some rightist officials, and, on May 16 (le seize mai), 1877, Mac-Mahon posted a letter to Simon that was tantamount to dismissal. Premier Simonās resignation precipitated the crisis of le seize mai. When Mac-Mahon commissioned conservative Albert de Broglie to form a ministry and won the Senateās assent to dissolve the chamber (June 25, 1877), the question of whether the president or Parliament would control the government was squarely posed.
The new elections to the chamber returned a majority of republicans, and the de Broglie ministry was given a vote of āno confidence.ā The succeeding ministry, headed by RochebouĆ«t, also collapsed. By December 13, 1877, Mac-Mahon had given in to the extent of accepting a ministry led by conservative republican Jules Dufaure and composed mostly of republicans. On January 5, 1879, the republicans gained a majority in the Senate, and Mac-Mahon resigned on January 28. The constitutional crisis during his presidency was resolved in favour of parliamentary as against presidential control, and thereafter during the Third Republic the office of president became largely an honorific post.