| Unit name | The Third Republic: France 1870 - 1940 |
|---|---|
| Unit code | FREN20036 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Hurcombe |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of French |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This unit will seek to reconcile the Thurd Republic's apparent fragility wih its success, examining its part in shaping modern French society and political culture through the study of the social and political challenges of the period 1870 - 1940. Beginning with an examination of its origins, it will focus on the Third Republic's early attempts to assert its authority through challenges from the far-right. It will then examine how Republican identity and values are established as a national and then universal norm through education and colonial policy. Furthermore, the unit will examine the challenge posed by international events of the early twentieth century, in particular the First World War. It will also examine the Republic's relationship to the politics of the left under the Front Populaire and its reaction to the international crisis of the 1930s that culminated in defeat for France in 1940 and the death of the Republic.
