3. Centralized State and Republic

France Since 1871 (HIST 276)

Despite various attempts at reform, France remains the most centralized state in Europe. The organization of the country around the Parisian center was originally a consequence of the French Revolution, which gave birth to the departmental regions. These regions have retained an oppositional relationship towards the metropolitan center. In 1875, an enduring republic was formed despite the competing claims of the Comte de Chambord and the Orleanists. This republic owed its founding largely to support from workers and peasants in the various non-Parisian departments.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Paris: The Importance of the Capital in a Centralized State
09:59 - Chapter 2. Centralization over Centuries: France from 1500 to Present
29:01 - Chapter 3. Comte de Chambord: The "Miracle Baby"
36:06 - Chapter 4. Royalism and Religious Revival
44:31 - Chapter 5. Birth of the Third Republic

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Fall 2007.