Leon Gambetta
What do you know about Léon Gambetta?
Léon Gambetta was born on 2nd April 1838 in Cahors, where his family owned the ‘bazar génois’ (Genoese Bazaar). A lawyer, he made his name defending republican newspapers and presented himself as an opponent of Napoleon III and the monarchy.
In 1869, Gambetta was elected as a deputy with a radical programme calling for the extension of public freedom and advocating the separation of Church and State.
In 1870, following the defeat by Prussia, he took part in the creation of the Third Republic and established a Government of National Defence, for which he was Minister of the Interior (Home Secretary). Being surrounded by Prussian troops, he left Paris in a hot-air balloon, in order to reorganise a military defence.
The armistice was signed in January 1871, but Gambetta objected to the surrender of part of Alsace-Lorraine and resigned. He founded the ‘Union Républicaine’ and fought against the threat of a monarchical restoration.
In 1875, the constitutional laws definitively established the Third Republic. In 1879, as President of the Chamber of Deputies, he disseminated moderate republican ideas in the newspapers and federated a network of associations and committees. He was renowned for his eloquence and persuasiveness. In his speeches, he knew how to use emotion to advance his cause.
His party won the legislative elections of 1881. Gambetta was then appointed President of the Council, today’s equivalent of Prime Minister. He undertook major reforms, but his government fell on 30th January 1882.
Ill, he retired and died on 31st December 1882. A grand state funeral was held in Paris on 6th January 1883.
Gambetta and the press
The Third Republic abolished censorship and liberalised printing, bookshops and billposting. The press became universal: everyone was free to create a newspaper. Titles and print runs increased significantly, addressing all categories of the population.
To get their messages across more easily, through the use of images, the political camps use caricature against their opponents. In this way, caricatures are not just entertaining. Newspapers of opinion wage a fierce battle to get the attention of readers, to win over public opinion and put pressure on the government.
The caricaturists do not hesitate to be mocking, vulgar or violent. They comment on the contradictions of society or the ups and downs of political life. Gambetta is the target of caricaturists from all sides. His glass eye and stoutness are the main features of his portrait-load.
Although primarily an orator, he quickly understood the role of the press, founding ‘La République française’ in 1871. This deliberately serious and austere newspaper is the mouthpiece of the ‘Union Républicaine’ party, aiming to convey its ideas to the provinces and to contribute to the education of its readers.
The press group included many titles. Gambetta being the ‘political director’ of the 2 main newspapers. This position took up a lot of his time but also brought him a large income. He bought a mansion in Paris that housed his residence, the printing works and the offices of his newspapers, as well as his political secretariat.
Did you say ‘personality cult’ ?
Gambetta was the subject of a true personality cult, both during his lifetime and after his death. His portraits are numerous, whether it be in paintings, sculptures or photographs.
More unusual are the everyday objects that feature him: cufflinks, silk ribbons, handkerchiefs, bottles, plates, etc. They are mass-produced and sometimes mention certain significant episodes in his life.
Gambetta’s untimely death shocked the population. A state funeral was organised in Paris in January 1883 before the body was buried in Nice.
Commemorative monuments were quickly erected. The one in Cahors was inaugurated in April 1884. Those in Paris, Sèvres, Bordeaux, Nice, but also those of Saigon and Oran followed. These were veritable ‘altars of the religion of the homeland’, where the inscriptions and allegorical representations take pride of place.
This is how Gambetta’s memory lives on. He is regarded as the most emblematic of the founders of the Third Republic and a defender of the homeland. In 1920, his heart was transferred to the Panthéon.
Additionally, his family also assembled a large collection of personal objects, documents and caricatures. They were donated to the town of Cahors in view of creating a Gambetta Museum. The museum opened in a room in the Town Hall at the end of 1932 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of his death. The collection was then transferred to the ‘Musée de Cahors’ (Cahors Museum).
