Everything about Jules Ferry totally explained
Jules François Camille Ferry (
April 5,
1832 –
March 17,
1893) was a
French statesman, and ardent imperialist
Early life
Born in
Saint-Dié, in the
Vosges département,
France, he studied
law, and was called to the bar at
Paris, but soon went into
politics, contributing to various newspapers, particularly to
Le Temps. He attacked the
Second French Empire with great violence, directing his opposition especially against
Baron Haussmann, prefect of the
Seine département. Elected republican deputy for Paris in
1869, he protested against the declaration of
war with Germany, and on
September 6,
1870 was appointed prefect of the Seine by the
Government of National Defense.
In this position he'd the difficult task of administering Paris during the siege, and after the
Paris Commune was obliged to resign (
June 5,
1871). From 1872 to 1873 he was sent by
Adolphe Thiers as minister to Athens, but returned to the chamber as deputy for the Vosges, and became one of the leaders of the republican party. When the first republican ministry was formed under
WH Waddington on
February 4,
1879, he was one of its members, and continued in the ministry until
March 30,
1885, except for two short interruptions (from
November 10,
1881 to
January 30,
1882, and from
July 29,
1882 to
February 21 1883), first as minister of education and then as minister of foreign affairs. A leader of the
Opportunist Republicans faction, he was twice premier (1880-1881 and 1883-1885).
Major works
Two important works are associated with his administration, the non-clerical organization of public education, and the beginning of the
colonial expansion of France. Following the republican programme he proposed to destroy the influence of the clergy in the university and found his own system of republican schooling. He reorganized the committee of public education (law of
February 27,
1880), and proposed a regulation for the conferring of university degrees, which, though rejected, aroused violent polemics because the 7th article took away from the unauthorized religious orders the right to teach. He finally succeeded in passing the
eponym laws of
June 16,
1881 and
March 28,
1882, which made primary
education in France free,
non-clerical (
laïque) and mandatory. In higher education, the number of professors, called the "hussards noirs de la République"
("Republic's black hussars") because of their Republican support, doubled under his ministry .
The
education policies establishing French language as the language of the Republic have been contested in the second half of the 20th century insofar as, if they played an important role in unifying the French
nation-state and the
Third Republic, they also nearly provoked the extinction of several regional languages .
After the military defeat of France by Germany in
1870, Ferry formed the idea of acquiring a great colonial empire, principally for the sake of economic exploitation. In a
speech
before the Chamber of Deputies on July 28, 1883, he declared that "the superior races have a right because they've a duty: it's their duty to civilize the inferior races." Ferry directed the negotiations which led to the establishment of a French
protectorate in
Tunis (1881), prepared the treaty of
December 17,
1885 for the occupation of
Madagascar; directed the exploration of the
Congo and of the
Niger region; and above all he organized the conquest of Annam and Tonkin in what became
Indochina.
The last endeavor led to a war with China, whose Qing dynasty had a claim of suzerainty over the two provinces. The excitement caused at Paris by the sudden retreat of the French troops from
Lang Son during this war led to the
Tonkin Affair: his violent denunciation by
Clemenceau and other radicals,and his downfall on
March 30,
1885). Although the
treaty of peace with China (
June 9,
1885), in which the Qing Dynasty ceded suzerainty of
Annam and
Tonkin to France, was the work of his ministry, he'd never again serve as premier.
He still remained an influential member of the moderate republican party, and directed the opposition to
General Boulanger. After the resignation of
Jules Grévy (
December 2,
1887), he was a candidate for the presidency of the republic, but the radicals refused to support him, and he withdrew in favour of
Sadi Carnot.
The violent polemics aroused against him at this time caused a madman to attack him with a revolver, and he died from the wound, on the March 17, 1893. The chamber of deputies voted him a state funeral.
Ferry's 1st Ministry, 23 September 1880 - 14 November 1881
Ferry's 2nd Ministry, 21 February 1883 - 6 April 1885
Jules Ferry - President of the Council and Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts
Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour - Minister of Foreign Affairs
Jean Thibaudin - Minister of War
René Waldeck-Rousseau - Minister of the Interior
Pierre Tirard - Minister of Finance
Félix Martin-Feuilléee - Minister of Justice and Worship
Charles Brun - Minister of Marine and Colonies
Jules Méline - Minister of Agriculture
David Raynal - Minister of Public Works
Adolphe Cochery - Minister of Posts and Telegraphs
Anne Charles Hérisson - Minister of Commerce
Changes
9 August 1883 - Alexandre Louis François Peyron succeeds Charles Brun as Minister of Marine and Colonies
9 October 1883 - Jean-Baptiste Campenon succeeds Thibaudin as Minister of War.
20 November 1883 - Jules Ferry succeeds Challemel-Lacour as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Armand Fallières succeeds Ferry as Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts.
14 October 1884 - Maurice Rouvier succeeds Hérisson as Minister of Commerce
3 January 1885 - Jules Louis Lewal succeeds Campenon as Minister of War.Further Information
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