State and Society in France at the Dawn of the Third Republic

This essay explores the transformation of France between 1870 and the early 1890s, as the nascent Third Republic built up power following military defeat and politi- cal instability. It examines how republican ideals reshaped national identity through education, military service, and social reform. Central to this project were the secular school system promoted by Jules Ferry, universal military conscription as a tool of civic formation, and a growing interventionist state that addressed the «social question» through labour laws and welfare initiatives. The essay highlights the political culture of parliamentary reformism as the key to stabilizing the Republic.