Odilon Barrot
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Odilon Barrot (born July 19, 1791 in Villefort , † August 6, 1873 in Bougival ) was a French politician . He was one of the leading figures of the moderately liberal - constitutional opposition during the July Monarchy and was Prime Minister during the Second Republic from 1848 to 1849 .
Early years
Barrot came from a family of lawyers and had been a lawyer himself since 1811. Brothers were Ferdinand Barrot and Adolphe Barrot . While initially welcoming the Restoration , he soon turned against the regime. He defended members of the opposition, took part in political meetings and supported the Protestants persecuted in southern France in 1816. From 1827 he was a member of the opposition association Aide-toi .
July Monarchy
He was a constitutional, liberal monarchist. During the July Revolution of 1830 he spoke of a "kingdom surrounded by republican institutions". During the revolution he played a certain role as secretary of the municipal commission. On behalf of Louis-Philippe I , he helped Charles X abdicate and go into exile. Then he was prefect of the former Seine department . He came into conflict with the government and resigned from office in 1831. With that he also lost his membership in the State Council .
During the July Monarchy he was the leading figure on the Orléanist left. This called itself the dynastic left ( gauche dynastique ) and saw itself as the party of the movement ( Parti du Mouvement ). This term was later adopted by the German Liberals. The group led by Barrot was a loose association of constitutional liberals. Their goal was a greater democratization of state institutions, the expansion of civil liberties and a gradual lowering of the electoral census. His party won around 100 seats in 1846.
Barrot organized the so-called banqueting campaign ( Campagne des Banquets ) in 1847 with the aim of enforcing electoral reforms . Numerous banquets were held by MPs with the support of the opposition press, which had a great impact on public opinion. In the course of this movement, differences of opinion between the moderates around Barrot and the Republicans became clear without any open rift.
February Revolution
The campaign was supposed to continue in early 1848, but was postponed to a later date by the government of François Guizot . The question of the banquet became a fundamental discussion between the government and the opposition and contributed to the outbreak of the February Revolution . When the banquet took place on February 22nd, the moderates did not participate and left the field to the Republicans. The revolution broke out a day later.
As leader of the parliamentary opposition, Barrot was surprised by the February revolution. He initially stuck to the support of the system of 1830 and failed to recognize that the movement was actually a revolution. He became a member of the last royal government on February 24, 1848, together with Adolphe Thiers . When the defeat of the regime was foreseeable, he had the troops withdrawn from Paris and thus contributed to the overthrow of the monarchy.
After a provisional republican government had been formed, most moderate liberals gave up and feared a reign of terror like the one during the first French revolution . Barrot, on the other hand, offered his support to the government in order to prevent radicalization. He became a member of the National Assembly.
Prime Minister
After the presidential elections of 1848, Louis Napoleon Bonaparte was dependent on the political support of other forces as well as on political experience and expertise. He therefore appointed Barrot as Minister of Justice and Head of Government. Initially, Barrot's position towards the president was very strong. In contrast, the Republicans dominated parliament. At the end of January 1849 the government suffered defeat in parliament. Nevertheless, the government, supported by Louis Napoleon, remained in office. Barrot had the parliament surrounded by troops and threatened a coup. Against this background, the parliament dissolved itself and allowed new elections. Before the election, the government intervened militarily to restore 1848 by the Roman Republic replaced the Papal States . The aim was to win over staunch Catholics to support the government. The elections of May 13, 1849 brought a clear victory for the party of order, which was close to the government. Demonstrations by the strengthened left were then violently suppressed. On October 31, 1849, the Cabinet of the Party of Order under Barrot was dismissed. One reason was that the president had nothing against the anti-liberal policies of Pius IX. have undertaken.
Last years
Then Barrot turned back to the Orléanists. As a member of the opposition, he was arrested in 1852. After the formation of the Third Republic , he became (Vice) President of the State Council in 1872.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Klaus Deinet: The narcissistic revolution . In: France, 1848–1870: The French Revolution in the culture of remembrance of the Second Empire . Stuttgart, 1998 p. 14
literature
- William J. Robert: France: A Reference Guide from the Renaissance to the Present. New York, 2004 p. 140
- Heinrich August Winkler: History of the West. Munich, 2009
- Brockhaus Bilder-Conversations-Lexikon, Volume 3. Leipzig 1839., pp. 327–328. Online version
- Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, Volume 2. Leipzig 1905, p. 398. Online version
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Barrot, Odilon |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 19, 1791 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Villefort |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 6, 1873 |
| Place of death | Bougival |