See also:

• LOUIS
• LOUIS (804–876)
• LOUIS (893–911)
• LOUIS, JOSEPH DOMINIQUE, BARON (1755-1837)
• LOUIS, or LEWIS (from the Frankish Chlodowich, Chlodwig, Latinized as Chlodowius, Lodhuwicus, Lodhuvicus, whence-in the Strassburg oath of 842-0. Fr. Lodhuwigs, then Chlovis, Loys and later Louis, whence Span. Luiz and—through the Angevin kings—Hungarian

LOUIS ADOLPHE See also:

• LOUIS ADOLPHE TRIERS (1797-1877)

TRIERS (1797-1877)  , See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French statesman and historian, was See also:

• BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born at See also:

• MARSEILLES

Marseilles on the 16th of See also:

• APRIL

April 1797 . His See also:

• FAMILY

family are somewhat grandiloquently spoken of as " See also:

• CLOTH

cloth merchants ruined by the Revolution," but it seems that at the actual See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time of his See also:

• BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth his See also:

• FATHER

father was a locksmith . His See also:

• MOTHER

mother belonged to the family of the Cheniers, and he was well educated, first at the lycee of Marseilles, and then in the See also:

• FACULTY (through the French, from the Lat. facultas, ability to do anything, from facilis, easy, facere, to do; another form of the word in Lat. facilitas, facility, ease, keeps the original meaning)

faculty of See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law at See also:

• AIX

Aix . Here he began his lifelong friendship with See also:

• MIGNET, FRANCOIS AUGUSTE ALEXIS (1796–1884)

Mignet, and was called to the See also:

• BAR
• BAR (0. Fr. barre, Late Lat. barra, origin unknown)
• BAR, CONFEDERATION OF
• BAR, FRANCOIS DE (1538-1606)
• BAR, THE

bar at the See also:

• AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age of twenty-three . He had, however, little See also:

• TASTE (from Lat. taxare, to touch sharply; tangere, to touch)

taste for law and much for literature; and he obtained an See also:

• ACADEMIC

academic See also:

• PRIZE, or PRIZE OF WAR (Fr. prise, from prendre, to take)

prize at Aix for a discourse on See also:

• VAUVENARGUES, LUC DE CLAPIERS, MARQUIS DE (1715-1747)

Vauvenargues . In the See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early autumn of 1821 See also:

• THIERS

Thiers went to See also:

• PARIS
• PARIS (also called ALEXANDROS)
• PARIS, ALEXIS PAULIN (1800-x881)
• PARIS, BRUNO PAULIN GASTON (1839-1903)
• PARIS, FRANCOIS DE (169o-1727)
• PARIS, LOUIS PHILIPPE ALBERT
• PARIS, TREATIES OF (1814-1815)

Paris, and was quickly introduced as a contributor to the Constitutionnel; In each of the years immediately following his arrival in Paris he collected and published a See also:

• VOLUME

volume of his articles, the first on the See also:

• SALON

salon of 1822, the second on a tour in the See also:

• PYRENEES [Span. Pirineos, Fr. Pyrenees]

Pyrenees . He was put out of all need of See also:

• MONEY

money by the singular benefaction of See also:

• COTTA
• COTTA, BERNHARD VON (1808—1879)
• COTTA, GAIUS AURELIUS (c. 124—73 B.c.)

Cotta, the well-known See also:

• STUTTGART

Stuttgart publisher, who was See also:

• PART

part-proprietor of the Constitutionnel, and made over to Thiers his dividends, or part ofthem . Meanwhile he became very well known in Liberal society, and he had begun the celebrated Histoire de la revolution francaise, which founded his See also:

• LITERARY

literary and helped his See also:

• POLITICAL

political fame . The first two volumes appeared in 1823, the last two (of ten) in 1827 . The See also:

• BOOK

book brought him little profit at first, but became immensely popular . The well-known See also:

• SENTENCE (Lat. sententia, a way of thinking, opinion, judgment; vote, sentire, to feel, think)

sentence of See also:

• CARLYLE, ALEXANDER (1722-1805)
• CARLYLE, JOSEPH DACRE (1759-18o4)
• CARLYLE, THOMAS (1795-1881)

Carlyle, that it is " as far as possible from meriting its high reputation," is in strictness justified, for all Thiers's See also:

• HISTORICAL

historical See also:

• WORK

work is marked by extreme inaccuracy, by See also:

• PREJUDICE (Lat. praejudicium)

prejudice which passes the limits of accidental unfairness, and by an almost See also:

• COMPLETE

complete indifference to the merits as compared with the successes of his heroes . But Carlyle himself admits that Thiers is " a brisk See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man in his way, and will tell you much if you know nothing." Coming as the book did just when the reaction against the revolution was about to turn into another reaction in its favour, it was assured of success .

For a moment it seemed as if the author had definitely chosen the See also:

• LOT
• LOT (Lat. Oltis)

lot of a literary man, not to say of a literary hack . He even planned an Histoire generale . But the See also:

• ACCESSION (from Lat. accedere, to go to, to approach)

accession to See also:

• POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power of the See also:

• POLIGNAC

Polignac See also:

• MINISTRY

ministry in See also:

• AUGUST (originally Sextilis)

August 1829 changed his projects, and at the beginning of the next See also:

• YEAR

year Thiers, with Armand See also:

• CARREL, JEAN BAPTISTE NICOLAS ARMAND (18o0-1836)

Carrel, Mignet, and others started the See also:

• NATIONAL

National, a new opposition newspaper . Thiers himself was one of the souls of the actual revolution, being credited with " overcoming the scruples of See also:

• LOUIS
• LOUIS (804–876)
• LOUIS (893–911)
• LOUIS, JOSEPH DOMINIQUE, BARON (1755-1837)
• LOUIS, or LEWIS (from the Frankish Chlodowich, Chlodwig, Latinized as Chlodowius, Lodhuwicus, Lodhuvicus, whence-in the Strassburg oath of 842-0. Fr. Lodhuwigs, then Chlovis, Loys and later Louis, whence Span. Luiz and—through the Angevin kings—Hungarian

Louis Philippe," perhaps no Herculean task . At any See also:

• RATE

rate he had his See also:

• REWARD

reward . He ranked as one of the See also:

• RADICAL (Lat. radix, a root)

Radical supporters of the new See also:

• DYNASTY (Gr. &vvaareta, sovereignty, the position of a hevnori7r, lord, ruler, from SuvaaBay to be able, Suvaµas, power)

dynasty, in opposition to the party of which his See also:

• RIVAL

rival See also:

• GUIZOT, FRANCOIS PIERRE GUILLAUME (1787-1874)

Guizot was the See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief literary man, and Guizot's See also:

• PATRON

patron, the due de See also:

• BROGLIE, DE

Broglie, the See also:

• MAIN (from the Aryan root which appears in " may " and " might," and Lat. magnus, great)
• MAIN (Lat. Moenus)

main See also:

• PILLAR (0. Fr. piler, Mod. pilier, Late Lat. pilare, from pila, column)

pillar . At first Thiers, though elected See also:

• DEPUTY (through the Fr. from a Late Lat. use of deputare, to cut off, allot; putare having the original sense of to trim, prune)

deputy for Aix, obtained only subordinate places in the ministry of See also:

• FINANCE

finance . After the over-throw of his patron See also:

• LAFFITTE, JACQUES (1767-1844)
• LAFFITTE, PIERRE (1823-1903)

Laffitte, he became much less radical, and, after the troubles of See also:

• JUNE

June 1832, was appointed to the ministry of the interior . He repeatedly changed his See also:

• PORTFOLIO (shortened form of Porto folio, adapted from the Ital. portafogli, portare, to carry, and fogli, sheets or leaves of paper, Lat. folium, leaf)

portfolio, but remained in See also:

• OFFICE (from Lat. officium, " duty," " service," a shortened form of opifacium, from facere, " to do," and either the stem of opes, " wealth," " aid," or opus, " work ")

office for four years, became See also:

• PRESIDENT (Fr. president, from Lat. praesidens, post-Augustan Lat. for praeses, director, ruler, from praesidere, to sit in front of, preside)

president of the See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council and in effect See also:

• PRIME, PRIMER AND PRIMING

prime See also:

• MINISTER (Lat. minister, servant)

minister, and began his See also:

• SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of quarrels and jealousies with Guizot . At the time of his resignation in 1836 he was See also:

• FOREIGN

foreign minister, and, as usual, wished for a spirited policy in See also:

• SPAIN
• SPAIN (Espana)

Spain, which he could not carry out . He travelled in See also:

• ITALY
• ITALY (Italia)

Italy for some time, and it was not till 1838 that he began a See also:

• REGULAR

regular See also:

• CAMPAIGN

campaign of See also:

• PARLIAMENTARY

parliamentary opposition, which in See also:

• MARCH
• MARCH (1) (from Fr. marcher, to walk; the earliest sense in French appears to be " to trample," and the origin has usually been found in the Lat. marcus, hammer; Low Lat. marcare, to hammer; hence to beat the road with the regular tread of a soldier: cf.
• MARCH, AUZIAS (c. "1395-1458)
• MARCH, EARLS OF
• MARCH, FRANCIS ANDREW (1825– )

March 184o made him president of the council and foreign minister for the second time . But he held the position barely six months, and, being unable to force on the See also:

• KING
• KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
• KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
• KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
• KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
• KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
• KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
• KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
• KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
• KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
• KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
• KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)

king an See also:

• ANTI, or CAMPA

anti-See also:

• ENGLISH

English and anti-See also:

• TURKISH

Turkish policy, resigned on the 29th of See also:

• OCTOBER

October .

He now had little to do with politics for some years, and spent his 'time on his Histoire du Consulat et de l'See also:

• EMPIRE

Empire, the first volume of which appeared in 1845 . Though he was still a member of the chamber he spoke rarely, till after the beginning of 1846, when he was evidently bidding once more for power . Immediately before the revolution of See also:

• FEBRUARY

February he went to all but the greatest lengths, and when it See also:

• BROKE, or BROOKE, ARTHUR (d. 1563)
• BROKE, SIR PHILIP BOWES VERE, BART

broke out he and Odillon See also:

• BARROT, CAMILLE HYACINTHE ODILON (1791-1873)

Barrot were summoned by the king; but it was too See also:

• LATE

late . Thiers was unable to govern the forces he had helped to gather, and he resigned . Under the See also:

• REPUBLIC (Lat. respublica, a commonweal or common-wealth)

republic he took up the position of conservative republican, which he ever afterwards maintained, and he never took office . But the consistency of his conduct, especially in voting for See also:

• PRINCE
• PRINCE (Lat. princeps, from primus capio, " I am the first to take "; Ital. principe, Fr. prince)

Prince Louis See also:

• NAPOLEON

Napoleon as president, was often and sharply criticized, one of the criticisms leading to a See also:

• DUEL (Ital. duello, Lat. duellum—old form of bellum-from duo, two)

duel with a See also:

• FELLOW

fellow-deputy, See also:

• BIXIO, NINO (1821-1873)

Bixio . He was arrested at the coup d'etat, was sent to Mazas, and then escorted out of See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France . But in the following summer he was allowed to return . For the next See also:

• DECADE (from Gr. Oka, ten)

decade his See also:

• HISTORY

history was almost a See also:

• BLANK (from the Fr. blanc, white)

blank, his time being occupied for the most part on The Consulate and the Empire . It was not till 1863 that he re-entered political See also:

• LIFE

life, being elected by a Parisian See also:

• CONSTITUENCY (from " constituent," that which forms a necessary part of a thing; Lat. constituere, to create)

constituency . For the seven years following he was the chief See also:

• SPEAKER

speaker among the small See also:

• BAND

band of anti-Imperialists in the French chamber, and was regarded generally as the most formidable enemy of the empire . While nominally protesting against its foreign enterprises, he perpetually harped on French loss of See also:

• PRESTIGE

prestige, and so contributed more than any one else to stir up the fatal spirit which brought on the See also:

• WAR
• WAR (O. Eng. werre, Fr. guerre, of Teutonic origin; cf. O.H.G. werran, to confound)

war of 1870 .

Even when the Liberal-Imperialist 011ivier ministry was formed, he maintained at first an anything but benevolent See also:

• NEUTRALITY

neutrality, and then an open opposition, and it is impossible to be sure whether See also:

• MERE
• MERE, ADALBERT (1838-1909)

mere " canniness," or some-thing better, kept him from joining the See also:

• GOVERNMENT
• GOVERNMENT (0. Fr. governement, mod. gouvernement, O. Fr. governer, mod. gouverner, from Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, guide, rule; cf. Gr. xv(3epvav)

government of the National See also:

• DEFENCE
• DEFENCE (Lat. defendere, to defend)

Defence, of which he was in a manner the author . Nevertheless the collapse of the empire was a See also:

• GREAT

great opportunity for Thiers, and it was worthily accepted . He undertook in the latter part of See also:

• SEPTEMBER (Lat. septem, seven)

September and the first three See also:

• WEEKS, EDWIN LORD (1849-1903)

weeks of October a, circular tour to the different courts of See also:

• EUROPE

Europe in the See also:

• HOPE, ANTHONY
• HOPE, THOMAS (c. 1770-1831)

hope of obtaining some intervention, or at least some See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good offices . The See also:

• MISSION

mission was unsuccessful; but the negotiator was on its conclusion immediately charged with another—that of obtaining, if possible, an See also:

• ARMISTICE (from Lat. arma, arms, and sistere, to stop)

armistice directly from Prince See also:

• BISMARCK
• BISMARCK, OTTO EDUARD LEOPOLD VON, PRINCE

Bismarck . The armistice having been arranged, and the opportunity having been thus obtained of electing a National See also:

• ASSEMBLY, UNLAWFUL

Assembly, Thiers was chosen deputy by more than twenty constituencies (of which he preferred Paris), and was at once elected by the Assembly itself practically president, nominally chef du pouvoir execulif . He lost no time in choosing a See also:

• COALITION (Lat. coalitio, the verbal substantive of coalescere, to grow together)

coalition See also:

• CABINET

cabinet, and then personally took up the negotiation of See also:

• PEACE
• PEACE, BREACH OF THE

peace . Probably no statesman has ever had a more disgusting task; and the fact that he discharged it to the See also:

• SATISFACTION (Lat. salisfacerc, to satisfy)

satisfaction of a vast See also:

• MAJORITY (Fr. majorite; Med. Lat. majoritas; Lat. major, greater)

majority is the strongest testimony to Thiers's merits . He succeeded in convincing the deputies that the peace was necessary, and it was (March 1, 1871) voted by more than five to one . Thiers held office for more than two years after this event, which shows the strength of the See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general conviction that he alone could be trusted . He had at first to meet and crush at once the mad enterprise of the Paris See also:

• COMMUNE (Med. Lat. communia, Lat. communis, common)
• COMMUNE, MEDIEVAL

commune . Soon after this was accomplished he became (August 3oth) in name as well as in fact president of the republic . His strong See also:

• PERSONAL

personal will and inflexible opinions had much to do with the resurrection of France; but the very same facts made it inevitable that he should excite violent opposition .

He was a confirmed protectionist, and See also:

• FREE

free See also:

• TRADE (O. Eng. trod, footstep, from tredan, to tread; in M. Eng. the forms teed, trod and trade appear, the last in the sense of a beaten track)
• TRADE, BOARD OF

trade ideas had made great way in France under the empire; he was an See also:

• ADVOCATE (Lat. advocatus, from advocare, to summon, especially in law to call in the aid of a counsel or witness, and so generally to summon to one's assistance)

advocate of See also:

• LONG, GEORGE (1800-1879)
• LONG, JOHN DAVIS (1838– )

long military service, and the devotees of la revanche were all for the introduction of general and compulsory but See also:

• SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short service . Both his talents and his See also:

• TEMPER (from Lat. temperare, to mingle or compound in due proportion, to qualify, rule, regulate, to be moderate, formed from tempos, time, fit or due season)

temper made him utterly indisposed to maintain the attitude supposed to be See also:

• INCUMBENT (from Lat. incumbere, to lean, lie upon)

incumbent on a republican president; and his See also:

• TONGUE (O. Eng. lunge)

tongue was never a care-fully governed one . In See also:

• JANUARY

January 1872 he formally tendered his resignation; and though it was refused, almost all parties disliked him, while his chief supporters—men like See also:

• REMUSAT, JEAN PIERRE ABEL (1788-1832)

Remusat, See also:

• BARTHELEMY
• BARTHELEMY, ANATOLE
• BARTHELEMY, AUGUSTE MARSEILLE (1796–1867)
• BARTHELEMY, FRANCOIS, MARQUIS DE (1747 or 1750-1830)
• BARTHELEMY, JEAN JACQUES (1716–1795)

Barthelemy See also:

• SAINT (lat. sanctus, " holy ")

Saint-Hilaire and Jules See also:

• SIMON, ABRAHAM (1622-1692)
• SIMON, JULES FRANCOIS (1814–1896)
• SIMON, RICHARD (1638–1712)
• SIMON, SIR JOHN (1816–1904)
• SIMON, THOMAS (c. 1623-1665)

Simon—were men rather of the past than of the See also:

• PRESENT

present . The year 1873 was, as a parliamentary year in France, occupied to a great extent with attacks on Thiers . In the early See also:

• SPRING (from " to spring," " to leap or jump up," " burst out," O. Eng., springau, a common Teut. word, cf. Ger. springer, possibly allied to Gr. QnrFpxecOac, to move rapidly)

spring regulations were proposed, and on April 13th were carried, which were intended to restrict the executive and especially the parliamentary See also:

• POWERS, HIRAM (1805-1873)

powers of the president . On the 27th of the same See also:

• MONTH
• MONTH (a common Teutonic word, cf. Ger. Mond, Du. maand, Dan. maaned, &c., and cognate with Lat. mensis, Gr. µi7v, &c., in other branches of the Indo-Germanic family; all ultimately from the root seen in the word for the moon in nearly all those languages

month a contested See also:

• ELECTION
• ELECTION (from Lat. eligere, to pick out)

election in Paris, resulting in the return of the opposition See also:

• CANDIDATE

candidate, M . Barodet, was regarded as a See also:

• GRAVE

grave disaster for the Thiers government, and that government was not much strengthened by a See also:

• DISSOLUTION (from Lat. dissolvere, to break up into parts)

dissolution and reconstitution of the cabinet on May 19th . Immediately afterwards the question was brought to a See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head by an See also:

• INTERPELLATION (from Lat. interpellare, to interrupt)

interpellation moved by the due de Broglie . The president declared that he should take this as a See also:

• VOTE

vote of want of confidence; and in the debates which followed a vote of this See also:

• CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character (though on a different formal issue, and proposed by M . Ernoul) was carried by 16 votes in a See also:

• HOUSE
• HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

house of 704 . Thiers at once resigned (May 24th) . He survived his fall four years, continuing to sit in the Assembly, and, after the dissolution of 1876, in the Chamber of Deputies, and sometimes, though rarely, speaking .

He was also, on the occasion of this dissolution, elected senator for See also:

• BELFORT
• BELFORT, TERRITOIRE
• BELFORT, TERRITORY OF

Belfort, which his exertions had saved for France; but he preferred the See also:

• LOWER

lower house, where he sat as of old for Paris . On May 16th 1877, he was one of the " 363 " who voted want of confidence in the Broglie ministry (thus paying his debts),and he took considerable part in organizing the subsequent electoral campaign . But he was not destined to see its success, being fatally struck with See also:

• APOPLEXY (Gr. arov n i.a, from aroaMvvew, to strike down, to stun)

apoplexy at St Germain-en-Laye on September 3rd . Thiers had long been married, and his wife and See also:

• SISTER

sister-in-law, Mlle Dosne, were his See also:

• CONSTANT, BENJAMIN (1845-1902)

constant companions; but he See also:

• LEFT

left no See also:

• CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children, and had had only one—a daughter—who Iong predeceased him . He had been a member of the See also:

• ACADEMY, GREEK
• ACADEMY, ROYAL

Academy since 1834 . His personal See also:

• APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance was remarkable, and not imposing, for he was very short, with See also:

• PLAIN (O. Fr. plain, from Lat. plenum)

plain features, ungainly gestures and See also:

• MANNERS, CHARLES (1857– )

manners, very near-sighted, and of disagreeable See also:

• VOICE (Fr. voix, from Lat. vox)

voice; yet he became (after wisely giving up an See also:

• ATTEMPT (Lat. adtemptare, attentare, to try)

attempt at the ornate See also:

• STYLE
• STYLE (from Gr. a-6'1ms, a column; a different word from that used in literature, see below)

style of See also:

• ORATORY (Lat. oratorio, sc. ors; from orare, to speak or pray)

oratory) a very effective speaker in a See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind of conversational manner, and in the See also:

• EPIGRAM

epigram of debate he had no See also:

• SUPERIOR

superior among the statesmen of his time except See also:

• LORD
• LORD (O. Eng. hldford, i.e. hldfweard, the warder or keeper of bread, hlIf, loaf; the word is not represented in any other Teutonic language)
• LORD, JOHN (1810-1894)

Lord See also:

• BEACONSFIELD
• BEACONSFIELD, BENJAMIN DISRAELI, EARL OF

Beaconsfield . Thiers was by far the most gifted-and interesting of the See also:

• GROUP

group of literary statesmen which formed a unique feature in the French political history of the 19th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century . There are only two who are at all comparable to him—Guizot and Lamartine; and as a states-man he stands far above both . Nor is this See also:

• EMINENCE (Lat. eminentia)

eminence merely due to his great opportunity in 1870; for Guizot might under Louis Philippe have almost made himself a French See also:

• WALPOLE, HORATIO
• WALPOLE, SIR SPENCER (1839-1907)

Walpole, at least a French See also:

• PALMERSTON
• PALMERSTON, HENRY JOHN TEMPLE, 3RD VISCOUNT (1784-1865)

Palmerston, and Lamartine's opportunities after 1848 were, for a man of political See also:

• GENIUS (from Lat. genere, gignere)

genius, illimitable . But both failed—Lamartine almost ludicrously—while Thiers in hard conditions made a striking if not a brilliant success . But he only showed well when he was practically supreme . Even as the minister of a constitutional monarch his intolerance of interference or See also:

• JOINT (through Fr. from Lat. junctum, jungere, to join)

joint authority, his temper at-once imperious and intriguing, his inveterate inclination towards brigue, that is to say, underhand rivalry and caballing for power and See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place, showed themselves unfavourably; and his constant tendency to inflame the aggressive and chauvinist spirit of his See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country neglected fact, was not based on any just estimate of the relative power and interests of France, and led his country more than once to the See also:

• VERGE (Lat. virga, a rod)

verge of a great calamity .

In opposition, both under Louis Philippe and under the empire, and even to some extent in the last four years of his life, his worst qualities were always manifested . But with all these drawbacks he conquered and will retain a place in what is perhaps the highest, as it is certainly the smallest, class of statesmen—the class of those to whom their country has had recourse in a great disaster, who have shown in bringing her through that disaster the utmost constancy, courage, devotion and skill, and who have been rewarded by as much success as the occasion permitted . As a man of letters Thiers is very much smaller . He has not only the See also:

• FAULT (Mid. Eng. faute, through the French, from the popular Latin use of fallere, to fail; the originallof the Latin being replaced in English in the 15th century)

fault of diffuseness, which is See also:

• COMMON

common to so many of the best-known historians of his century, but others as serious or more so . The See also:

• CHARGE
• CHARGE (through the Fr. from the Late Lat. carricare, to load in a carrus or wagon; cf. " cargo ")

charge of dishonesty is one never to be lightly made against men of such distinction as his, especially when their evident confidence in their own See also:

• INFALLIBILITY (Fr. infaillibilite and infallibilite, the latter now obsolete, Med. Lat. infallibilitas, infallibilis, formed from faller, to make a mistake)

infallibility, their faculty of ingenious See also:

• CASUISTRY (from the Lat. casus, a point of law)

casuistry, and the strength of will which makes them (unconsciously, no doubt) See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close and keep closed the eyes of their mind to all inconvenient facts and inferences, See also:

• SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)

supply a more charitable explanation . But it is certain that from Thiers's dealings with the men of the first revolution to his dealings with the See also:

• BATTLE

battle of See also:

• WATERLOO

Waterloo, constant, angry and well-supported protests against his unfairness were not lacking . Although his See also:

• SEARCH, or VISIT AND SEARCH

search among documents was undoubtedly wide, its results are by no means always accurate, and his admirers themselves admit great inequalities of style in him . These characteristics reappear (accompanied, however, by frequent touches of the epigrammatic power above mentioned, which seems to have come to Thiers more readily as an orator or a journalist than as an historian) in his speeches, which after his See also:

• DEATH

death were collected in many volumes by his widow . Sainte-Beuve, whose notices of Thiers are generally kindly, says of him, " M . Thiers sait tout, tranche tout, parle de tout," and this omniscience and " cocksureness " (to use the word of a prime minister of See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England contemporary with this prime minister of France) are perhaps the chief pervading features both of the statesman and the man of letters . His histories, in many different See also:

• EDITIONS

editions, and his speeches, as above, are easily accessible; his See also:

• MINOR
• MINOR (Lat. for smaller, lesser)
• MINOR, ROBERT CRANNELL (1839-1904)

minor See also:

• WORKS

works and newspaper articles have not, we believe, been collected in any See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form . Several years after his death appeared Deux opuscules (1891) and Melanges inedites (1892), while Notes et souvenirs, 1870-73, were published in 1901 by " F .

D.," his sister-in-law and constant See also:

• COMPANION (through the O. Fr. compaignon or compagnon, from the Late Lat. companio,—cum, with, and panis, bread,—one who shares meals with another; the word has been wrongly derived from the Late Lat. compagnus, one of the same pages or district)

companion, Mlle Felicie Dosne . Works on him, by M . See also:

• LAYA, JEAN LOUIS (1761-1833)

Laya, M. de Mazade, his colleague and friend M . Jules Simon, and others, are numerous . (G .