Chamber of Deputies (Third French Republic)

Chamber of Deputies

Chambre des députés
Chamber of Deputies; Chambre des députés
French Third Republic
Type
Type	Lower house
Term limits	4 years
History
Established	8 March 1876
Disbanded	31 May 1942
Preceded by	National Assembly (1871–1876)
Succeeded by	Provisional Consultative Assembly of Algiers (1943–1944)
Leadership
President of the Chamber	26 presidents: ; First: Jules Grévy ; Last: Édouard Herriot
Head of State	14 presidents of the Republic: ; First: Adolphe Thiers ; Last: Albert Lebrun
Structure
Seats	520–618 (depending on legislature)
Political groups	Composition after the 1876 election: ; Political groups Far-left: 20 seats Republican Union: 88 seats Republican Left: 138 seats Centre-left: 114 seats Others: 4 seats Constitutionalists and Orléanists: 43 seats Bonapartists: 97 seats Legitimists: 30 seats;
Length of term	66 years, 2 months, 23 days
Constitution
	Constitutional Laws of 1875
Footnotes
	Voting system: Universal male suffrage and two-round majority voting (system modified several times).; Last election: 1936.; Upper house: Senate.; Government: 102 governments Dufaure IV, Simon, De Broglie III, De Rochebouët, Dufaure V, Waddington, De Freycinet I, Ferry I, Gambatta, De Freycinet II, Duclerc, Fallières, Ferry II, Brisson I, De Freycinet III, Goblet, Rouvier I, Tirard I, Floquet, Tirard II, De Freycinet IV, Loubet, Ribot I, Ribot II, Dupuy I, Casimir-Perier, Dupuy II, Dupuy III, Ribot III, Bourgeois, Méline, Brisson II, Dupuy IV, Dupuy V, Waldeck-Rousseau, Combes, Rouvier II, Rouvier III, Sarrien, Clemenceau I, Briand I, Briand II, Monis, Caillaux, Poincaré I, Briand III, Briand IV, Barthou, Doumergue I, Ribot IV, Viviani I, Viviani II, Briand V, Briand VI, Ribot V, Painlevé I, Clemenceau II, Millerand I, Millerand II, Leygues, Briand VII, Poincaré II, Poincaré III, François-Marsal, Herriot I, Painlevé II, Painlevé III, Briand VIII, Briand IX, Briand X, Herriot II, Poincaré IV, Poincaré V, Briand XI, Tardieu I, Chautemps I, Tardieu II, Steeg, Laval I, Laval II, Laval III, Tardieu III, Herriot III, Paul-Boncour, Daladier I, Sarraut I, Chautemps II, Daladier II, Doumergue II, Flandin I, Bouisson, Laval IV, Sarraut II, Blum I, Chautemps III, Chautemps IV, Blum II, Daladier III, Daladier IV, Daladier V, Reynaud, Pétain ; .; Sessions: 16 legislatures 1st legislature (1876), 2nd legislature (1877), 3rd legislature (1881), 4th legislature (1885), 5th legislature (1889), 6th legislature (1893), 7th legislature (1898), 8th legislature (1902), 9th legislature (1906), 10th legislature (1910), 11th legislature (1914), 12th legislature (1919), 13th legislature (1924), 14th legislature (1928), 15th legislature (1932), 16th legislature (1936) ; .; 31 December 1875: The National Assembly promulgates the Organic Law of Election and dissolves to form a new National Assembly under the Constitution.; 20 February and 5 March 1876: Elections for the 1st legislature begin on 8 March.; 13 March 1876: Jules Grévy elected president of the Chamber.; 3 November 1879: Both parliamentary chambers transferred to Paris (Palais Bourbon and Palais du Luxembourg).; 29 July 1939: Decree-law extends the legislature's term by 2 years until 31 May 1942.; 1 September 1939: Start of World War II.; 8 June 1940: German advance disrupts French front; debate begins on continuing the war.; 10 June 1940: Government leaves Paris for Tours.; 14 June 1940: Germans occupy Paris; Parliament moves to Bordeaux.; 19 June 1940: Germans enter Vichy.; 22 June 1940: Armistice.; 1 July 1940: Government moves to Vichy and convenes Parliament on 2 July.; 4 July 1940: 670 parliamentarians (deputies and senators)convene in Vichy for the National Assembly.; 8 July 1940: Grand Casino in Vichy converted into the Chamber of Deputies.; 9 July 1940: Édouard Herriot presides over the final session of the Chamber of Deputies.; 10 July 1940: At the Vichy Opera, the 16th legislature votes a constitutional law suspending the Constitution and granting full powers to Philippe Pétain (569 for, 80 against, 20 abstentions).; 11 July 1940: The Chamber is prorogued and adjourned by Constitutional Act No. 3; chambers adjourned sine die, ending the National Assembly de facto.; 31 May 1942: Legal end of the National Assembly.; 3 November 1943: Start of the Provisional Consultative Assembly of Algiers.

Last updated August 08, 2025

In France, from 1875 to 1940, under the Third Republic, the Chamber of Deputies was the name of the legislative assembly elected by universal suffrage. When convened together with the Senate at Versailles, forming the National Assembly, it elected the President of the Republic.^[3]

Overview

The Chamber of Deputies was elected using a majority voting system for four-year terms, with the number of deputies ranging from 520 to over 600, depending on the legislature. There were 17 legislatures during this period. This era marked the establishment of republican parliamentary practices, characterized by lively debates led by prominent orators such as Léon Gambetta, Jules Ferry, Georges Clemenceau, and Jean Jaurès. Political parties and parliamentary groups were initially absent, with the first groups forming in the early 20th century. The diverse republican factions contributed to significant political fragmentation and recurring governmental instability.^[5]

Lawyers formed a significant portion of the Chamber's membership. In 1924, during the Cartel des gauches , the Chamber included 140 lawyers and nine law professors.^[6] In 1936, under the Popular Front, there were 110 lawyers and eight law professors.^[6]

A parliamentary indemnity was introduced during the Third Republic, building on a precedent set on 1 September 1789, when the Assembly voted for a daily allowance of 18 livres.^[7] This ensured that citizens of modest means could serve as representatives. By 1 January 1938, the annual indemnity was 82,500 francs, rooted in the classical Athenian principle of misthophoria, which compensated citizens for time spent in the Ecclesia.^[8]

Election system

The Chamber of Deputies was typically elected through a two-round majority system by arrondissement, with no candidate elimination between rounds. However, the voting system changed several times:^[9]

The Law of 16 June 1885 introduced a majority list system by department, used only in the 1885 election.^[10]
The Law of 13 February 1889 restored the two-round majority system, applied from the 1889 election.^[11]
The Law of 12 July 1919 established a proportional list system with a strong majority bonus, modified by laws on 20 February 1920, 15 March 1921, and 8 April 1921, used in the 1919 and 1924 elections.^[12]
The Law of 21 July 1927 reinstated the two-round majority system for the 1928 election.^[13]

Of the 17 legislative elections under the Third Republic, 15 used a majority system, and two used a proportional system.^[14]

Powers and role

The Chamber of Deputies could censure the government through procedures like interpellation, based on the principle of ministerial responsibility in the 1875 Constitution. This was central to the parliamentary regime. The executive could counter with the right of dissolution over the lower house. After the 1877 MacMahon crisis, the dissolution power fell into disuse, allowing the Chamber to dominate the executive, leading to frequent government collapses and a power imbalance later termed "French-style parliamentarism" or "assembly regime."^[15]

Parliamentary groups and key figures

Parliamentary groups: Royalists (Legitimists and Orléanists), Republicans (Liberals, Opportunists, Radicals, and Socialists).^[16]
Key figures: Henri V, Albert de Broglie, Adolphe Thiers, Léon Gambetta, Jules Ferry, Georges Clemenceau, Jean Jaurès, Georges Boulanger.^[5]

Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies

Is as follows:^[17]

13 March 1876 – 30 January 1879: Jules Grévy
31 January 1879 – 27 October 1881: Léon Gambetta
3 November 1881 – 7 April 1885: Henri Brisson
8 April 1885 – 3 April 1888: Charles Floquet
4 April 1888 – 11 November 1889: Jules Méline
16 November 1889 – 10 January 1893: Charles Floquet
10 January 1893 – 3 December 1893: Jean Casimir-Perier
5 December 1893 – 30 May 1894: Charles Dupuy
2 June 1894 – 27 June 1894: Jean Casimir-Perier
5 July 1894 – 12 December 1894: Auguste Burdeau
18 December 1894 – 31 May 1898: Henri Brisson
1 June 1898 – 31 May 1902: Paul Deschanel
10 June 1902 – 12 January 1904: Léon Bourgeois
12 January 1904 – 10 January 1905: Henri Brisson
10 January 1905 – 7 June 1906: Paul Doumer
8 June 1906 – 13 April 1912: Henri Brisson
23 May 1912 – 10 February 1920: Paul Deschanel
12 February 1920 – 31 May 1924: Raoul Péret
9 June 1924 – 21 April 1925: Paul Painlevé
22 April 1925 – 20 July 1926: Édouard Herriot
22 July 1926 – 10 January 1927: Raoul Péret
11 January 1927 – 31 May 1936: Fernand Bouisson
4 June 1936 – 9 July 1940: Édouard Herriot

Dissolution

The final session of the Chamber of Deputies, presided over by Édouard Herriot, occurred on 9 July 1940. It was prorogued and adjourned by Philippe Pétain under Constitutional Act No. 3 on 11 July 1940.^[17]

References

↑ Conan, Éric; Rousso, Henry (1996). Vichy, un passé qui ne passe pas [Vichy, a Past That Does Not Pass] (in French). Paris: Gallimard. p. 73. ISBN 978-2-07-032900-7
↑ Maury, Jean-Pierre. "Constitutional Act No. 1 of 11 July 1940". Digithèque de matériaux juridiques et politiques, University of Perpignan. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
↑ Mayeur, Jean-Marie (1984). La Vie politique sous la Troisième République, 1870–1940 [Political Life under the Third Republic, 1870–1940] (in French). Paris: Seuil. p. 23. ISBN 978-2-02-006777-5.
↑ Jobert, Barthélemy; Torrès, Pascal. "Thiers proclamé « Libérateur du Territoire », le 16 juin 1877" [Thiers proclaimed "Liberator of the Territory", 16 June 1877]. histoire-image.org (in French). Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2012.
1 2 Chastenet, Jacques (1954). Histoire de la Troisième République [History of the Third Republic] (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Hachette. pp. 45–50. Archived from the original on March 14, 2019.
1 2 Guieu, Jean-Michel. "Les juristes au regard de l'historien. Le cas de l'engagement des professeurs de droit pour l'Union de l'Europe dans l'entre-deux-guerres" [Lawyers from the historian's perspective. The case of law professors' commitment to European Union between the wars](PDF). Institut Pierre Renouvin (in French). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 29, 2006. Retrieved 7 April 2001.
↑ Laurent, Émile (2013) [1882]. L'Indemnité législative en France et à l'étranger [The Legislative Indemnity in France and Abroad] (in French). Paris: A. Quentin. p. 5. ISBN 978-2011792419. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.
↑ Finer, Samuel Edward (1997). The History of Government from the Earliest Times. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. p. 676. ISBN 978-0-19-820666-8.
↑ Rudelle, Odile (1982). La République absolue: Aux origines de l'instabilité constitutionnelle de la France républicaine, 1870–1889 [The Absolute Republic: The Origins of Constitutional Instability in Republican France, 1870–1889] (in French). Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne. pp. 123–125. ISBN 978-2-85944-046-6.
↑ Mayeur (1984 , p. 87)
↑ Mayeur (1984 , p. 89)
↑ Garrigues, Jean (1997). La République des hommes d'affaires, 1870–1900 [The Republic of Businessmen, 1870–1900] (in French). Paris: Aubier. p. 245. ISBN 978-2-7007-2278-9.
↑ Garrigues (1997 , p. 247)
↑ Rudelle (1982 , p. 126)
↑ Chagnollaud, Dominique (1991). Le premier des ordres. Les hauts fonctionnaires XVIIIè-XXe siècle [The first of the orders. High-ranking officials from the 18th to the 20th century] (in French). Paris: Fayard. pp. 67–69. ISBN 978-2-213-02755-5.
↑ Mayeur (1984 , p. 55)
1 2 Shirer, William L. (1969). The Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-671-20337-5.

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[1] Conan, Éric; Rousso, Henry (1996). Vichy, un passé qui ne passe pas [Vichy, a Past That Does Not Pass] (in French). Paris: Gallimard. p. 73. ISBN 978-2-07-032900-7

[2] Maury, Jean-Pierre. "Constitutional Act No. 1 of 11 July 1940". Digithèque de matériaux juridiques et politiques, University of Perpignan. Retrieved 25 May 2016.

[3] Mayeur, Jean-Marie (1984). La Vie politique sous la Troisième République, 1870–1940 [Political Life under the Third Republic, 1870–1940] (in French). Paris: Seuil. p. 23. ISBN 978-2-02-006777-5.

[4] Jobert, Barthélemy; Torrès, Pascal. "Thiers proclamé « Libérateur du Territoire », le 16 juin 1877" [Thiers proclaimed "Liberator of the Territory", 16 June 1877]. histoire-image.org (in French). Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2012.

[:0-5] 1 2 Chastenet, Jacques (1954). Histoire de la Troisième République [History of the Third Republic] (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: Hachette. pp. 45–50. Archived from the original on March 14, 2019.

[Guieu-6] 1 2 Guieu, Jean-Michel. "Les juristes au regard de l'historien. Le cas de l'engagement des professeurs de droit pour l'Union de l'Europe dans l'entre-deux-guerres" [Lawyers from the historian's perspective. The case of law professors' commitment to European Union between the wars](PDF). Institut Pierre Renouvin (in French). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 29, 2006. Retrieved 7 April 2001.

[7] Laurent, Émile (2013) [1882]. L'Indemnité législative en France et à l'étranger [The Legislative Indemnity in France and Abroad] (in French). Paris: A. Quentin. p. 5. ISBN 978-2011792419. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020.

[8] Finer, Samuel Edward (1997). The History of Government from the Earliest Times. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. p. 676. ISBN 978-0-19-820666-8.

[9] Rudelle, Odile (1982). La République absolue: Aux origines de l'instabilité constitutionnelle de la France républicaine, 1870–1889 [The Absolute Republic: The Origins of Constitutional Instability in Republican France, 1870–1889] (in French). Paris: Publications de la Sorbonne. pp. 123–125. ISBN 978-2-85944-046-6.

[10] Mayeur (1984 , p. 87)

[11] Mayeur (1984 , p. 89)

[12] Garrigues, Jean (1997). La République des hommes d'affaires, 1870–1900 [The Republic of Businessmen, 1870–1900] (in French). Paris: Aubier. p. 245. ISBN 978-2-7007-2278-9.

[13] Garrigues (1997 , p. 247)

[14] Rudelle (1982 , p. 126)

[15] Chagnollaud, Dominique (1991). Le premier des ordres. Les hauts fonctionnaires XVIIIè-XXe siècle [The first of the orders. High-ranking officials from the 18th to the 20th century] (in French). Paris: Fayard. pp. 67–69. ISBN 978-2-213-02755-5.

[16] Mayeur (1984 , p. 55)

[:1-17] 1 2 Shirer, William L. (1969). The Collapse of the Third Republic: An Inquiry into the Fall of France in 1940. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-671-20337-5.

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