Ephemeris of September 4 in Paris: Gambetta proclaims the Third Republic

On September 4, 1870, Léon Gambetta proclaimed the Third Republic in the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, following the fall of the Second Empire after Napoleon III's defeat at Sedan, and in the face of the obstinacy of the Parisian people.

On Sunday September 4, 1870, Léon Gambetta, then a member of the Government of National Defence, proclaims the Third Republic on the square in front of the Hôtel de Ville, in response to the collapse of the Second Empire following the defeat at Sedan and the capture of Napoleon III, and amid growing pressure from the Parisian public and the republicans.

Two days earlier, on September 2, 1870, the bataille de Sedan ended in disaster for the French armies, led by Marshal MacMahon, who capitulated before the Prussian forces. From Sedan, Napoleon III wires a telegram from the Palais des Tuileries, to his wife, Empress Eugénie, in which he declares: "The army has been defeated and taken prisoner, I myself am a prisoner."

News of the moment reaches General Cousin de Montauban, at the head of the War Ministry, who summons deputies from the Legislative Assembly in the night of September 3–4, 1870, to chart the course forward; the deputies are reluctant to place the Empire’s regency in the hands of the Empress. But groups of workers, alerted to the high-level meeting, force their way into the Palais Bourbon, home of the National Assembly, and join the debate as the crowd swells outside.

While a plebiscite held a few months earlier had confirmed the Empire’s liberal tilt and Napoleon III’s role by 7,336,000 yes to 1,560,000 no, Paris, in fact, stood apart from the provinces with a republican majority in favor of a change of regime.

Driven back into the Palace, Parisians demand that the deputies establish the Republic. In the face of the popular uprising, a group of republican deputies, among them the four Jules of the future "Republic of Jules" — Jules Favre, Jules Grévy, Jules Simon, Jules Ferry — as well as Adolphe Crémieux and especially Léon Gambetta, propose proclaiming it at the City Hall, just as in the Revolutions of 1789 and 1848.

On September 4, 1870, the Third Republic was proclaimed on the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville by Léon Gambetta, in the name of the people: "The people have outpaced the hesitant Chamber. To save the Fatherland in peril, it has demanded the Republic: it is proclaimed, and this revolution is accomplished in the name of law and public salvation. Citizens, safeguard the city entrusted to you; tomorrow you will stand with the army of the Fatherland's avengers."

The cheering crowd bears witness to an event that harks back to Lamartine’s proclamation of the Second Republic on February 24, 1848. A somewhat surreal moment, running counter to the country’s military reality, its political stakes, and the avancée des troupes prussiennes on national soil.

Thus, in order to reassure the people facing the Prussian invasion, Jules Ferry conceived of forming a provisional government, de facto rather than de jure, and composed of Parisian Republican deputies, while the Empress packs her bags for England.

Under the presidency of the conservative general and military governor of the capital, Louis Trochu, this National Defence government, acclaimed by Parisians, brings together Jules Favre, Léon Gambetta, Emmanuel Arago, Adolphe Crémieux, Henri Rochefort, Ernest Picard, Alexandre Glais-Bizoin, Jules Simon, Louis-Antoine Garnier-Pagès, Jules Ferry, and Eugène Pelletan.

The Government of National Defense has made its position clear: the war must go on. But the situation is rapidly worsening. On September 19, 1870, the capital was surrounded by enemy troops; the Siege of Paris was only just beginning.

Yet, despite the February 8, 1871 election of a National Assembly dominated by conservatives, monarchists, and Bonapartists that slowed the establishment of a republican regime, and notwithstanding the bloody suppression of the Paris Commune in May 1871, initiated in response to the signing of a armistice with Bismarck, by the head of the Executive Adolphe Thiers and the Versaillais army, attempts to restore the monarchy fail and the Third Republic endures for good until 10 July 1940, making this republican regime the longest in the history of France.

The National Assembly opens its doors to the general public only rarely, apart from the Heritage Days. This year, we're back to an exceptional opening on September 19 and 20. Come discover the behind‑the‑scenes workings of power and the national heritage preserved in this landmark of French politics.

Heritage Days 2026: Tour of the National Assembly, registration required
On the occasion of Heritage Days in Paris, the National Assembly will open its doors on Saturday, 19 and Sunday, 20 September 2026. On the program: self-guided tours of the Palais Bourbon and the Hôtel de Lassay. Note: these tours are available by registration only. [Read more]