The role of the French parliament in resolving the crisis of the Third Republic and World War I

The beginning of the contemporary political history of France should be considered the year 1789 or, in other words, the beginning of the Great Revolution of the country. This event was in fact in order to limit the absolute power and to find a replacement for the constitutional system in France. After the revolution of 1799, a period of turbulent republicanism and parliamentarism began in France. Since then, the five different presidential republics have come into existence and each of them has brought different changes in the French constitution and in the role of parliament based on the political system. The first French Republic began in 1799 and continued till 1804. The second Republic began in 1848 with the resignation of Louis Philippe and continued until 1851. The third Republic of 1870 began, following the war between France and Germany and after the collapse of the second Empire, ending in 1940, with the occupation of France by the German army. The fourth Republic was born after the end of the French occupation in 1944 and continued till 1958 with the creation of the fifth Republic by General de Gaulle. Since the beginning of the Great French Revolution to the present time, the country has witnessed the existence of 15 Constitutions and 20 legal regimes. During this time, the real confrontation of two currents of thought, the defenders of the parliamentary system and the fans of authoritarian political system have played a determining role in France. The Republican lawmakers are looking to transition to a parliamentary and a democratic system. Considering these factors, we can say that during the rule of the French-style parliamentary, the left was supporting the parliamentary system and the right has defended the central government. Confrontation between these two polar opposites leads often to tension between the followers of these two points of view. The climax of this situation, during the third Republic, which coincided with the first World War, caused a kind of political instability in the country. Parliament's role in the third Republic and its related factors will be discussed in this article.