French Third Republic: Map & History
The second largest colonial empire of the 19th and 20th centuries, spanning 11.5 million km² across West and Equatorial Africa, Indochina, and the Maghreb.
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Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
The French Third Republic was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France during World War II led to the formation of the Vichy government. The French Third Republic was a parliamentary republic.
Modern Countries Once Part of French Third Republic
At its mapped extent, French Third Republic covered territory in 32 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Burkina Faso1905–1939 CE · nearly all
- Mali1880–1939 CE · nearly all
- Cambodia1871–1939 CE · nearly all
- Chad1900–1939 CE · nearly all
- Niger1900–1939 CE · nearly all
- Benin1885–1939 CE · nearly all
- Togo1915–1939 CE · nearly all
- Djibouti1890–1939 CE · nearly all
- Guadeloupe1871–1939 CE · nearly all
- Comoros1871–1939 CE · nearly all
- Martinique1871–1939 CE · nearly all
- Vietnam1871–1939 CE · nearly all
- Guinea1885–1939 CE · nearly all
- Côte d'Ivoire1890–1939 CE · nearly all
- France1871–1939 CE · nearly all
- Gabon1871–1939 CE · nearly all
- Mauritania1871–1939 CE · nearly all
- Republic of the Congo1880–1939 CE · most
- Laos1895–1939 CE · most
- Senegal1880–1939 CE · most
- Algeria1871–1939 CE · most
- Central African Republic1890–1939 CE · most
- French Guiana1871–1939 CE · most
- Lebanon1918–1939 CE · most
- Madagascar1898–1939 CE · most
- Tunisia1885–1939 CE · most
- Syria1920–1939 CE · most
- Cameroon1915–1939 CE · most
- Morocco1912–1939 CE · most
- North Macedonia1917 CE · a large part
- Turkey1919–1938 CE · a small part
- Germany1919–1923 CE · a small part
States and Provinces
- Toliary, Madagascar
- Bamako, Mali
- Boke, Guinea
- Guinaa, French Guiana
- Kayes, Mali
- Mahajanga, Madagascar
- Nzerekore, Guinea
- Rhône-Alpes, France
- Adamaoua, Cameroon
- Bretagne, France
- Centre, Cameroon
- Est, Cameroon
- Faranah, Guinea
- Kankan, Guinea
- Languedoc-Roussillon, France
- Ségou, Mali
- Tamanghasset, Algeria
- Timbuktu, Mali
- Tiris Zemmour, Mauritania
- Wouleu-Ntem, Gabon
- Antsiranana, Madagascar
- Fianarantsoa, Madagascar
- Hatay, Turkey
- Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur, France
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside French Third Republic's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
French Third Republic in Depth
Social history
The democratic political structure was supported by the proliferation of politicized newspapers. The circulation of the daily press in Paris went from 1 million in 1870 to 5 million in 1910; it later reached 6 million in 1939. Advertising grew rapidly, providing a steady financial basis for publishing, but it did not cover all of the costs involved and had to be supplemented by secret subsidies from commercial interests that wanted favourable reporting. A new liberal press law of 1881 abandoned the restrictive practices that had been typical for a century. High-speed rotary Hoe presses, introduced in the 1860s, facilitated quick turnaround time and cheaper publication.
Origins and formation
The Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871 resulted in the defeat of France and the overthrow of Emperor Napoleon III and his Second French Empire. After Napoleon's capture by the Prussians at the Battle of Sedan (1 September 1870), Parisian deputies led by Léon Gambetta established the Government of National Defence as a provisional government on 4 September 1870. The deputies then selected General Louis-Jules Trochu to serve as its president. This first government of the Third Republic ruled during the Siege of Paris (19 September 1870 – 28 January 1871). As Paris was cut off from the rest of unoccupied France, the Minister of War Léon Gambetta succeeded in leaving Paris in a hot air balloon, and established the provisional republican government in the city of Tours on the Loire river.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: French Third Republic (CC BY-SA 4.0).
French Third Republic: Key Facts
| Capital | Paris |
|---|---|
| Official language | French |
| Form of government | parliamentary republic |
| Currency | French franc |
| Founded | 4 September 1870 |
| Dissolved | 10 July 1940 |
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Facts from Wikidata Q70802 (CC0).
Interactive map
French Africa on the World War I map →
See French Africa’s territory change day by day from 3 August 1914, with every battle it fought.
Interactive map
French Third Republic on the World War II map →
See French Third Republic’s territory change day by day from 3 September 1939, with every battle it fought.
French Third Republic Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which French Third Republic appears, with the other states of the time.
Imperial History & Territorial Expansion
Divided into the First Colonial Empire (New France in North America and the Caribbean) and the massive Second Colonial Empire forged after 1830 in North Africa (Algeria), West Africa (AOF), Equatorial Africa (AEF), and French Indochina. Following World War I under the League of Nations mandates, the French empire reached 11.5 million square kilometers, fundamentally shaping international diplomacy, the Napoleonic legal code, and the global Francophone community.
French Third Republic Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
French exploratory fleet enters the Saint Lawrence River.
Napoleon crowned Emperor; promulgation of the Civil Code.
Beginning of the creation of the Second French Colonial Empire in North Africa.
Empire reaches 11.5 million square kilometers across Africa, Indochina, and the Levant.
Key Monarchs, Architects & Strategists
Enduring Planetary Legacy
- ✓Global dissemination of the Napoleonic Code, forming the base of civil law in over 80 countries
- ✓The worldwide Francophonie community comprising over 300 million French speakers
- ✓Diffusion of Enlightenment values, the metric measurement system, and human rights charters
- ✓Monumental urban architecture and civic boulevards replicated from Paris to Saigon and Dakar
French Third Republic: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the French Third Republic exist?
The French Third Republic is dated to 1534 CE – 1980 CE (Peak: 1920 CE), in the Industrial era.
What was the capital of the French Third Republic?
The capital of the French Third Republic was Paris.
How large was the French Third Republic at its peak?
At its peak in 1920 the French Third Republic covered about 12,752,589 km².
How did the map of the French Third Republic change over time?
The French Third Republic appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1900 CE to 1914 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Geographic Lifelines
Other Sovereign Realms
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Industrial Era • Capital: London
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Lahore, Delhi
Early Modern & Age of Discovery • Capital: Raigad