Jules Favre French politician. Country: France

Biography of Jules Favre

Jules Favre was a French political figure who dedicated himself to the field of law in Lyon. He also wrote articles for "National" and other radical publications. Along with other lawyers belonging to the Republican Party, he participated in the so-called April trial, which involved the participants of the uprising in Lyon in April 1834. During the trial, Favre took a completely isolated position.

He actively participated in the Polish revolution and demanded the destruction of the monarchy and the convocation of a constituent assembly in an article published on July 29, 1830, in "National". After the trial, Favre remained a lawyer and became one of the most famous in Paris. He participated in the revolution of 1848 and on February 26, he became the Secretary-General of the Ministry of the Interior under Ledru-Rollin. He composed circulars for the commissioners of Ledru-Rollin, which later led to attacks on the dictatorial tendencies of the temporary government. Favre made an unsuccessful attempt to disown authorship of one of these circulars.

He was elected to the Constituent Assembly and re-elected to the Legislative Assembly. In the national assemblies, Favre aligned with the left and voted against pledges from the press, against the death penalty, and for income tax. However, he also voted with the right on measures against clubs, for a salt tax, and more. As a speaker, Favre held a prominent position, although his tendency to frequently appeal to "the civil honor of the country", "the military honor of France", and the will of popular sovereignty could be somewhat tiresome for the reader of his speeches. However, he lacked a clearly defined political program and political understanding. For example, he voted with the right and some of the left, such as Louis Blanc, for the election of Louis Napoleon as a deputy. He also voted in favor of a credit of 1,200,000 francs for the Roman expedition on April 16, 1849, believing the peaceful assurances of the government with whom he was generally opposed.

After the coup d'état on December 2, 1851, Favre's political activity came to an end and he continued to work as a lawyer. In 1858, he defended Orsini, who attempted to assassinate Napoleon III. Favre did not attempt to defend or mitigate Orsini's punishment, but rather to shed light and truth on the immortal soul of Orsini, which would soon return to God's bosom, and to protect his memory against undeserved accusations. Despite his opposition to Orsini's actions, Favre declared his hatred for the dagger, bomb, and other weapons of struggle but emphasized the nobility of Orsini's character and the purity of his motives in his defense speech.

In the same year, Favre was elected to the Legislative Corps, where he became one of the "Five" members of the opposition. He was re-elected in 1863 and 1869. His speeches, particularly those against the government's Italian policy and the Mexican expedition, received significant attention in the country. In 1867, Favre was elected a member of the French Academy in place of Cousin. In his inaugural speech, he expressed his opposition to materialism and socialism. In the last months of the Empire, Favre became the initiator of almost all anti-government proposals and played a prominent role in its downfall, along with Gambetta.

In 1870, Favre, who remained opposed to the government's policies even after the formation of the Ollivier Ministry, voted against war credits in the Legislative Corps on July 15. After the defeat at Sedan, on August 9, he proposed that the emperor be relieved of his command of the army and a provisional government be formed, but the proposal was not allowed to be put to a vote. In the nighttime session of September 3-4, 1870, Favre proposed to deprive Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte and his dynasty of the power granted to them by the constitution and to form a provisional government. The next day, on September 4, he insisted that his proposal be given precedence over the proposals of the government and Thiers. Along with Gambetta, when hailed by the enthusiastic crowd, he proclaimed the deposition of the emperor and was the first to propose going to the town hall to proclaim the republic. In the newly formed Government of National Defense, Favre became the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Over the following months, he displayed significant activity and, along with Gambetta, was an advocate for war until the bitter end. In a circular on September 6, 1870, he declared that France would not yield an inch of land or a stone of its fortresses and pointed out that the war, according to Wilhelm's official declaration, was not against France but only against Napoleon, and now had lost its meaning for the Germans. On September 19, Favre had a meeting with Bismarck, which did not lead to any results due to Favre's inflexibility. After Gambetta left besieged Paris, Favre also took on the post of Minister of the Interior. Despite his energy and readiness to wage war to the extreme, Favre, along with the majority of members of the Government of National Defense, did not want to direct all the country's forces against the Germans, fearing to give space to radical elements. On these grounds, he supported General Trochu when he refused to accept Garibaldi into the French service. On December 6, 1870, Favre, having changed his opinion on the war, proposed to enter into negotiations with the Germans. In January 1871, he negotiated the capitulation of Paris. On February 19, after the Government of National Defense resigned its power, he received the portfolio of Foreign Affairs from Thiers. Along with Thiers and Picard, he conducted negotiations for a preliminary peace treaty in Versailles. Later, he was sent to Frankfurt to conclude the final peace treaty. On July 23, 1871, he resigned, dissatisfied with the clerical direction of the National Assembly, and remained a simple deputy of the Republican Party. In 1876, he entered the Senate.

After his resignation, Favre rarely appeared publicly in the National Assembly, Senate, or the court.