[PDF] Catholics and the Coup d Etat of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte

View - Download Catholics and the Coup d Etat of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte

Previous PDF

Next PDF

162

COUPd'ETATOFLOUISNAPOLEONBONAPARTE

AnItaM4y

ofChurchindependence.

TheRevolutionof1848hadinitiatedin

Francethesecondexperimentwitha

re publicanformofgovernmentsincethegreat

Revolutionof1789.Thisnew

republicwas cutshortbytheassumptionofdictatorial powersin thecoupd'etatofDecember,

1851.Thecoupwasaccomplishedbythe

PresidentoftheRepublic,LouisNapoleon

Bonaparte,nephewofthefirstNapoleon,

whohadplayedasimilarroleduringthe firstrevolution.Somehistorianswouldargue thatsuchanevent wasaproductofthe

Frenchcharacter,aprocesstypicalofFrench

history.Indeed,presentdayobserversof theFrenchscenesecfreshevidenceforthis intheexampleofCharlesdeGaulle.

Itisgenerallyassumed

thattheCatholic

ChurchinFrancewasoneofthestrongest

contributors tothisrightisttendency. licclergyandfaithfularebelievedtohave beenNapolcon'sstrongestsupporters.This paperwillfocusontheCatholicattitude towardsNapolconbefore,during,andafter thecoupd'etat,todeterminetheexactna tureofCatholicinvolvement.Inorderto definethisattitudeitisnecessarytoexamine someofthemajorsourcesofCatholicopin ion atthattime.Theseweretheproclama tionsofthebishopsandthearticlesinthe ant.

Thebishopshadbeentheleadersof

opinionintheChurchforcenturies.On theotherhand,theCatholicnewspaper presshad beenprominentonlysince1810.

First,

letusexaminetheCatholicattitude towards theRepublicanditsPresident,

Proe.0lJa.AUld.Sci.50:162·1M(1970)

LouisNapoleonBonaparte,beforethecoup.

Catholicssupported

thenewrepublicwhen it wasestablishedin1848.Theyfoundthatit respectedtheChurch and.werewillingto permit itagreaterdegrceoffreedomthan hadthepreviousmonarchicalregimes. Af terthesocialuprisingsofJune,1848,Catho licsflocked tothepartyoforder,favoring anyleaderwhocouldcontrol theradical elementsinsociety.LouisNapoleon,elected presidentinDecember,1848, wasregarded byCatholicsandaHotherconservativesas aguarantorofpeaceandorder.Herewarded theirsupport bycurtailingradicalmeetings, censoringtheradicalpress,andallowing

Catholicsgreaterprerogativesineducation.

Butthetroublestartedwhen

hetriedtore visetheConstitutiontoincreasehispower andlengthenhistermofoffice.

WhatwastheattitudeofCatholicsto

wardthisrevisionoftheConstitution?Did theyemerge asardentBonapartists?Did theysupporttherevision?

Themostwidely

circulatedof theCatholicnewspapers,

L'Univers,didsupportit.But

itclearlydis tinguisheditselffromtheardent foHowersofNapoleon.LouisVeuilJot,the andtalentededitorofL'Universfavoredthe revisionof theConstitutionhopingthatit wouldgaintimeforarestorationof monarchy.Bonapartewasnotfavoredb·

L'Univers;however,L'Universrecognize,

hisservices andhisoverwhelmingappealfc. theFrenchpeople(I).

TheothertwomajorCatholicnewspaper

did notagreewiththisqualifiedsupport(

Bonaparte.

L'AmideLaReligion,alsomOl

archistinsympathy,sawmoretobefeared fromaNapoleonicdictatotshipthanfrom anythingelse (2).LcCorrespondant,the mostliberaloftheCatholicnewspapets,ad miredLouisNapoleon asasaviorfromso cialism.However,theywereworriedoverthe imminenceofacoup,whichwouldinevit ablyputanendtoparliamentarygovern· ment.

Thebishopsweresilentduringthis

wholerevisionquarrel.Thus,therewereno realactiveBonapartistsintheCatholic pressorepiscopateontheeveofthecoup d'etat.

IfnoCatholicBonapartistspushedNa

poleonintodictatorship,what wastheirat titudeinthemidstof thecoup?Thebishops immediatelysupportedNapoleon.Someof themissuedstatementsrecommendingthat theirclergyandfaithfulvote"yes"inthe plebiscitecalledbyNapoleon.Mostof themwillinglysanga

TeDeumpraising

Godforthe92%majoritywhichNapoleon

receivedinthatplebiscite.

Oneelderly

royalistbishopwrote:"Providence givesus atthismomentonlythismeansofsalva tion"(3).

Thebishopshadlittlealternative.They

wereappointedbythestatelargelybecause oftheirpoliticalprudenceandmoderation.

Moreover,theydependedon

thestatefor allChurchfunds.Underthesecircum stances,theiracceptanceofBonaparte was theeasiestpathtofollow.Byquicklyrally ingtoBonaparte,theybelievedthatthey wouldwinevengreaterbenefitsforthe

Church.Therewereonlya

fewwhocould buteventheylimitedtheirprotest.

Incomparison,

theresponseoftheCatho presstothecoupshowedmuchmore

IIIdependence.Theirremarkswereespecial

bravebecausetheMinisteroftheInterior h-ldorderedthatanynewspaperwhichpub

It,hedunfavorablecommentsonthecoup

"IStobesuspendedorsuppressed.Twoof p.peTS,L'AmideLaReligionandLeCor

Tt,pondant,broadlyhintedattheirdisap

p.bypromisingtodiscontinuepolitical c·mmentariesintheirjournals.Theeditor

QVAmistated:

163
accessoryforus,aconsequenceofourrelig iousprinciples.Ifwecanonlybesilent,we willresignourselves.Silenceisoneofthe formsofdignity(").

OnlyL'Univers,ofthethreemajorCatho

licnewspapetsinParis,decided tosupport

Napoleonif

heremainedafriendofthe

Church.Itssupport

wasverysignificant, becauseithad thelargestfollowing.Its editor,Veuillot,encouragedreconciliation ofallfriendsoforder,legitimists,andCath olics,with thenewgovernment.Onlyone

Catholicnewspaper,therefore,supported

Napoleonduringtheperiodofthecoup,

andevenitplacedsomereservationson itsapproval.

Duringtheyearafterthecoup,theopposi·

tionoftheCatholicpress toNapoleonbe cameclearer.Theopinionofthepresscrys· tallizedafterthepublication,inlate 1852,
ofabrochurebytheprominentCatholic parliamentarian,CharlesdeMontalembert.

Althoughhehadsupported

thecoup,Mon· talembert,stillliberalinbias,became dis

Inhisbrochure,hebemoanedthelossof

cizedL'Universforitsslavishpraiseof ab solutism.Montalembertbelievedthatpar liamentarygovernment wasessentialtothe freedomoftheChurch.

HeurgedCatho

licstoremainalooffromthisnewauthori tariangovernment,anddiscretelyassert dis· contentandopposition.Bydoingthis,Cath olicswouldinsurethattheChurchwouldbe respectedin theinevitablereestablishment licsintoBonapartistsandliberals.

TheCath

olicnewspapets,

L'AmideLaReligionand

LeCorrespondant,alreadyimplyingdisap

provalofNapoleon,quicklyralliedtoMon talembert'ssupport.

TheeditorofLeCor

respondantopenlycommittedhimselfto

Montalembert'spoliticalposition,stating:

HeagainmakesreligioncompabDIewiththe

formsofmodernsociety;hejudgarqneseu. withaforceofJaSODwhich seemsirrcsisbD1etous.thattodayCatholics shouldbethelasttocIispaDgeto whichtheyowetheirprogressandtheirtrio umpba(5).. 164

L'AmideLaReligionwasmuchmorecau

tiousinexpressingapprovalofthebrochure, makingcertainreservations.Fromthistime, thesenewspaperswerefirmlycommittedto apolicyofpoliticalopposition.

L'Univers,however,opposedMontalem

bert'spamphlet.Veuillotcommentedthat

Montalembert

wasnotreallyliberal,but onlyyearnedfordaysofpowerinthelegis lature.TheeditorremindedMontalembert thatinthose days"wesaidthattheChurch hadtherighttothesameliberties asevery one,notthateveryonehadtherighttothe sameliberties astheChurch."Furthermore,

Veuillotarguedthatitcouldonlyhurtthe

ChurchinFranceifCatholiesopposedthe

prevailinggovernment.

Itseemedfoolhardy

tohimto"flatterthefutureenemyatthe expenseofthepresentfriend"(6).

OtherorgansoftheCatholicpresshad

beenreservedintheirsupportofMontalem bert'spoliticaloppositioninordertoavoid suppression bytheState.However,they couldattackL'Universwithimpunityand theydid soafterVeuillot'scriticismof

Montalembert.

L'Univers,notonetoavoid

afight,repliedinthesamevituperative polemic.

Thepoliticaldifferencesbetween

theCatholicBonapartistsandtheCatholic parliamentarianshadproducedanirrepar ablesplit.

Thesplitwasdeepenedbythe

personalattackswhichaccompaniedthis debate.

Thedivisionwasneverovercome

duringtheentirereignofLouisBonaparte.

Thebishops,intriguinglyenough,avoided

thewholequarrel.TheygreetedMontalem bert'sbrochurewith reserve,butpraised hisintentionsandpastservicetothe

Church.Amongthebishopsofthe

81dio
cesesinFrance,onlyone,Mgr.Dupanloup ofOrleans, agreedwithMontalembert.

However,hispracticalrecommendations

werenotvastlydifferentfromthoseofhis fellowbishopswhosupportedNapoleon.

HeinsistedthattheChurchshouldnot

commititselftoanypoliticalregime, but thatitshouldacceptanyhelpofferedto support itswork(7).

Thereweremanybishops,6,atleast,who

wereconsidered veryloyaltoNapoleon.The

MinisterofWorshipkeptcarefulsurveil

lanceoveranthebishops'pastoralletters, andfiledreportsassessingthem as"good," "verygood,""veryhostile,"andsoforth (8).TheMinisteralsokeptaccountoftheir attendanceatofficialceremonies.Those whoshowedloyaltyanddevotiontoBon;" partewereamplyrewarded.Forexample,he appointedsomebishopstotheSenate, namedsometotheLegionofHonor,and gavegiftsofartworkormoneytothe churchesanddiocesanpropertiesofothers.

Generany,theentireChurchbenefited

fromthesupportwhichthebishopsgaveto

Napoleon.Heallowedreligiousschoolsand

religiousorderstoproliferatethroughout thecountry.Old lawswhichrestrictedthe freedomsofthechurch wereleftunen forced.

TheimageofaBonapartistChurch,

therefore, isbasedontheattitudesofthe bishopsandthemostpopularCatholic newspaper,L'Univers.However,it isclearly evidentthatthissupportforNapoleoncame onlyafterthecoupd'etat.'Ibereasonfor theactionofthebishopsisapparent;it wasthenaturalresponseforsalariedem ployeesofthestate.Cooperationassured themthefavorofthegovernment.Onthe otherhand,theCatholicnewspaper becamethenewvoiceoftheindependent

Church. Operatingwithoutstateorchurch

funds,theycould,anddid,fonowapath which wasindependentofboththehier archy,andthestate.

REFERENCES

1.L'Univers,March14, 17,1851.

2.

L'ArnideLaReligion,July15,1851.

3.L'Univers,December15.1851.

4.

L'AmideLaReligion.January1.1852.

5.LeCorrespondant,November10.1852,p.173.

6.L'Univers.November6.13.1852.

7.

LeCorrespondant,November25,1852,pro

8.Fmoce.ArchivesNatiooa1es,Archivesof

AdministrationofWorsbip,Dossiersoftb

Bish••FIll2..79-2596.

quotesdbs_dbs42.pdfusesText_42

[PDF] frise historique ? imprimer

[PDF] frise chronologique histoire de france

[PDF] frise chronologique en ligne

[PDF] frise chronologique histoire cm2

[PDF] frise chronologique cycle 3

[PDF] cours byzance et l'europe carolingienne 5ème

[PDF] byzance et l'europe carolingienne 2016

[PDF] evaluation 5eme byzance et l europe carolingienne

[PDF] frise chronologique byzance et l'europe carolingienne

[PDF] frise chronologique empire byzantin

[PDF] byzance et l'europe carolingienne 5ème 2016

[PDF] l'évolution des voitures au fil du temps

[PDF] exposé automobile pdf

[PDF] l'histoire de l'automobile résumé

[PDF] l'histoire de l'automobile résumé pdf