A Political Romance

Leon Gambetta is remembered for his heroic deeds during the Franco-Prussian War and as a founder of the Third Republic. His image is that of a leader of men in the male political universe of late nineteenth-century France. Histor... Les mer

A Political Romance

Leon Gambetta is remembered for his heroic deeds during the Franco-Prussian War and as a founder of the Third Republic. His image is that of a leader of men in the male political universe of late nineteenth-century France. Historians have largely ignored his intense relationship with his lover, Leonie Leon. This relationship was both personal and epistolary, their face-to-face meetings complemented by daily letters, of which some 1100 survive. Using this unpublished correspondence, A Political Romance offers a new perspective on Gambetta, focusing on his ten-year relationship with Leon. Their partnership was political as well as passionate. Gambetta sought counsel from his 'wise Minerva' and building the Republic became their joint project. The letters also reveal the weight of contemporary gender expectations on the couple's thinking and behaviour and the social conventions that excluded Leon from 'respectable' circles. Foley and Sowerwine use this fascinating correspondence to provide a richer portrait than Gambetta's previous biographers, introducing the unknown figure of Leon and producing a unique glimpse into the political and cultural world of 1870s Paris.

List of Illustrations List of Maps Preface Introduction: 'What Admirable Pages!' PART I: YEARS OF HOPE, 1872-1877 'The Unforgettable Day of 27 April' 'I want you to devote yourself to the Republic' 'Thank you for being my strength, my hope' 'I am smiling at your triumph, at our love' PART II: A BOURGEOIS COUPLE IN THE THIRD REPUBLIC 'We'll go and laugh at the Palais Royal' 'We will proudly put our heads together in books' 'This religion satisfies my soul' PART III: YEARS OF FRUSTRATION, 1877-1882 'What glory, to have created a new France' 'Triumphant, and full of regrets' 'Poor France, Poor Republic, I had other dreams' 'People are Weeping for the Patriot, the Orator' Epilogue: 'The letters remain' Notes Index

SUSAN K. FOLEY is Principal Fellow in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Her publications include Women in France since 1789: the Meanings of Difference, and Flora Tristan: Life Stories. CHARLES SOWERWINE is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Adjunct Professor of History at La Trobe University. His publications include France since 1870: Culture, Society and the Making of the Republic and Sisters or Citizens? Women and Socialism in France since 1876. Lukk