Religion et politique en france : le gard (1881-1914) clivages ideologiques et conflits sociaux
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Abstract EN:
In the domain of politics at the end of the 19th century, the french department of the gard had a unique position linked to the relatively high number of protestants in the population (one third of the inhabitants). Whether through historical or dogmatic anticatholicism, or for other reasons, the majority of these protestants voted for the republicans, and, particularly those living in rural areas, for the radicals. Then after the dreyfus affair, they voted for the socialists. This leftist leaning in the department was offset by the strong influence of the royalist right who were supported by the catholics and their clerical organisations. Caught between these two extreme trends, the moderate republicans were annihilated and had no deputy after 1898. The splitting of the republican party, already well advanced in 1881, then slowed down by the dreyfus affair, was complete by 1914. At that time, the republican party was confronted by new political problems, including the three year military service law, and it came out divided. Moreover, the separation of the churches from the state had deprived the republicans of the unifying theme of anticlericalism. Finally, the royalist catholics hatred for the moderate republicans (often protestant) incited them to adopt a "politique du pire" (i. E. Making the worst possible choice in order to attain their own ends) and to support the most leftist candidates, sometimes even socialists who appeared as enemies of the republic. The real triumph of the extreme left at the 1914 general election can be explained by these "contrary to nature" votes added to those of a significant proportion of the gard population. The aim of the present research is thus to study, through the history of the gard from 1881 to 1914, the relationship between religion, politics and social issues in the only french department of that time to include a statistically significant percentage of protestants in the population.
Abstract FR:
Dans le domaine politique, le gard de la fin du xixeme siecle presente une grande specificite liee a une presence importante de la population protestante (un tiers des habitants). Que ce soit par anticatholicisme historique ou dogmatique ou pour d'autres raisons, les protestants votent majoritairement pour les republicains, et, surtout en ce qui concerne les protestants ruraux, pour les radicaux, puis, a partir de l'affaire dreyfus, pour les socialistes. Cet ancrage a gauche est compense dans le departement par une forte influence de la droite royaliste qui beneficie de l'appui catholique et de son organisation clericale. Pris entre les deux courants extremes, les republicains moderes sont lamines et n'ont plus de deputes a partir de 1898. L'eclatement du parti republicain, deja bien amorce en 1881, ralenti par l'affaire dreyfus, est total en 1914 : a cette date, le parti republicain est confronte a des nouveaux problemes politiques, notamment a la loi militaire des trois ans, et en ressort divise. De plus, la separation des eglises et de l'etat a prive le camp republicain du theme rassembleur de l'anticlericalisme. Enfin, la haine des royalistes catholiques vis-a-vis des republicains moderes (souvent protestants) les pousse a adopter une "politique du pire" et a faire voter pour les candidats les plus a gauche, parfois meme pour des socialistes qui apparaissent comme des ennemis de la republique. Ce vote "contrenature" joint a celui d'une fraction non negligeable du peuple gardois explique le veritable triomphe de l'extreme-gauche aux elections legislatives de 1914. Cette etude cherche donc a etudier, a travers l'histoire du gard de 1881 a 1914, le rapport entre le religieux, le politique et le social dans le seul departement francais de l'epoque a comporter un pourcentage de protestants statistiquement significatif.