Émile Lousse: A personal appreciation

It is well known that nineteenth-century France can be regarded as a laboratory of political experimentation. From the perspective of constititutional history, it was in the course of the 1848 Revolution that the first cycle of experiments was completed (1791–1848). Alphonse de Lamartine's celebrated speech to the National Assembly in favour of the direct election of the President of the Republic has its place within this framework. It also merits detailed analysis because it heralds a new political era. Parts of the speech throw light on Lamartine's project, his ideas about the politics of the people and about the man who should lead it. A study of the speech reveals some surprises. One is dealing with a strange mixture of notions about public law, of romantic ideas, and of oriental prophecies. Yet, by an irony of history, the speech was to facilitate the accession to power of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. In the presidential election of 10 December, the nephew of Napoleon I obtained more than five million votes, whereas Lamartine had fewer than 18,000. The significance of this episode is not limited to Lamartine's personal failure. It invites reflection on the romantic roots of the strong presidential model. Thanks to the support of France's most famous poet, the idea of a linkage between the people and its leader was to take root in Western political culture extending beyond the time span of the second phase of Bonapartism.