# Adolphe Thiers becomes head of the Republic (1871)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1871-adolphe-thiers-becomes-head-of-the-republic
Location: Versailles
Categories: ruler-change

Thiers led the new regime through peace, reconstruction and the aftermath of the Commune. Within the broader Third Republic period, The Third Republic survived war, the Commune, constitutional crises and fierce ideological conflict. It expanded mass schooling and empire, faced the Dreyfus Affair, fought World War I and entered the troubled interwar era. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Adolphe Thiers (President of the French Republic). Adolphe Thiers becomes head of the Republic mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Adolphe Thiers becomes head of the Republic mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy.

Ruler at the time: [Adolphe Thiers](https://history-france.com/rulers/adolphe-thiers)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Adolphe Thiers becomes head of the Republic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Adolphe+Thiers+becomes+head+of+the+Republic&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Adolphe Thiers becomes head of the Republic](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Adolphe+Thiers+becomes+head+of+the+Republic)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)