# 16 May constitutional crisis (1877)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1877-16-may-constitutional-crisis
Location: France

Conflict between President MacMahon and the republican Chamber helped settle parliamentary supremacy. 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 Patrice de MacMahon (President of the French Republic). 16 May constitutional crisis is a useful marker in the longer transformation of political authority, society and culture in France. 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
16 May constitutional crisis is a useful marker in the longer transformation of political authority, society and culture in France.

Ruler at the time: [Patrice de MacMahon](https://history-france.com/rulers/patrice-de-macmahon)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — 16 May constitutional crisis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=16+May+constitutional+crisis&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — 16 May constitutional crisis](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=16+May+constitutional+crisis)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)