La préhistoire des partis. Le mouvement républicain en Bas-Languedoc, 1848-1881

The Republican party played a déterminant rôle in the French political life of the 19th century. It was at the origin of a tradition which still today permeates much of our behavior. Where is the link front the Republican party to the modem parties ? What héritage has been transmitted ? What are the breaks that hâve occurred ? Was the Republican party a traditional structure which prefigured the current parties or was it, on the contrary, stopped in its historical development because of its inhérent limitations ? The answer to thèse questions throws new light on the transformation of the modes of organisation and action, of the mentalities and of the political idéologies of the 19th century. It also contributes to a better understanding of the progression of the Republican conquest and of the movement which brought hundreds and even thousands of people into militant politics. This study is based on the Bas-Languedoc région and especially the Gard, one that is geographically varied and was affected at that time by décisive économie mutations. Vital religious and political traditions became deeply rooted in the people through repeated conflicts. In such a chargea field, history is enriched by a concrète, fully human flavor.