James Brainerd Taylor
Published: 2015-07-04
Total Pages: 74
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Excerpt from Questions and Answers Covering the History of France and the Causes of the World War Although the present form of government in France, usually known as the Third Republic, was proclaimed on the downfall of Napoleon III, in September, 1870, and really began with the election to the presidency of Louis Adolph Thiers in August, 1871, it was not until 1875 that the present constitutional form of government was established and modifications to this constitutional law were made in 1879, 1884, 1885 and 1889. Under the constitution the legislative power is vested in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and the executive power in the President of the Republic and the Cabinet or Ministry. The President of the Republic is elected for a term of seven years by an absolute majority of the votes of the National Assembly, composed of the two legislative chambers in joint session. There is no vice-president and, in the case of death, resignation, or removal of the president during his term of office, a new session of the National Assembly elects his successor for a full term of seven years. The president promulgates the laws passed by both chambers of the Congress and executes them. He appoints all civil and military officers, has the right of individual pardon, concludes treaties with foreign powers, but the approval of the legislature is necessary for any treaties which affect the area of France or of the French colonies; and the previous assent of both chambers is required to enable him to declare war. He can dissolve the Chamber of Deputies at any time by the consent of the Senate, thus requiring a new election for the lower house. Every act of the president requires countersigning by the proper minister in his Cabinet. The present President of the Republic (1917) is M. Raymond Poincare, born in 1858 and elected to the presidency January 17, 1913. The salary of the president is 600,000 francs (about $114,000) per annum, with an additional expense allowance of equal amount. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.