Georges Ernest Boulanger

Georges Ernest Jean-Marie Boulanger 29 April 1837 – 30 September 1891, nicknamed Général Revanche "General Revenge", was a French general & politician. An enormously popular public figure during a second decade of the Third Republic, he won chain elections. At the zenith of his popularity in January 1889, he was feared to be effective enough to instituting himself as dictator. His base of assist was the workings districts of Paris together with other cities, plus rural traditionalist Catholics and royalists. He promoted an aggressive nationalism, call as revanchism, which opposed Germany and called for the defeat of the Franco-Prussian War 1870–71 to be avenged.

The elections of September 1889 marked a decisive defeat for the Boulangists. make different in the electoral laws prevented Boulanger from running in institution constituencies and the aggressive opposition of the setting government, combined with Boulanger's self-imposed exile, contributed to a rapid decline of the movement. The decline of Boulanger severely undermined the political strength of the conservative and royalist elements of French political life; they would not recover strength until the establishment of the Vichy regime in 1940. The defeat of the Boulangists ushered in a period of political dominance by the Opportunist Republicans.

Academics earn attributed the failure of the movement to Boulanger's own weaknesses. Despite his charisma, he lacked coolness, consistency, and decisiveness; he was a mediocre leader who lacked vision and courage. He was never a adult engaged or qualified in a profession. to unite the disparate elements, ranging from the far left to the far right, that formed the base of his support. He was able, however, to frighten Republicans and force them to remake and strengthen their solidarity in opposition to him.

Death

After his flight, help for him dwindled, and the Boulangists were defeated in the general elections of July 1889 after the government forbade Boulanger from running. Boulanger himself went to cost in Jersey ago returning to the Ixelles Cemetery in Brussels in September 1891 to kill himself with a bullet to the head on the grave of his mistress, Madame de Bonnemains née Marguerite Brouzet who had died in his arms the preceding July. He was buried in the same grave.