No one expected that Thiers would be so determined. He actually became a model of integrity tonight. From beginning to end, he strongly stated that he would not join the Supreme Provisional Committee.
Not only that, he once again proposed that General Trochu should serve as the top leader of the Provisional Committee!
Seeing his firm statement, the congressmen who had chosen to support him were confused. They didn't know what Trochu was going to do, but based on their understanding of him in normal times, this person was a typical old fox, and it was impossible to be like this. So elegant and bright!
It was precisely because of confusion that the congressmen behind them were undecided. People exchanged complicated glances and slowly retreated.
Gambetta also tried to recommend Thiers to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but he never expected that Thiers actually refused and said on the spot that if he was forced again, he would leave Paris and not even serve as a member of Parliament.
Only then did these people know that he was serious, and the applause suddenly rang out. If someone held such a high profile at such a critical moment, it would be difficult for those behind him to fight for power.
Who doesn’t want to be ashamed?
Only Blanqui kept his brows furrowed. He knew that Thiers had a treacherous plot, but he still couldn't understand the secret. It wasn't until Thiers started to propose a proposal later that Blanqui suddenly realized it.
Blanqui was so upright at the moment, he was simply blessed with the Holy Light! His first proposal was to ask Congress to vote on a new government cabinet headed by General Trochu.
Even if it is a provisional government, it must have a leader. Although it has not yet been determined whether it will be a presidential system or a prime minister system, it is not enough to have no head.
General Trochu is senior and has 180,000 Paris Defense Forces in his hands. This is the last elite regiment that Paris can use.
They are all regular troops, and they are definitely not comparable to those grassroots teams of the National Defense Self-Defense Force!
This proposal immediately received support from everyone, and everyone present voted unanimously to approve it!
Old General Trochu's face turned red with excitement. He never thought that he would become the first person in France! Although he is only the top leader of the Provisional Committee, he understands that as long as he can lead France through the current disaster, the next president will be sure to not escape.
Is this going to leave a mark in history? Is this going to reach the pinnacle of life?
Amid the applause of the crowd, General Trochu officially became the supreme leader of the 26-member Committee and concurrently served as Minister of Defense to command the entire French army.
At two o'clock in the morning, cheers and applause erupted outside the Bourbon Palace again. General Trochu's coming to power did not arouse public opposition. On the contrary, people still respected the old general very much.
Immediately after Thiers' performance began again, his second nomination was the leader of the moderate faction, Congressman Favre, and nominated him to be the person in charge of diplomatic work and serve as the temporary foreign minister.
Favre is a well-known moderate in the parliament, and many forces have close relations with him. Although some people are opposed to this proposal, they definitely cannot make up the majority.
Although many members of Congress thought that Favre was too soft and would suffer losses in negotiations with Prussia, but seeing that the Senate they supported raised their hands and agreed, they could only obey.
This is what parliament is like. On the surface, it is a very fair system, but where there are people, there are rivers and lakes!
Parties are legal, master-disciple relationships, seniors lead juniors, and regional ties, including cooperation with capital, are all links that create close connections between people.
Members who can become the Senate must have a very broad base of representatives. In other words, members of the House of Representatives also need their own senator leaders to ensure their own interests.
These are small groups and gangs. They all advance and retreat in a unified manner. As long as the boss speaks, the people below must obey even if they have opinions.
The voting results came out soon after, with two-thirds of the members agreeing to the motion, and Favre officially became the head of the interim government's diplomatic work.
The good old man Favre cast his grateful eyes on Thiers. He knew that he could not obtain such a high position without his support. After reciprocating the favor, he would have to repay Thiers well.
The news of Favre's election did not arouse public dissatisfaction. Although the good old man will be softer at the negotiation table, after all, it is the choice made by the National Assembly, and the people have to listen.
But what is even more incomprehensible is that Thiers actually proposed a motion again. Now Blanqui understood that Thiers was retreating in order to advance, and wanted to control the parliament in disguise!
When the chaos broke out, he chose to save people across the city. With so many council members being protected by him, these people would naturally be kind to them.
Then Thiers declared that he would not join the 26-member group no matter how high-minded he was, which made his speech very confusing!
With the blessing of multiple reputations, Thiers can pass all proposals. Is this amazing? If there is such a fuss, won’t the left lose even a single seat?
At this moment, Thiers had already spoken, "I nominate Senator Gambetta as Minister of the Interior..."
"I object!" Blanqui couldn't care less. He stood up and expressed his objection without hearing his name clearly.
"I object... Why can Thiers keep putting forward proposals? Why can't others... He is excluding dissidents!"
Trochu picked up the gavel and banged it on the table. "Silence, silence! Who are you? Um... Blanqui! When did you come in?"
"You are not a member of Parliament, why are you disturbing the order? Kick him out..."
The labor leaders who came in with Blanqui immediately quit. There were more than a hundred people at least. They stood up and shouted, "The parliament is unfair. Citizens have the right to put forward opinions! You are attacking dissidents..."
After all, there were many congressmen close to the left in the parliament. When they saw that their comrades had jumped out to overturn the verdict, they also stood up and yelled.
"I suspect you are secretly colluding... You are all selected right-wing and centrist congressmen. You can only represent the interests of capitalists!"
"Where are the workers? What about the peasants of France? No one from you proposed to represent them... This is to exclude dissidents!"
"The vote just now is invalid and invalid!"
Trochu's nose was so angry that he said, "Silence, silence! What does it mean to exclude dissidents? There is nothing illegal about the voting process just now. More than half of the members agreed, so why are you dissatisfied?"
"If you think Gambetta is not suitable to be the Minister of the Interior, you can make a proposal according to legal procedures! No one restricts your rights... But if you make noise in Parliament, I have the right to expel you!"
"The motherland is already in crisis. Do you still only have eyes for power and profit?"
These people on the left are going crazy. Even though they didn’t get a single seat, they were labeled as fighting for power.
Representative Rochefort jumped out angrily and elected a leftist representative he was familiar with on the spot. However, he did not expect that the power of the right and centrist parties in the entire parliament was too strong, and they directly rejected his proposal.
Blanqui frowned and looked at everything in front of him. He hated Napoleon III more than anyone else at the moment.
"Damn it, if it weren't for your continuous suppression over the years, how could the parliament not have our power..."
"Now that the sky is falling and the earth is falling, the members who vote are still the same group left over from the past empire... How can this be fair? It's impossible!"
Thiers glanced at him with a sneer in his eyes and said, "You want to play? I will play with you to the end!"
Note: More updates will be added soon!
