Government of National Defense Le Gouvernement de la Défense Nationale , or The Government of National Defence , was the first Government of the Third Republic of France from September 4 , 1870 , to February 13 , 1871 , during the Franco - Prussian War , formed after the Emperor Louis Napoleon III was captured by the Prussian army . The government , headed by General Louis Jules Trochu , was under Prussian siege in Paris . Breakouts were attempted twice , but met with disaster and rising dissatisfaction of the public . In late January the government , having further enraged the population of Paris by crushing a revolutionary uprising , surrendered to the Prussians . Two weeks later , it was replaced by the new government of Adolphe Thiers , which soon passed a variety of financial laws in an attempt to pay reparations and thus oblige the Prussians to leave France , leading to the outbreak of revolutions in French cities , and the ultimate creation of the Paris Commune . Origins . When the Franco - Prussian War began in 1870 , France was under the control of Emperor Louis Napoleon III . A National Assembly was based in Paris , but its powers were limited . Widespread discontent amongst Assembly members before the war , particularly amongst socialist members , had given Louis - Napoleon many enemies . At the disastrous battle of Sedan , Louis - Napoleon was captured by the Prussia n Army , leaving France effectively without a government . When news of Louis - Napoleon ' s capture reached Paris , leading members of the National Assembly rushed to the Hôtel de Ville to declare a new government . At the Hôtel de Ville , Léon Gambetta publicly declared the founding of the Government of National Defence on September 4 , and the government immediately assumed control of all affairs in France , intending to continue the war against Prussia . Notable members . Despite the hopes of revolutionary , radical left - wing politicians in Paris , the Government of National Defence was composed almost entirely of middle - class , conservative men , who were already Deputies in the National Assembly representing Paris constituencies . When offered the post of President , Jules Trochu accepted it based on the Assembly ' s promise that they would " resolutely defend religion , property , and the family " . The new government was almost entirely middle - class , and citizens of Paris wondered how long the uneasy alliance between the revolutionary left - wing Republicans and the conservative right - wing Republicans would last . The Government of National Defence quickly received official recognition from leading world powers in the following days , except from Prussia . The Prussian Chancellor , Otto von Bismarck , was concerned that the new body could not act as France ' s government , as it was composed entirely of men from Paris , without any consideration being given to the rest of France . This was not a great concern to the Government though , as its members intended to continue the war against Prussia . Besieged . With most of the army captured at Sedan , the Government of National Defence called almost all military units from across France , including marines , naval units , and troops on foreign service in Rome , Algeria , and French colonies , to aid in the defence of Paris before the Prussians reached the city . The Government greatly increased the already formidable fortifications around Paris and brought in vast quantities of food from the countryside , to feed the swollen population of the city throughout the expected siege . Having sworn in General Trochu as President , the National Assembly left Paris and relocated to Bordeaux . Concerned that the rest of the country might complain about the Parisian - dominated government , Admiral Fourichon and Gaston Cremieux , both elderly men , were dispatched to Tours as a representative delegation on behalf of the government in Paris . By September 20 , Paris was completely surrounded and cut off from the rest of unoccupied France . On October 7 , Léon Gambetta left Paris by hot air balloon and arrived in the city of Tours , from which he and his deputy Charles de Freycinet directed the war across unoccupied France . Although they were part of the same national government , the governments in Paris and Tours often acted without consulting each other , due largely to the problem of communication between besieged Paris and the outside world . The National Assembly in Bordeaux had very little say in government affairs , as they had no reliable means of contacting Paris and Gambetta did not have time to wait for the Assembly to debate issues . As a result , Gambetta became the virtual dictator of unoccupied France during the war . Throughout the siege , the Government of National Defence was reluctant to try to break out of Paris , and as the siege wore on , the population of Paris grew more and more frustrated at the Government . The government did in fact try to break out twice , once in late November 1870 and once again in mid - January 1871 . The " Great Sortie " , beginning on the night of November 28 , was a cataclysmic disaster . Thousands of soldiers were killed and the population of Paris , whose hopes had been raised far beyond rationality , were shattered by the news of the sortie ' s defeat . Blame was heaped upon the Government of National Defence , and increased through December as the city ' s food supplies began to run out . The population was angry that the Government was suspicious of the National Guard based in Paris - whilst the civilian population saw the National Guard as an unstoppable force , the Government perceived them as a rabble of ill - disciplined drunks who would run away at the first shot . When the Government decided to placate civilian sentiment by using the National Guard in the next sortie of 18 January 1871 , their suspicions were confirmed as the National Guard panicked and fled back into Paris , provoking the civilian population to blame the Government for being incompetent and cowardly . End of the Government . After the failure of the January 18th sortie , it was obvious to the Government that they would never break out of the city . In addition , food stocks were running dangerously low and the city was enduring constant artillery bombardments from the Prussians , and although the shelling was surprisingly ineffective , its demoralising effect on Paris was severe . The Government sacked General Trochu as Governor of Paris on January 22 ( although he remained President of the Republic ) and replaced him with the elderly General Joseph Vinoy . Jules Favre , though , held real control , and became the " de facto " leader of the government . A small revolutionary uprising on January 23 was crushed with force by the Government of National Defence , further infuriating the population of Paris . On January 28 , 1871 , Paris surrendered . Favre , on behalf of the Government of National Defence , and Bismarck signed a Convention on the Armistice and the Capitulation of Paris . Under this Convention Favre agreed to humiliating terms demanded by the Prussians , including the payment of 200 million francs indemnity within a fortnight , over 5 billion francs in total war reparations , and the surrender of the strong fortresses surrounding Paris . In Tours , Gambetta received the news of the surrender by telegram on January 29 , and although he still wished to fight on , was convinced to step down by a group of diplomats who arrived from Paris by train on February 6 . The negotiations had guaranteed national elections to create a new French government , and on February 8 French citizens ( except those in the occupied Prussian territories ) voted for a new government . The elections returned an overwhelming number of conservative , middle - class , rural Deputies , who set up a new seat of government at the palace of Versailles . The new National Assembly elected Adolphe Thiers as Chief Executive of the new government , and Thiers took over the position of President of France from General Trochu on February 13 . Eager to pay reparations and thus oblige the Prussians to leave France , the new government passed a variety of financial laws which deeply angered Parisians , leading to the outbreak of revolutions in French cities , and the ultimate creation of the Paris Commune .