Centenary of the siege of Toulon 1793 in the French press
Verchenkova Victoria
The author of the article explores the image of the siege of Toulon in 1793 in the historical memory of the French during the Third Republic, analyzing the materials of the regional daily newspapers Le Petit Provençal, Le Petit Var, Le Petit Marseillais, dedicated to the centenary of this event. The preparations for the anniversary and the festive event itself are considered in details, which had been held in La Saint-sur-Mer and Toulon for two days. The celebrations were visited by politicians and residents of other communes and cities, which indicates the relevance and popularity of this historic event. Based on an analysis of the sources, the author comes to the conclusion that the purpose of commemoration was to consolidate in the historical memory of the nation a holistic image of the brave French warriors-patriots who returned the city to their homeland, without focusing on any individual persons. There were also no negative references to the British and royalists who surrendered the city. This event was devoted exclusively to the glorification of the Republic, the demonstration of its strength as a guarantee of non-return to the monarchy, as well as the morale of the ancestors, which should have inspired the French in the tense international situation.
Research for this article was funded with the support of project № 14.Z50.31.0045 from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.