Thiers, (Louis) Adolphe (1797–1877), a French statesman and historian. For many years a notable figure in French politics, he helped start the Revolution of 1830 (in which Charles X was dethroned) and headed the government following the revolution against Napoleon III in 1870. His immensely popular histories greatly influenced French political movements.
Adolphe Thiers was born in Marseille and studied law at Aix. In 1821 he became a journalist in Paris. His widely read History of the French Revolution (10 volumes, 1823–27), which praised the principles of the revolution, made him a leading figure in the opposition to the Bourbon monarchy.
When the government moved to suppress his liberal newspaper, Le National, Thiers became a leader in the Revolution of 1830. He was also instrumental in securing the throne for Louis Philippe.
Thiers held several important government posts during 1832–40. In 1840, after a dispute with the king over foreign policy, he retired from politics and began his 20-volume History of the Consulate and the Empire (1845–62). This work, which exalted the career of Napoleon I, helped Napoleon's nephew, Louis Napoleon, achieve the presidency in 1848. However, Thiers distrusted Louis Napoleon and opposed him when he overthrew the constitutional government in 1851 prior to becoming Emperor Napoleon III.
From 1863 to 1870 Thiers served in the legislature, usually opposing the autocratic policies of the emperor. Napoleon III was overthrown in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, and Thiers became head of the government in 1871. He negotiated the treaty that ended the war and also put down an uprising in Paris, dismantling the revolutionary government of the Commune of Paris. Faced with opposition from both the radicals and the monarchists, he resigned his office in 1873.