Learn How to Pronounce Adolphe Thiers | YouPronounce.it

How to Pronounce Adolphe Thiers

Quick Answer: In French, the name Adolphe Thiers is pronounced [a.dɔlf tjɛːʁ].
(Listen to the audio below for the stress and intonation)

Meaning and Context

Adolphe Thiers was a pivotal and often controversial French statesman and historian whose career spanned the tumultuous 19th century, serving under the Bourbon Restoration, the July Monarchy, and the Second Republic before becoming the first President of the French Third Republic in 1871. His presidency, which lasted until 1873, was defined by the monumental tasks of negotiating the peace with Prussia after the Franco-Prussian War, suppressing the revolutionary Paris Commune of 1871, and ensuring the republican stability of the new regime. A skilled orator and a prolific writer, notably of the multi-volume Histoire de la Révolution française, Thiers was a classical liberal who championed a conservative republic, advocating for a constitutional order led by a propertied bourgeoisie. His political legacy is inextricably linked to the founding of the Third Republic and his pragmatic, sometimes ruthless, efforts to unify a fractured nation, earning him the epithet "Liberator of the Territory" for his role in paying off war indemnities to secure the early withdrawal of German occupation troops.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The name "Adolphe Thiers" is generally consistent in spelling, but common errors arise from its pronunciation and familiarity with French orthography. The most frequent mistake is misspelling his surname as "Thier," omitting the final 's'. Another common typo is "Adolf Thiers," substituting the German 'f' for the French 'phe'. Occasionally, one might see the first name Anglicized as "Adolph," though this is less common and anachronistic. It is also important to note the correct French pronunciation, which can lead to spelling confusion; the 's' in "Thiers" is silent, and the 'Th' is pronounced as a simple 't' sound, akin to "Tee-air." When writing about him, it is crucial to maintain the correct diacritical mark in "Adolphe," though it is sometimes dropped in English-language texts.

Example Sentences

Historians credit Adolphe Thiers with the painful but necessary consolidation of the French Republic following the defeat at Sedan.

His harsh suppression of the Paris Commune remains a deeply divisive chapter in his legacy, criticized by the left but seen by many contemporaries as a restoration of order.

In his address to the National Assembly, Thiers famously argued that the republic would be "the government which divides us least.

" Before his presidency, Thiers built a reputation as a formidable opposition journalist and a minister under King Louis-Philippe.

The political doctrine of Thiersism came to represent a cautious, bourgeois republicanism focused on financial stability and social conservatism.

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