Léon Gambetta
Léon Gambetta (French pronunciation: [leɔ̃ ɡɑ̃bɛta]; 2 April 1838 – 31 December 1882) was a French lawyer and republican politician who proclaimed the Third Republic in 1870 and played a prominent role in its early government. Gambetta was a strong believer in democratic systems of government, believing that the victory of democracy in France meant (amongst other gains) “protection of the legitimate and basic rights of labour, the raising up morally and materially of the lower classes, but without compromising the position of those favoured by wealth and talent.” == Early life and education == Born in Cahors, Gambetta is said to have inherited his vigour and eloquence from his father, a Genoese grocer who had married a Frenchwoman named Massabie.