Having set her upon the path of safety, he now betook himself once more to those historical and artistic studies which he loved better than power and office.

It is given to few men not only to write history but also to make history; yet in both spheres Thiers achieved signal success.

Some one has dubbed him "the greatest little man known to history." Granting even that the paradox is tenable, we may still assert that his influence on the life of France exceeded that of many of her so-called heroes.
In fact, it would be difficult to point out in any country during the Nineteenth Century, since the time of Bonaparte's Consulate, a work of political, economic, and social renovation greater than that which went on in the two years during which Thiers held the reins of power.

Apart from the unparalleled feat of paying off the Germans, the Chief of the Executive breathed new vigour into the public service, revived national spirit in so noteworthy a way as to bring down threats of war from German military circles in 1872 (to be repeated more seriously in 1875), and placed on the Statute Book two measures of paramount importance.
These were the reform of Local Government and the Army Bill.
These measures claim a brief notice.

The former of them naturally falls into two parts, dealing severally with the Commune and the Department.
These are the two all-important areas in French life.