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1.docxHistory: Governments from 1945 to Present
Section 1:Provisional Government and The Fourth Republic (1946-1958)
Overview
In this module, we will outline the history of France during the Fourth and Fifth Republics. Section 1 will focus on the rebuilding and renewal of France after World War II and the consequences of colonial wars. Section 2 will be dedicated to the years after de Gaulle, from Pompidou to Emmanuel Macron who was elected president in 2017.
Key terms and concepts: Free French, Vichy government, the Fourth Republic, Monnet Plan, Les Trente Glorieuses (the Thirty Glorious Ones), decolonization
Table of Contents:
· De Gaulle's Provisional Government (1945-1946)
· The Fourth Republic (1946-1958)
The Monnet Plan for Economic Recovery
Social and Political Achievements
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After completing the following readings, see if you are able to do these things: |
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· List three things de Gaulle did to restore political and economic order to France after the fall of the Vichy government. · Give two reasons for France's slow progress at industrial modernization after World War II despite US aid through the Marshall/Monnet plan. · Explain why France's loss of its Vietnamese colony in Indochina in 1955 hardened its resolve to hold on to Algeria at all costs. · List three achievements of the Fourth Republic. |
Chapter 7: World War II: The Unforgotten War (Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, pp. 85-99)
In this chapter, N-B examine the effects of World War II on the French. The events of this period of history were so powerful and are carved so deeply into the psyche of the nation that N-B have named it "the unforgotten war." The figure of Charles de Gaulle towers over this time--De Gaulle as leader of the "Free French" who declared that the collaborationist government of Vichy "is not France." Yet after his death, the unity of the French against the German occupiers turns out to be a myth and the real story much more complex, as it unfolds into a drama that is still being played out today every time anti-Semitism rears its ugly head.
· Give two reasons why France did not immediately identify Hitler's Nazi Germany as an enemy in 1938-39.
· What made deputy secretary of state Charles de Gaulle so unwilling to give up when so many of his countrymen were ready to sign an armistice with Germany?
· Why did so many French people trust Philippe Pétain to make the best of France's defeat and run the government during the Occupation?
· What does Resistance hero Jean-Marie Bressand's experience suggest about the realities of living in German-occupied France?
· Why did de Gaulle cultivate the myth that all of France supported the Resistance?
· About five years ago, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stated that the French are the most anti-Semitic people in the world. (N-B, p. 97) Although he made this remark in reference to a rash of hate crimes in France, he was also alluding to something historical. Based on what you have read, in what ways do you think the re-examination of de Gaulle's Resistance myth has been a necessary process for the French?
De Gaulle's Provisional Government (1945-1946)
The Birth of the Fourth Republic. The post-war provisional government (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. restored order and abolished the Third Republic, which had lasted for seventy years. The Fourth Republic was to inherit most of its problems since the only significant change in the structure of the government in the changeover was that women won the right to vote. The parliament retained tight control over the president, which de Gaulle was not comfortable with. He voluntarily resigned on January 20, 1946, leaving the task of governing the country to the majority parties.
The Fourth Republic (1946-1958)
After de Gaulle. The Assembly replaced De Gaulle with Socialist Félix Gouin and drafted a new constitution, which was immediately voted down by over half of the voters. The Assembly then dissolved and a new assembly was elected on June 2 with a shift in the balance of parties, giving few seats to the Communists (less than 21%) and Socialists (about 16%) and over 22% to the Mouvement Républicain Populaire, or MRP and naming MRP party head Georges Bidault as the leader of the new government. (Mermier, p. 91). On October 13, 1946, a new proposal was submitted to a third referendum. The new constitution passed, although 31 % of the electors did not vote. It slightly increased the power of the President of the Republic and replaced the Senate with a "Council of the Republic," leaving most powers to the Assembly and the parties. De Gaulle's description of the document as "absurd and outdated" was prophetic: between December 1946 and May 1958 there were 24 changes of government, none of which lasted for more than six months. (Mermier, 91)
The Monnet Plan for Economic Recovery. Jean Monnet was a Frenchman first but also an economist and citizen of the world and father of what would eventually become the European Union. His comprehensive plan for France's reconstruction after World War II was a new form of economic planning that came to be known as planification. Unlike the Soviet system, which was highly directive and rigid, Monnet's approach combined the principles of free-market capitalism and socialism, reflecting his background as a capitalist banker who voted socialist. It was a middle road that gave the state power over the economy but, as Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw summarize in their book Commanding Heights (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. ,
"Essentially, what the Monnet Plan did was prioritize, set investment targets, and allocate investment funds, with the focus on reconstruction, particularly in the basic industries--defined by Monnet as the nationalized electricity, coal, and rail transportation industries, and the non-nationalized steel, cement, and agricultural machinery industries. For Monnet, the importance of the targets lay not in reaching a scientifically optimal level of investment. Rather, establishing an optimistic, forward-looking plan was an end in itself. He wanted action that would generate more action. Initiating momentum would prevent the economy from falling back into its prewar risk-averse ways and again 'crystallizing at a low level'." (pp. 29-32)
Although the true economic recovery of France was slower in coming about than the target dates set by Monnet, it was his plan that put the country on the road to reconstruction and industrialization, preparing the way for the economic miracle of the 1950's. With the help of the United States' Marshall Plan, the steady modernization of France between 1945 and 1975 is known as Les Trente Glorieuses (The Thirty Glorious Ones).
While the economy was gaining steam and people's lives were improving, France's colonial empire was falling apart. North Africa, Madagascar, and Indochina were demanding more autonomy. With the loss of Vietnam in the decisive battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1955, France withdrew from Indochina, putting an end to a long and costly war. Pierre Mendès-France, who negotiated the Geneva Peace Treaty with Vietnam, also granted Morocco and Tunisia their independence. Algeria's situation remained difficult since its three departments were considered a part of France. But there was a nationalist movement underway in Algeria as well, and a campaign of terrorism began, initiated by the FLN (National Liberation Front). Back in the Hexagon, Mendes-France was the object of countless anti-Semitic tirades for having abandoned France's colonial empire as the French government began pouring troops into Algeria to crush the rebellion. (Mermier, p. 92) It was to a large extent the Fourth Republic's inability to solve the Algerian crisis due to its lack of stability that led to its demise in 1958 and the return of de Gaulle.
In 1954 Mendès-France appeared on the American television show "Meet the Press" where he talked about the disillusionment of French youth. You can see a clip at http://www.nbcnews.com/video/meet-the-press/44491596#44491596 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Social and political achievements
Despite the rise and fall of many governments during its twelve-year stint, the Fourth Republic is remembered for some notable accomplishments:
· Right to vote extended to women
· Improving demographics due to a post-war baby boom, with the population jumping from 40 million in 1946 to 55 million in 1958
· Guaranteed social services and family allowances due to social security and insurance protection for the family
· National and regional modernization through industrialization and technology under the Monnet plan
· Growth of the cities, new jobs, and better regulation of agricultural production
· Overall better standard of living
Sauigny, Bertier de and David H. Pinkney. History of France. Forum Press, 1983 Mermier, Guy R. France: Past and Present. Peter Lang, 2000.
Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyu3_KUIiic
