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What were the Main Challenges facing France?
Essay plan: What were the Main Challenges facing France, 1920-1945?
Intro: France faced many challenges during the inter-war years. After the first World War France suffered greatly. 1.3 million men were killed and 3 million were wounded. Even though the French were on the winning side of the war large areas of Northern France were destroyed - factories, towns, mines and farming land. The French now had to face the challenge of reconstruction - estimated at a cost of over 100 million francs. During the War inflation rose by over 400% and France owed a great deal of money. Over the next twenty years France would face major economic, political and foreign policy challenges and, despite some successes, for the most part the huge number of French governments in that time were unable to addressing these issues. 5
P1:Issues:
• industrial unrest
• the challenge of reconstruction in the war-torn areas.
• lack of manpower.
• cost of reconstruction.
Government: the Bloc National Government.
Solutions:
• Put down general strike of May 1920 ruthlessly (page 263).
• Two million immigrant workers came from Italy, Spain, Belgium and Poland, By 1926 roads, factories and houses were repaired and agricultural land was made productive again
• paid for out of German reparations
(can be split into 2 paragraphs if essay is only up to 1939/40)
P2: Foreign Policy: In charge: Clemenceau. Punishing Germany with Treaty and isolating Germany. (page 270, key points from French Security and the peace treaties. Protecting France and Isolating Germany paragraphs)
P3: foreign policy challenge attempting to enforce all of the terms of the treaty of Versailles especially the reparations. Occupation of the Ruhr (page 270-271)
In charge: Poincare
Impact:
• led to relations with Britain and America declining.
• showed France was not strong enough to enforce the treaty
• had cost the French money to send in troops. This led to an increase in taxation and a decline in the value of the Franc
P4: ISSUES: financial crisis and political instability
In charge: the Cartel des Gauches, 1926 the government of National Union took over, headed by Raymond Poincare
Actions:
• continued to borrow to pay for reconstruction and so the debt got larger and the value of the franc declined.
• Over the next year six more Cartel des Gauches governments failed to address the financial crisis (political instability - page 262 and 264)
• Poincare increased taxation for everybody
Result: balanced the budget (saviour of the franc)
P5: Foreign Policy. Aristide Briand. Aim: Improved relations with Germany. Actions: Locarno Pact followed by the Kellogg-Briand Pact in 1928.
But French still felt insecure so built the Maginot line
Led into next paragraph: by this time France was now faced with the effects of the Great Depression and German reparations had been cancelled (another failed French policy) (page 264)
P6: Wall street crash: explain French economy protected by high tariffs, few US loans and Bank reserves but hit in 1931 and lasted longer than most places. French exports declined and huge balance of payments deficit.
Gov actions:
• Governments cut the salaries of civil servants and the pensions of ex-soldiers
• introduced more protectionism
• took ownership or part ownership of companies such as Air France.
Result: resulted in many changes of Government and criticism of the Third Republic.
Led into next paragraph: In 1932 the Radicals, led by Herriot formed the government. They were unable to deal with the economic and financial crisis but now faced the threat French security faced from the rise of Hitler (page 265 and top of 266)
P7: Challenge: the right wing leagues. And riots against corruption due to the Stavisky affair.
(pages 266-268)
Gov actions: PM Chautemps attempted cover-up, refused to hold enquiry. Daladier new PM resigned due to riots. Left counter strike. Not a coup but reflect dissatisfaction with government.
P8: In power: the popular front. 1936 PM Leon Blum
Challenge: sit-ins. Industrial action. workers expect left coalition to give them the factories.
Gov action: Matignon agreement. Workers gain and employers happy no revolution but gov borrow money to implement some of the initiatives, devalue franc and new delay them. (page 168-169)
P9: Foreign policy 1930s. Still insecure. returned to old, isolate Germany policy after Hitler come’s to power. 1934 Four Power Pact, In 1935 Pierre Laval signed the Roma Agreements, Stresa Front in 1935. Policy and stresa front collapse with Italy invade Abyssinia. Failures: Hitler remilitarised the Rhineland in 1936, Munich conference and declaration of war in 1939. Explain why these were failures ( pages 272-273)
P10: Challenge of the war.
In gov: Paul Reynaud. Divisions in France, Military failure. Reynaud wants to keep fighting, resigns, Petain takes over. Armistice and occupation. (page 274-275)
P11: Vichy France. Collaborators (Petain and Laval). And resistance. De Gaulle and free France. Challenge of dealing with collaborators, De Gaulle ensures systematic punishment and Government control. (pages 275-278)
Conclusion:
Between 1920 and 1945 one of the major challenges France faced was the political instability. This prevented many improvements and reforms in French society which would have better prepared the country for the second World War. It also remained economically backward with small scale production and with agriculture staying inefficient leading to social unrest. (mention foreign policy). by 1939 all of the main challenges facing French society during the inter-war years still remained. 4
sample essay:
Exam Questions
2018
What problems faced France in the years 1920‐1945, and to what extent were these problems overcome?
2014
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