The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1947-12-10
What IL Means.
SHORT LIFE
OF FRENCH
CABINETS
BY RELMAN NORM

~ ~s.@NANGNAs A'A~As@As
Written For The Associated Pres.
WASHINGTON. - A French
W government. on the over
age. hos very short life-spun
The present regime is the
sixth--ond in one sense. the
seventh-thut hos come to
power in the 80 months since
the Liberation of Poris. Thui
works out to something less
than q five months overdqe
existence. And q greet muny
observers ore expecting still
another. headed by General
Chorles DeGoulle. in the neor
future.
II is q high mortality rute.
but not so high as before the
wur. when the French some
times changed their govern
ments within the some week.
The system differs from both
the American and British sys-
TENS in that a French govern
ment can fall out of office over
a single issue.
A prime ministers policies
may be challenged and a vote
of confidence called for. If he
fails to receive a majority in
the National Assembly. he re-
signs. His Cabinet goes with
him.
Therefore, in stormy times,
when passions are running high,
the life-expectancy of French
government is short. The years
Immediately before the last war
wildly illustrated this.
The French people saw war
coming, and they changed prime
ministers with great rapidity in
the search for man, and a gov
eminent, who could command
their confidence in his ability 10
either avoid the war or defend
the country.
Similarly, political and eco
nomic stresses have brought The
downfall of six men since the
liberation.
Gen. DeGauile. head of the
first Provisional government.
resigned when his demands for
a strongly centralized govern
ment and large military cred
its were denied.
Then came Felix Gouin. Six
months later he resigned in the
fight over the new constitution.
Georges Bidault went out five
months afterWard as a result of
discomfort over the economic sit
uation. Leon Blum's one-month
government was stop-gap re-
gime, put in as compromise be-
tween the parties. ' 4
Paul Ramadier headed the
fifth and six government. His
first Cabinet was SO sharply al
tered, When the Communists
walked out of it, that the sucr
ceeding one was in effect a new
regime. y
Ramadier had the stormiest
passage to date. He asked for !
and received votes of conf
dence. sometimes by very mar
row margins. on everything
from criticism of his policy on
Indo China TO pressure against
his freeze on wages and his at
tempt to lower prices by law.
Except for increasing popular
opposition to the Communists,
his government might have fall
len over a single strike in the
Renault automobile works. The
Communist ministers were in an
embarrassing position. They had
endorsed the Ramadier policy. on
wages. Then came the strike.
Confronted with the necessity of
supporting the workers they had
10 disavow that policy. So they
attempted to topple the govern
snents with. them, lbut it didn't
toppie. III >
They corltinued their efforts,
outside the government. Eventu-
ally, by starting a series OF strikes
in key industries, they brought
Ramadier to his knees.
His successor. Paul Schu.
mann. has already won some
decisive . victories. jamming
through the acknowledgements
fanatical Communist opposi-
ton - legislation providing
penalties for fomenting strikes
and practicing sabotage.
1t is generally believed, now,
that DeGaulle will be the next
on the stage. He can return in
two ways. The president of the
Republic may summon him to
form new government, or the
general elections next spring may
bring his party, the R.P.F., into
power.
In either case. if the temper
of the French people can be ac-
curatelY gauged--it is increas-
inglY anti Communist now
his would be the strongest gov
eminent since the war. -