Evening star., 1948-08-30
Another French Cabinet Falls


The resignation of the cabinet headed
by Andre Marie precipitates what is prob
ably the gravest parliamentary situation
since Frances liberation and the re-
establishment of responsible government.
1t Is in every respect more serious than
the fall of the Schuman cabinet which
preceded it. Indeed, it may we'll be that
the very life of the Fourth Republic is
at stake. ..
Both the Marie and Schuman cabinets
were created in preservation by the
middle of the road parties in the National
Assembly to avert threats to French unity
and stability coming from extremists-the
Communists on the left and the De Gaul-
lists on the right. They were coalitions Of
the three center groups-Popular Republic
cans, Socialists and Radicals-which col
lectively possess majority in the Assembly
and pride themselves on being Frances
saving Third Force"
Unfortunately, this political triumvirate
was united only on the negative issue OF
keeping the extremists from coming to
power. AS soon as the coalition cabinets
that reflected this combination tried to
do anything positive, wide internal differ
ences between the constituent parties pro-
duced dissensions which could not be
reconciled This Is not strange when it is
understood that the three parties represent
the sharply divergent ideologies of cler-
icalism, socialism and liberalism, with
all that those terms imply. And the record
shows that not only has this party coalition
proved incompatible but also that the
incompatibility rapidly grows more intense.
The expectancy of French cabinet
is proverbially brief. AS the psalmist says
of man, its days are usually "short and
full of trouble" This has been eminently
true of the Marie cabinet, which lasted
just one calendar month, whereas its pred
ecessor stayed seven months in office. And
in both cases, the fall was occasioned
chiefly by attempts at financial and eco
nomic reforms designed to stabilize
Frances economic life and avert the threat
of insolvency. Yet, no matter how sound
in theory the suggested program trod on
too many toes and offended too many
political susceptibilities. So each cabinet
reached an internal impasse and fell to
pieces.
The immediate result of this second fall
ure will be profound popular disillusion-
ment, amounting to what the French call
a "crisis of confidence" not merely in the
ability of the center parties collectively to
govern but also of the whole constitutional
setup which permits such chronic parlia-
mentary instability. Those are precisely
the arguments on which Communists and
De Gaullists hammer constantly in their
appeals to the French people for strong
err system of government-albeltW with very
different meanings behind the word. 1t
should logically strengthen the demand OF
De Gaulle and his followers for dissolu-
ton of the Assembly and new parliament
tary elections, from which they expect
greatly to profit. That the center parties
fear De Gaulle was shown only the other
day, when the Assembly voted to postpone
the local elections which De Gaulle planned
to use as test of his growing popularity
with the voters.
To be sure, the chances are that the
centrist politicians will get together in this
crucial emergency, reshufde their we'll
worn deck of personalities, and deal out
new cabinet differing somewhat in political
shading. But this new combination again
will be essentially negative in character
and divided on positive action. The real
test of the Fourth Republics viability will
thus be postponed but not evaded,
Meanwhile, France is once more without
government at fateful moment, do
mestically and internationally. Tech
nically, France has lost its voice in Moscow.
while at home pressing issues are neglected
and extremism gains ground. The situa-
ton verges on the intolerable.
An eastern symposium on the best treat
ment for hiccups elicits the attractive sug-
gestion, Drink champagne" Not too much,
though. inst enough to keen the ailment