French Republic

**France** (French: République française), officially the French Republic, is a country located in Western Europe. Its capital is Paris,

## **HISTORY**

### **French Diplomacy at the Beginning of the 20th Century**

From 1891 onwards, diplomatically isolated France and Russia entered into political and military agreements, eventually forming the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1894. This alliance served as an impetus for France to direct its investments towards Russia, contributing to Russia's industrialization.

However, the Fashoda Incident of 1898 saw France's Foreign Minister Delcassé initially resist full reconciliation with Britain, leading to some tensions and minor conflicts. Still, due to domestic opposition from the left, a ceasefire was achieved relatively quickly. Meanwhile, France and Britain continued to have disputes over issues in Indochina and Yunnan.

As the 20th century began, France intensified the construction of ships and technological innovations in its navy to counter the naval power of its perceived adversaries, Britain and Germany. France also increased its investments in its only ally, Russia. Concurrently, due to the failure of its trans-Saharan policy, France sought to expand its influence over the independent nation of Morocco in its colonial policy in Africa.

### **First Moroccan Incident**

In 1905, the First Moroccan Crisis, also known as the First Moroccan War, erupted due to a speech by the German Emperor regarding Morocco. Germany advocated for a resolution through international conferences, but France initially adopted a strong stance against Germany. However, when faced with the possibility of Britain approaching Germany and the absence of Russian support due to the Russo-Japanese War, France also turned towards a resolution through international conferences.At the Algeciras Conference, France garnered support from multiple nations, while Germany only received support from Austria-Hungary. Consequently, Germany was compelled to make concessions in the matter.

### **Second Moroccan Incident**

In 1911, a Berber rebellion erupted in Morocco, which was under French control. In response, Germany dispatched warships under the pretext of protecting its nationals, reigniting the tensions between Germany and France. However, both Russia and Britain, whom France and Germany hoped to garner support from, were reluctant to get involved.As a result, France and Germany engaged in negotiations to avoid war, leading to the signing of the Treaty of Fez. Under this treaty, Germany renounced its claims in Morocco, and in return, France ceded a portion of Neukamerun (in West Africa) to Germany. This diplomatic resolution helped prevent further escalation of hostilities between the two countries.

### **Outbreak of the Great War and Great Power Conflict**

In 1914, a series of crises, triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, led to a chain reaction of major powers entering the conflict. Germany and Austria-Hungary found themselves at war with France and Russia. In order to establish communication with France, Russia sent an ultimatum to the Ottoman Empire, demanding free passage through the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits.Initially, the United Kingdom had declared its neutrality, but it eventually supported the Ottoman Empire. In response, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire. As a result, both the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire became involved in the conflict on the side of Germany. This further escalated the scale of the war, ultimately leading to World War I.

Upon the outbreak of the war, socialist leaders led by Jean Jaurès, the leader of the French Socialist Party, launched anti-war movements. This created difficulties in achieving national unity within France. Simultaneously, major naval battles occurred in the English Channel and the North Sea. While the British Royal Navy maintained supremacy, it also suffered significant losses.

On the Western Front, both Germany and France adopted aggressive strategies that resulted in significant casualties for both sides. Germany's violation of Belgium's neutrality and the implementation of the Schlieffen Plan drew international criticism. However, the United Kingdom essentially tolerated this offensive. As a result of this offensive, German forces advanced to within a few tens of kilometers of Paris, but both sides recognized the disadvantages of this situation and began preparing for trench warfare by constructing trenches.

### **The Turnaround of the War**

In 1915, France secretly signed a treaty with Italy promising territorial concessions known as the "Unredeemed Italy." This led to Italy, which had previously maintained neutrality, joining the war on the side of France and Russia. In a naval battle in the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Franco-Italian fleet defeated the British Mediterranean Fleet, shifting naval supremacy in the Mediterranean to the Franco-Italian alliance. In response, France and Russia incited a nationalist movement in Egypt, leading to an anti-British revolution there. Following these developments, rebellions erupted in British colonies, requiring a dispersion of British military forces.

In 1916, German General Erich von Falkenhayn shifted his strategy to target French exhaustion. This battle, known as the "Battle of Verdun," resulted in heavy casualties for both sides. France managed to successfully defend Verdun but lacked the resources for a major offensive, while Germany needed to focus on the Eastern Front. As a result, the Western Front temporarily stagnated. During this period, France suffered increasing casualties without significant gains, causing support for the current government's pro-German revenge stance to wane and intensifying anti-war movements.

Recognition of Egypt's independence and support in exchange for joining World War I led to the establishment of Franco-Russian dominance in the Middle Eastern theater due to the formation of the Southern Front against the Ottoman Empire.

### **Armistice, German Revolution, and End of War**

In 1917, France, through American mediation, agreed to a ceasefire with Britain and shortly thereafter with the Ottoman Empire. With a reduced front, France had more resources available and launched an offensive on the Western Front. Despite sustaining significant casualties, they gradually advanced. Meanwhile, a revolution occurred in Germany. The revolutionary provisional government in Germany sought a ceasefire, but at the time, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau rejected it, opting to continue the war. However, after Clemenceau was assassinated, the subsequent government agreed to a ceasefire. This effectively meant recognition of the revolutionary government in Germany.

### **Seizure of power by the Socialist Party and the St. Petersburg Peace Conference**

After the ceasefire and the French general election, the Socialist Party won a landslide victory and assumed power. Following the conclusion of the German revolution, the Saint Petersburg Peace Conference was convened. At this conference, the Socialist government initially aimed for a policy of no annexations and no reparations. However, they faced opposition from domestic hardliners and were compelled to compromise, ultimately accepting reparations payments and ceding territories including Alsace-Lorraine, parts of West Africa, and Levant regions of the Ottoman Empire.

Furthermore, they achieved their long-standing desire for sovereignty over the Alsace-Lorraine region. However, to address ethnic issues and prevent future conflicts, a portion of German-inhabited areas was left as a demilitarized zone. This outcome led to significant opposition from hardliners advocating revenge against Germany.

### **Postwar policy of the SFIO**

The SFIO government implemented policies aimed at addressing the economic turmoil in the post-war period, including labor policies and expanding colonial autonomy. However, these policies ended up prolonging economic chaos. In terms of foreign policy, initiatives such as establishing diplomatic relations with the Räte government, participation in the Kremlin Peace Conference, and non-interference in the Italian revolution heightened anti-socialist sentiments.These circumstances contributed to a reduction in the influence of SFIO.

Prior to the 1924 general elections, a national bloc of center-right parties led by Poincaré of the AD was formed, while the SFIO opposed it by forming the Cartel des Gauches (Union of the Left) with the PR and the PRS, which won the election and again came to power. This solidarity with the bourgeoisie provoked strong opposition from within the party, but was supported by some revisionists.

The Cartel de Gauche cabinet was formed mainly by the SFIO and adopted many leftist policies, such as the expansion of workers' rights and thorough implementation of laicite.

From the beginning, there were voices of opposition, especially from the right wing of the PR, but it was the "issue of acceptance of the Italian revolutionary government" that marked the division. This provoked strong opposition from the center-right to the right-wing in Congress, but the leader of the PR, Elio, agreed to it, causing the right-wing of the Radical Party to flow out to other political parties. This led to the dissolution of the Cartel des Gauches, but the right wing of the PR flowed into the AD and other parties, which loosened their right-wing character and became centrist.

The National Bloc won the 1928 elections and came to power.

#### **The Third Reef War**

In 1925, the Reef Army, a rebel army from Spanish Morocco, invaded French Morocco, thus bringing France into the Third Reef War. French intervention led to the cornered surrender of the Reef forces. This led to France, which had been weak in its relations with England, Germany, and Italy, to approach Spain, and Spain, which had been diplomatically isolated, accepted the approach, and French-Spanish relations began to improve.

Also during this period, the far-left SFIO, led by Jacques Doriot, engaged in anti-colonial activities, which also contributed to the dissolution of the Cartel des Gauches and the SFIO loss of support. From then on, the SFIO was increasingly at odds with the center-right and right-wing factions, and the party began to lean to the left.

### **The Centristization of the National Bloc**

After 1928, the National Bloc cabinet aimed to liberalize the economy by reducing welfare and public works programs, but it continued its policy of economic intervention, driven by the voices of the parliamentary left and labor unions. This policy provoked a backlash from the far-right League, but under this regime France conducted diplomacy and trade with both socialist and liberal countries, and was gradually regaining stability in the international community, which was supported by a majority of the population. These circumstances caused the far-right league to part company with the right-wing parliamentarists.

This led the right-wing parliamentarians to move toward the center and the far-right league to emphasize monarchism and Catholicism.

### **Emergence of Gallicism**

Around this time, some far-right activists found common ground with French nationalism in "Celtic racism," which praised Celtic civilization and excluded Germanic peoples, and began a movement to fuse the two. This movement was organized under Marcel Bucard as the "Gallicist Movement," and this ideology, which was neither monarchist nor parliamentary but aimed at an exclusive and powerful state, gained support from parts of the military and the radical right wing.

### **The Great Depression and the Economic Turmoil in France**

In 1931, France, like many other countries, felt the impact of the Great Depression originating in the United States. The economic turmoil spread, despite efforts by the center-right government to implement effective measures. By 1932, the economic situation had not fully recovered, and in the elections of that year, the Radical-Socialist Party became the largest party.

### **The Stavisky Scandal and the February 6 Crisis**

In late 1933, amid ongoing social turmoil, a scandal involving the Jewish capitalist Alexandre Stavisky came to light. He had issued large amounts of fraudulent bonds using fake gems as collateral. This discovery fueled public outrage, and it was revealed that individuals connected to the then-current leftist government of the Chautemps PR were involved in the scandal. This led to massive anti-government riots.

Both right-wing organizations and far-left socialist groups criticized the government through demonstrations and strikes. Even after Stavisky's mysterious death, right-wing publications accused the political elite of covering up the truth, further intensifying the social unrest.

On February 6, 1934, a major riot broke out in the Place de la Concorde by several right-wing organizations. A number of far-right leagues, including Action Française and the Jeunesses patriotes, participated in this major riot, also known as the "Crisis of February 6, 1934." The right-wing organization Croix-de-Feu also participated in the demonstration, but its leader, La Rocque, ordered an orderly march, avoiding clashes or joining with other right-wing organizations that were running amok. The riots resulted in many deaths and injuries, and consequently led to the resignation of the current cabinet and the formation of a right-wing coalition cabinet. Large demonstrations broke out on the left against the cabinet formation, but the counter actions of the far-right league created an image among the masses of a strong right-wing opposition to the corrupt left. However, the relatively moderate right-wing forces, including the right-wing coalition cabinet and the Croix-de-Feu, denounced the far-right league's direct-actionism, and they were divided.

### **Change in Colonial Policy and the Hanoi Incident**

Under the right-wing coalition government, power and wealth became increasingly concentrated in Paris, leading to a shift in policies. This change was met with protests from the local population in the French Indochina Federation, who had previously seen efforts aimed at expanding autonomy and improving their living standards under the centrist-left government. However, these protests were forcefully suppressed, culminating in the "Hanoi Incident." Following this event, France sent left-wing and reformist military personnel to Indochina, bolstering its military presence.

Simultaneously, the Indochina Socialist Party was planning a large-scale rebellion, expanding its influence with support from Japan through the Chinese Socialist League and the covert cooperation of French left-wing officers.

In 1935, a minor altercation between a French officer and local residents in Tonkin escalated into a full-scale rebellion. This uprising rapidly gained momentum, resulting in intense battles between the French government forces and the Indochina Socialist Party led by Tran Huu. While the French military had superior equipment, they struggled against the local organization's knowledge of the terrain and guerrilla tactics. The newly formed Louis Marin cabinet responded to this situation by expanding the Indochina-France forces.

### **Change in the Political Situation and the 1936 Elections**

Disappointment with the turmoil that had persisted since the Great Depression and the ineffectiveness of party politics led to the rise of forces on the far left and far right that advocated anti-parliamentary principles. In particular, the far right, which upheld monarchism and Catholicism, rapidly gained support, and calls for the restoration of the monarchy began to rise. In addition, conflicts with Germany, Italy, Japan, and other countries began to emerge as the French government adopted anti-socialist policies from 1934 onward.

Various parties and political organizations began preparing for the general parliamentary elections scheduled for 1936. The traditional parties, the PR and the AD, as well as the far-right leagues such as the Action Française and the Jeunesses Patriotes, which were gaining support, organized the grand solidarity "National Front" and announced their participation in the general elections. The socialist party, the "SFIO" had also begun preparing for the election campaign by accepting the leftward tilt and forming a coalition with various socialists.

Meanwhile, to counter the growing support of the National Front and the SFIO, a right-wing parliamentary solidarity "National Bloc" was organized, led by Louis Malin of the FR. La Rocque of the Croix-de-Feu, while clarifying his position as a moderate right-wing member of the Republican and Social Catholic organizations, adopted a policy of solidarity with right-wing parliamentarism and chose to support and cooperate with the National Bloc.