Federation of France

> "War is always the first object of a powerful government which wishes to increase its power. I shall not speak to you of the opportunity that a war affords for a government to exhaust the people and to dissipate its treasure and to cover with an impenetrable veil its depredations and its errors . . . It is in time of war that the executive power displays the most redoubtable energy and that it wields a sort of dictatorship most ominous to a nascent liberty . . ."
>
> President of the National Convention, French Revolutionary, **Maximilien Robespierre**, 1791

## Federation of France

Rien n'est éternel.

**1946-Present**

### Head of State

President of the French Federation
* Philippe Pétain (1946-1948)
* François Darlan (1948-1954)
* Joseph Laniel (1954-1960)
* Michel Debré (1960-1965)
* **Maurice Couve de Murville** (1965-Present)

### Head of Government

Prime Minister of the French Federation
* François Darlan (1946-1948)
* François de La Rocque (1948-1950)
* Louis Jacquinot (1950-1953)
* Jean Bichelonne (1953-1956)
* René Coty (1956-1958)
* Michel Debré (1958-1960)
* Joseph Laniel (1960-1962)
* Maurice Couve de Murville (1962-1964)
* Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour (1964-1966)
* **Michel Debré** (1966-Present)

### Governing Body

Council of Ministers
* **Parti national révolutionnaire** (ruling party)

### Government System

Semi-presidential, Parliamentary, Federal authoritarian state

### Ethnicities

French [Majority]
 German
 Bretons
 Others

### Military Command

General Staff of the Armed Forces [Armed Forces], Ministry of War [Ministry]

### Military Forces

French Land Army
 French National Navy
 French Air Force
 French Militia

**France**, officially known as the **Federation of France**, is a country that was established in the aftermath of the Second World War. The country is considered as the successor of the French Third Republic (1870–1940), and the French State (1940-1946). It was established on 24 October 1946, by the reconciliatory Federal Constitution, signed by Chief of State Philippe Pétain and by Chief Delegate of the French Third Republic Louis Jacquinot. The Federal Constitution was a post-war effort to reconcile those who opposed the Armistice with Germany, and those who supported it. It abolished both the French State, and the French Third Republic in-exile, and is recognized by all countries as the legitimate government of France.

The Federation of France's origins are traced to the French Third Republic's declaration of war on Germany in September 1939. On the 10th of May, 1940, the German Army invaded France and created a dire military situation for the nation. Discussions on the possibility of an armistice began, and such discussions became reality when Prime Minister Reynaud resigned and was replaced by Marshal Philippe Pétain, a national hero of the Great War. Controversially, Pétain signed the Armistice with Germany on 22 June 1940. The following month, on the 10th of July, the French Third Republic was de facto dissolved when the National Assembly voted to grant Pétain totalitarian powers over the country.

The following years between 1940 and 1945 were known as the National Revolution, from which Pétain established a highly authoritarian government that reversed decades of socially and economically liberal policies. French culture gradually moved towards traditional, conservative French values. The National Revolution and the Armistice with Germany was opposed by many government officials, who would come to be the entourage of self-proclaimed Leader of Free France, Charles de Gaulle. The French Colonial Empire came under attack by the Free French armed forces in the following years, even after Britain's withdrawal from the war.

In 1945, Adolf Hitler ordered the withdrawal of most German forces from the Occupied Zone, at the accepted cost of keeping the territories designated as the Closed Zone in Northeastern France. Vichy French forces were allowed to exceed its previous manpower limit of 100,000, and subsequently moved towards re-establishing the North under its control. The Atlantic Wall was one area of contention where German forces were not ordered to withdraw, and were confronted by incoming French forces. By this point, the Germans still viewed France as one of its 'hereditary enemies' and treated their uncharacteristic collaboration with suspicion. Himmler's SS maintained a tight-knit political circle in French territory, and the German government as a whole continued to support National Socialists and Fascist-inspired elements within France, especially the Milice française.

Although outside of the purview of his civil service, Michel Debré, Minister of Justice at the time, convinced Prime Minister François Darlan to negotiate a joint German-French military operation to re-establish order within all of France's colonial territories. In exchange, the German Army would retain control over the military bases and fortifications within the Atlantic Wall, and the French government would officially cede the territories within the Closed Zone to Germany. The offer was communicated to German Ambassador to France Otto Abetz, who subsequently sent the offer to Adolf Hitler. After heavy contemplation, Hitler obliged to the French's offer, a day that would mark the beginning of closer relationships between France and Germany.

The military proposal coalesced into Case Hannibal (German: Fall Hannibal), the first ever joint military operation conducted by the Axis forces following the end of the Second World War. Case Hannibal was an astounding success due to the lack of morale of the Free French armies, and the lessons of experience of the much-feared Afrika Korps. The French quickly regained control over French West Africa, and French Equatorial Africa. Unfortunately, French Madagascar was considered impossible to reach due to the Royal Navy's presence in the area. The Japanese refused Germany's request to return French Indochina, marking the first souring of relationship between the two powers. Although Mussolini was reluctant to give up any territories, he was willing to return Syria to the French Government, whilst keeping Lebanon.

During the success of Case Hannibal, the French Government offered amnesty towards all Free French officials who would defect from De Gaulle's government, and officially recognise the French State. The offer also included a proposal to create a new French government. Commanders such as Leclerc, De Gaulle, and Giraud, rejected the offer, but others such as Louis Jacquinot accepted the terms. From thereon, many French exiles returned to Metropolitan France and Pétain offered them several government positions as a friendly gesture. Pétain and Jacquinot co-signed the Federal Constitution, creating the Federation of France in 1946.

Unlike previous governments, the Federation of France abolished its colonial system, instead recognising them as federal states with Metropolitan France at the helm. Compared to the French Third Republic, the powers of the parliament and the Prime Minister were drastically reduced. The President functioned much more like the position of Führer in Germany. Despite this, the office de jure had less authority than the Chief of State had over the French State, a compromise that many were willing to accept. Philippe Pétain held a popular vote, expecting and receiving an overwhelming electoral victory as the Federation's new President. Pétain appointed Darlan, his designated successor, as Prime Minister the following day.

On February 7, 1948, Philippe Pétain resigned as President, owing to his failing health and old age, and Prime Minister François Darlan was soon elected as the new President. President Darlan then created the National Revolutionary Party, a nationalist, conservative, and authoritarian political party that claimed to embody French traditional values. President Darlan soon introduced the Nationalist Coalition, a political bloc between France's conservative and fascist elements. Most notable among these were the moderate French Social Party led by François de La Rocque, the technocratic National Party led by Jean Bichelonne, and the fascist French Popular Party led by Jacques Doriot, though Doriot was considered by Darlan as 'unhinged' at the time.

On January 2, 1951, Reichsminister of Foreign Affairs Joachim von Ribbentrop offered President Darlan a special invitation to be one of the founders of the European Confederation alongside Italy, Denmark, Norway, Hungary, and Romania. President Darlan accepted and signed the Brüssel Declaration in Germany, which at the same time was a Declaration of Permanent Peace in Western Europe, formally declaring the end of all wars in the region. Over the course of the next few decades, several agreements such as the European Economic Zone, and the creation of Europol were co-signed by France.

On the 7th of December, 1953, Syrian commander in the French Army Adib Shishakli, declared the creation of the Syrian Liberation Army, with him as its General, and him as the President of the newly created Syrian Republic. The Battle of Damascus led to the defeat of the French Army the following month. President Darlan, halfway through re-organising the French Armed Forces, reluctantly negotiated for Syria's independence, prompting the Turkish Invasion of Syria shortly after. The Syrian crisis led to the retirement of Darlan, whether by his own volition is unclear.

Shortly after being sworn in, President Joseph Laniel had to contend with the Algerian War, which posed a significant threat towards the Federation of France's authority over its former colonies. On the formal request of German President Hermann Göring, who wished to see Germany's allies grow stronger militarily, President Laniel gave free rein to General Raoul Salan to end the Algerian resistance. The French populace generally supported the war, especially the Pieds-Noirs community who comprised a significant minority in Algeria. The French Armed Forces, the Milice, the National Gendarmerie, and the French Algerian Front all contributed towards the "pacification of the Algerians", an event that would be known by Algerian dissidents as the "Algerian Genocide". It is without a doubt that the influence of the German and Italian national and colonial policies led to the increased hardline stances of the French regarding the treatment of its own citizens.

Unlike Germany and Italy, the French economy continued to stagnate since the 1940s, due to suffering several financial crises within Metropolitan France, and several political crises within its former colonial empire. Previously a Free French sympathizer, renowned financier Jean Monnet flew from London for Paris. He had done so, realizing that his loyalties lay with the French people alone, and not the British. President Laniel offered the position of Minister of Finance to Monnet, shortly after reading his economic proposals for the French economy. Jean Monnet accepted, and his plans laid the groundwork for the "Monnet Plan", officially known as the Remobilization and Revitalization Plan, putting focus on rapid expansion, efficiency, and modernization. The plan laid the economic groundwork for a new economic policy of "Dirigisme", which influenced the creation of several schools of economic thought all across the world, especially in Asia, Latin America, and Europe itself.

On the 23rd of March, 1955, the Royal Navy and the National Navy clashed on the English Channel, which would mark the "First Channel Crisis". The standoff was marked by a dispute over maritime sovereignty, of which both sides believed the other was violating. On the orders of President Göring, the Kriegsmarine intervened on the 1st of April, prompting the withdrawal of the Royal Navy, which was a significant political defeat for the British Government. Following the conclusion of the crisis, the British Government signed a military alliance with the United States of America on the 4th of April, which was simply known as the Anglo-American Alliance (AAA) at the time. The creation of the Anglo-American Alliance convinced President Göring of the need to create a military alliance that would succeed the defunct Tripartite Pact.

The Eurasian Collective Security Alliance (ECSA) was established by President Göring and President Debré on May 14, 1960, merely 5 years after the establishment of the Anglo-American Alliance (AAA), later becoming known as the Atlantic Charter Treaty Organization. Following the establishment of this alliance, President Debré ordered a massive modernization program of the French Armed Forces, and greenlit the French Nuclear Program, borrowing much of its technology from the Germans. Closer relations between German and French military industries occurred as well, with Sud Aviation and Reverend Aviation being among the most successful French military aviation companies.

The 1960s have been marked as a time for significant economic and military progress for the French Federation. The increased strength of the Presidency shows significant contrast between the Federation and its predecessor, the French Third Republic, which was mired by parliamentary conflicts. In spite of this seeming political stability, the more radical elements of France remain, with fascism remaining an influential ideology within the country. The living standards of the French are significantly better than most countries, though lagging far behind its more powerful allies and rivals. Contrary to its revolutionary roots, French society is far more submissive and compliant, with fascistic law enforcement and paramilitaries such as the Milice forming the backbone of the French authoritarian state. Furthermore, the French Nation continues to live under the shadow of its conqueror, the German Reich, and perhaps forever, shall its nation remain in the comforting naivety of darkness.