Republic of France
République Française (Third Republic)

France suffered more than any other country in the Great War, which was to a great extent fought on her territory. Vast tracts of land are now nothing more than cratered mudflats, punctuated by the stark ruins of towns and villages destroyed by the endless shelling. It is hardly surprising therefore that the French people are largely occupied in the 1920s with recovering from that disastrous war. A huge government programme of reconstruction is remarkably successful, and is almost complete by 1925. Many Frenchmen have been killed or incapacitated in the war, and the relaxation of immigration rules allows two million foreign workers to enter the country. The French are not happy with the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, considering that not enough has been done to make Germany pay for the war and, although France joins the League of Nations, confidence in the body is never great. Neither do the French entirely trust British and American promises to aid France if she is ever again invaded, especially since the American Senate refuses to ratify the treaty. British desires to reduce the amount of reparations to be paid by Germany are not looked upon favourably by a country that has been so devastated by the worst war in history.

In the general election of 1919, the right-wing Bloc National coalition was returned with a huge majority, gaining about 75 per cent of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The new government is determined to enforce the terms of Versailles to the letter and to rearm to such an extent that France is never again in danger of being invaded. Apparent willingness to compromise on reparations issues causes Aristide Briand to be replaced as premier by the more militant Raymond Poincaré in 1921, and in January 1923 French and Belgian troops march into the Ruhr after Germany repeatedly defaults on reparation payments, taking control of the heavy industry which is Germany's lifeblood. After Germany agrees to the revised Dawes Plan for reparation payments in the following year the French withdraw. However, the cost of the Ruhr occupation causes an increase in French taxes and sours relations with Britain and the United States, and in the 1924 elections Poincaré is defeated by Édouard Herriot's left-wing Cartel des Gauches coalition. However, the franc starts to collapse and after seeing seven cabinets in two years the Cartel is overthrown by Poincaré again in 1926. Winning the confidence of the financiers, slashing government expenditure and increasing taxes, Poincaré succeeds by 1928 in stabilising the currency once more, albeit at only one-fifth of its pre-war value. Poincaré is popular, largely due to this 'saving' of the franc, and retains power until ill-health forces his resignation in 1929.

Relations with Germany steadily improve after the Ruhr occupation, largely due to the efforts of Briand, who is appointed foreign minister by the Cartel in 1925 and is retained in that post by Poincaré. He struggles for a policy of collective security, disarmament and co-operation with like-minded Germans, is a great advocate of the League of Nations and finds a ready ally in his German counterpart Gustav Stresemann. Under the Locarno Pact of 1925, France and Germany agree not to use force to settle border disputes.

The French working classes feel alienated by a series of governments that do not appear interested in social reforms. The trades unions become increasingly powerful, but the creation of the Communist Party in 1920 splits the Socialists and there is little unity among the left. Communism however, initially a popular movement, loses support throughout the 1920s as Moscow makes increasing demands and by the end of the decade the Socialists have become more unified again.

France is still a largely rural, agricultural country, with 35-45 per cent of the working population employed in agriculture. Even outside agriculture, small businesses and factories dominate the economy. Heavy industry has never taken hold in the country to the extent it has in Britain or Germany. This is changing, but the pace of change is slow. There are periods of prosperity in the 1920s, but also periods of hardship, with the franc facing considerable devaluation. There is not, however, a vast amount of popular unrest in the decade, and the majority of Frenchmen look ahead with confidence to a brighter future. The French Empire, the second largest in the world, is larger than ever with the addition of the League of Nations mandated territories in the Middle East, and France remains one of the world's most powerful nations.