I'm hoping we go with the Radical policy for the Rhineland Crisis and Foreign policy, PRD for the domestic issues and the SFIO for the Internal Crisis.
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
As a Radical voter I would prefer to avoid giving SFIO a big say in the future government, they are far too close to the PCF, and the free market is the only way to ensure general prosperity. Nonetheless they are moderates and can be used to ensure a certain stability, but I wouldn't know if they are trustworthy, I still remember Frossard and his Bolshevism, and although for now they remain loyal to the Republic, they could become hostages of their own extremism.
We should try to solidify our position within the cabinet thanks to the PRD support. Personally, I doubt that this new cabinet will last four years. Perhaps, afterwards, the French people will reckon the dangers of voting political extremism, and thus they will return to voting moderate policies and postures. Dieppe and the Great War seem to have destroyed the trust of the French population on our party, and whence we must regain their confidence.
Would the radical party submit to working with the AF? That way, we can push the SFIO out of the government and have a more right wing parliament.
Election of 1921
In the backdrop of a diplomatic crisis over the future of the Rhineland and revolutionary social upheaval at home France went to the polls in 1921 following the collapse of the right wing government that had controlled the National Assembly since the end of the war.
The big story of the election was the rise of the Radical Party from the grave. Having dominated French politics in the decade after the turn of the century the Radicals were all but tossed into oblivion in 1914 – winning just 20 seats (losing 242 in the process), in 1918, as part of the National Block, the party increased its share to a still paltry 24. None their share of the Assembly was still enough to bring down the coalition, their rebellion ending the governmental majority in 1921. Positioning themselves as a moderate alternative to the workers' parties that still looked to address social inequality whilst having a less belligerent foreign policy the party rose again. Winning an impressive 126 seats, making greater gains that any other party, the Radicals were now the joint second largest party in the Assembly. The other party to meet with major success was the SFIO. After its own electoral disaster in 1918 when its right wing platform saw it win just 34 seats the SFIO returned leftward, growing closer to its traditional core vote, having more than doubled its share of the assembly in late 1920 as members of the Radical Left who did not accept the 21 Conditions of Comintern membership rejoined the party, the SFIO successfully made not insignificant gains on the PCF. In spite of the loss of 53 deputies prior to the election (those members of the Radical Left who did not wish to reconstitute as the Communist Party) the PCF went into the 1921 election by far the single largest grouping. Despite some minor losses – the SFIO making some hard fought gains in the party's working class heartlands – the Communists remained the largest force in the Assembly. On the right the PRD, having been the dominant force of French government since 1914, suffered catastrophe as it lost more than 2/3s of its deputies to become the smallest party of the Assembly with just over ½ of the representation of Action Francaise. The far-right Monarchist group made minor gains as it had a slight rebound in support following a poor showing in 1918.
The main trend of the election was a shift towards the left of centres parties. The SFIO fighitng tooth and nail to re-establish itself as a major force – having to compete with a powerful Communist Party and the Radicals achieving a great comeback from obscurity themselves at the expense of right wing PRD. These two main victors also became the most important constituent parts of the new French government – the SFIO and Radicals were also joined by the PRD in a grand coalition of 'constitutional parties' (ie those parties that had no desire to alter the fundamental institutions of the Third Republic), the new government having a 21 seat majority.
(Right - Prime Minister Herriot, Left – President Juares)
With both the SFIO and Radicals having the exact same number of seats the question of who should lead the new government was not entirely clear. However, the inclusion of the fiercely anti-socialist PRD in the coalition gave the Radicals a tactical advantage. Quickly after the deal amongst the parties was made the leader of the Radical Party, Eduoard Herriot, was made Prime Minister. Meanwhile, having held the position for 8 years, Poincare had resigned as President following the collapse of his government and the humiliation of his party at the polls. This meant that a new President would have to be elected for the first time since 1913. In the Third Republic French Presidents were elected by the deputies of the National Assembly. Having secured an agreement with its coalition partners that the Prime Ministership would be the most powerful position in the new government the Radicals agreed not to compete in the Presidential election. However, the PRD was not willing to immediately give its backing to the SFIO candidate and instead attempted to lure Radical deputies into supporting their man. With the Communists, SFIO, PRD and AF all proposing their own candidates the Communsits achieved the highest vote in the first round with the SFIO candidate narrowly finishing ahead of the 3rd place PRD. In the second round of voting the SFIO candidate received a clear majority, the PRD pulling their man out of the race after perhaps misplaced fears that the leftists might decide to put their weight behind a single candidate in the second round.
The new President of France was none other the Jean Juares – the famed pacifist who spent the war in prison for his outspoken opposition to the slaughter. Having been radicalised by his oppressive treatment by the government, the betrayal of his own party (the SFIO), the horrors of the war and the hope created by the Russian Revolution he emerged in 1918 as a firebrand radical and quickly moved to join the Radical Left. After being elected as a Radical Left deputy in 1918 he quickly became disillusioned with the Russian Revolution, distressed by reports coming from the East, and was amongst the opponents of any form of violent insurrection during the troubles of 1920. After the transformation of the Radical Left into the Communist Party he was amongst the most prominent members to cross over back to the SFIO. Having returned far closer to his pre-war politics by 1921 he remained a controversial figure within the SFIO with many questioning just how far he had come since his Communist sympathising days and others how far since since his time on the hard right of the party. None the less he was a popular figure both internationally and domestically for his principled pacifism when all around him were driving the world to war, this anti-establishmentarianism allowed the new government to make a clear break from its predecessor and appeal to radicals on the left, most of whom were radicalised at the same time and by many of the same or similar experiences as Juares himself.
, Jaurès is the president
If he was the spanish twin he'd probably be Jean Jaurés.
Anyway, great update. We'll see how long will this coalition last.
There's still time to mend your ways! Do not give into those warmongering Germans, the Rhineland is French!
If that happened, the SFIO would be forced into a coalition with the PFC and they'll have a mayority.
Nope they wouldn't. SFIO-PCF Coalition would have 294 seats of 301 required for a majority, and back in the 20's the Popular Front strategy had yet to be adopted by the comintern. However the Radicals would never work again with the AF to reconstruct the old BN+AF coalition. It was the rebellion of the Radical congressmen of the BN, and they were only 24, that caused the collapse of the last government. Now the radicals have 126 deputies and the more rightist PRD lost a lot of support, so there's no way the old government can be formed again.
Yeah. The Popular Front strategy - ie that all anti-fascist forces should gather together in a single group and not criticise eachother (that is a very important distincition in that strategy from other concepts anti-fascist concepts) - only came about as a reaction to the rise of fascism as a direct threat to the Soviet Union, and also to the excesses of the Comintern Third Period. Remember that Communist Party policies are to a large extent dictated by the interests of the Soviet Union. So if the Russians start to normalise relations with European countries (IRL this didn't happen to a great extent until the Western countries started to rely upon the Soviets as a counter to the rise of the Nazis in the 30s) then you can expect the CP to be more open to alliances.
It was the Radicals who bailed on the right wing coalition, so they would be rather less willing to remake it - even if they got the chance to replace the PRD as the driving force behind it. Its also hard to see AF working well with a Radical led government.
I haven't had a chance to play the next part or even think much about what I'll have happen. So we might not see the update until Sunday.
Is there risk the PCF and AF start a civil war? I mean, AF militia was harassing leftists, and now SFIO and the Radicals are in the government.
Civil war would hurt the French nation in a time where the Germans and British are looking hungrily at our rightful territorial expansion. As long as the socialists are kept in check, the AF will not revolt against the government.
The Action Française should be outlawed immediately! Are we expected to forget all their crimes against democracy, the violence caused by their government-supported militias? The AF militia did all the government's dirty work, and this is being completely ignored. The Action Française has no place in a modern and advanced democracy such as ours.
Hi I am knew to the site, any issues if I joined? This seems to be pretty interesting.
Great! I was wondering, with the growing partisan fighting on the streets "The Commune(s?)", paramilitary groups for the AF and the PFC, and what I imagine the continued conservatism of the Right, to see a Spanish Civil War like scenario where the Far-Left wins the election with a descisve magority sparking a civil war between the military and the democratically elected communists.