France Flashcards
after the events of WW1, what was France left with?
numerous problems
what were examples of the problems France faced post WW1?
-financial debt
-millions of death
what would the countries road to recovery be?
it would be long and difficult
what hampered any attempts to make radical change in the country?
political instability
was the country’s progress often too slow to keep up with international change?
yes
what did economic problems and social issues lead to?
the rise of extremist organisations
what did these extremist organisations seek to do?
they sought to make “France for the French”
how many French people died in the war?
1.4 million
how many were injured in the war?
4.2 million
what did the large number of deaths and injuries cause?
it caused the workforce in France to fall
what also contributed to France not having enough workers to achieve their desired goals?
a declining birth rate
what did France have to do as a result of the lack of workers?
they imported workers from colonies
what meant France’s economy was in decline and required radical change to fix?
a decline in international trade and mounting debt from wartime bonds
what did many of France’s allies from before WW1 no longer do?
they no longer sought to cooperate with France
when was the Treaty of Versailles signed?
1919
what did the signing of the Treaty of Versailles do?
it brought a formal end to the events of WW1
who was the Treaty particularly harsh to?
the Germans
what did the French demand the Germans do under Treaty of Versailles
“they repair the damage” done to the numerous towns and cities in France destroyed by German troops and artillery
what were the Germans forced to agree to under the Treaty?
-pay 6.6 billion in reparations
-reduce their military
-reduce territories
-sign a war guilt clause
what was the war guilt clause?
a clause which made Germany and its allies accept all responsibility for the events of WW1
why was the Treaty of Versailles significant? (2 reasons)
-as it formed the basis of French foreign policy in the period 1920-1939
-the reparations aided the reconstruction and recovery of France
what characterised French politics during the interwar period?
political instability
when did ‘Bloc National’ take control of the government in France?
1920
what was the ‘Bloc National’?
a coalition government between different parties
what caused the ‘Bloc National’ t collapse?
fighting within the party over key political decisions
what replaced the ‘Bloc National’?
the Cartel de Gauches
who was the ‘Cartel de Gauches’?
a coalition between radicals, socialists and the Catholic Church
what caused the ‘Cartel de Gauches’ to collapse?
the members could not agree on passing key legislation required for France’s recovery
what clear trend emerged in French politics?
that a partition or coalition would be elected but would quickly collapse
what did this trend lead to France having?
over 40 parties in power during the interwar period
what did France having over 40 parties in power over the interwar period mean?
progress in parliament was slow and rarely drastic enough to be significant
where did France fair better in restoring itself to pre-war conditions?
economically
what helped France to rebuild the destroyed French provinces in the east?
German reparations
by when was almost all of the damage in the east from WW1 repaired?
1928
where did much of France’s income come from?
international trade
what was in decline after WW1?
international trade
when did international trade all but stop?
during the Great Depression of the 1930s
what did the reliance on foreign trade to bolster the economy do?
made France weak and susceptible to other countries economic declines
what was one of the greatest challenges facing France during this period?
their decline in political alliances internationally
what did the US refuse to do?
refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles
what did Britain not want to do?
did not want to be drawn into conflicts in Europe
what was Britains relationship with France like?
they were a strong allies
what was Russias relationship with France?
they were strong allies
when did France’s relationship with Russia decline?
after the 1917 October Revolutions
what was Russia’s new communist government suspicious of?
France
what were the French suspicious of?
communism
who did France from allies with? (countries surrounding Germany)
-Bulgaria
-Poland
-Czechoslovakia
-Romania
why did France form these new alliances with countries around Germany?
to prevent Germany from expanding its empire
what was France forming these new alliances known as?
the “Little Entente”
was these new alliances effective in deferring Germany?
no they were inefficient in doing so
why were these alliances inefficient in deferring Germany
as none of the allied nations had a strong enough military to pose a threat to Germany other than France
who did France see as their greatest threat?
Germany
what did Frances actions to prevent Germany from invading do?
it put a strain on the two nations’ relations
when did Germany default on their reparations?
1924
what happened when Germany defaulted on their reparations?
France and Belgium invaded the industrial Ruhr
why did France and Belgium invade the Ruhr?
to seize the natural resources until Germany paid their reparations
what did the invasion lead to?
-Dawes Plan
- a reduction in the reparations
what was the Locarno Treaty?
a treaty signed by Belgium, Germany and France which clearly defined the borders between the nations
what countries signed the Locarno Treaty?
Germany, France and Belgium
what further aided the relations between France and Germany?
the Kellog Briand Pact of 1928
why did the Kellog- Briand Pact further aid relations between Germany and France?
as over sixty nations, including France, Germany, the US and Britain, denounced “war as an instrument of foreign policy”
what shattered the idea of a peaceful Europe?
the rise of the nationalist, jingoistic Nazi party in 1933
what were the Nazi party?
openly anti-Versailles
what did the Nazis spread?
hatred towards the French
what compounded French fears in 1935/1936
Germany expanded their military and invaded the demilitarised Rhineland
who refused to act following Germanys remilitarisation and invasion of the Rhineland?
Britain
why did Britain refuse to act?
as they saw themselves and Germany as the “two buttresses against communism in Europe”
how did France seek to prevent a German invasion?
they assumed a heavily defensive foreign policy
what did France construct to prevent a German invasion?
the Maginot Line
what was the Maginot Line?
a series of fortifications along the eastern front of France to keep out any German attackers
what did the Maginot Line encourage (despite being effective)
it encouraged complacency amongst the French Army
what did the French Army not do as a result of this complacency?
they did not invest enough into alternate methods of defence
where did the Maginot line stop at?
the Ardennes forest (believed to be impassable)
what happened as a result of complacency and unpreparedness?
the German Army invaded France through the Ardennes forest in 1940
when did France surrender to Germany?
6 weeks later
