Bonniecanuck
DIEF WILL BE THE CHIEF AGAIN
- Location
- Formerly Hong Kong, currently London
- Pronouns
- she/her + they/them
February 6, 1934, was probably the closest the French Third Republic had come to falling during the interwar period. After a series of scandals and crises, combined with the onset of the Great Depression, thousands joined the ranks of nationalist political leagues which generally shared a contempt of parliamentary government. This culminated in a large-scale protest which devolved into a riot, and led to the formation of a more right-leaning government and, in the long run, rapprochement between the socialists and communists as a prelude to the Popular Front government of 1936.
However, although generally lumped together as a far-right bloc, the leagues were by no means unified or cohesive in organisation or ideology, running the gamut from monarchists (Action Française) to populist authoritarians (Croix-de-Feu, Jeunesses Patriotes) to outright fascists (Mouvement Franciste) and then some. They were also hardly in any position to overthrow (or at least take over) the Republic for themselves, part of which has been attributed to François de La Rocque, the leader of the Croix-de-Feu, who despite being pressured by his supporters refused to let his organisation join the other leagues in engaging in violence.
So let's make the assumption that the institutions of the Republic cave and an extremely loose coalition of the leagues takes over. It's probably unlikely that such an alliance can translate into a stable government because they vary so wildly ideologically, so they'd probably try to consolidate power themselves or with fairly likeminded groups. But which would be in the best position to take power for themselves? The Croix-de-Feu hadn't yet reached the peak of its power, and were quite factionalised through their large membership. Action Française had been condemned by the Catholic Church, so would have been at odds gaining the favour of the more religious and socially conservative segments of the body politic.
So assuming a scenario where the leagues manage to fend off threats to their new establishment not only from the republican mainstream but also from the left, leaving no threats to consolidate their power, which of the leagues would be the likeliest to have the greatest ability to shape France in their image?
However, although generally lumped together as a far-right bloc, the leagues were by no means unified or cohesive in organisation or ideology, running the gamut from monarchists (Action Française) to populist authoritarians (Croix-de-Feu, Jeunesses Patriotes) to outright fascists (Mouvement Franciste) and then some. They were also hardly in any position to overthrow (or at least take over) the Republic for themselves, part of which has been attributed to François de La Rocque, the leader of the Croix-de-Feu, who despite being pressured by his supporters refused to let his organisation join the other leagues in engaging in violence.
So let's make the assumption that the institutions of the Republic cave and an extremely loose coalition of the leagues takes over. It's probably unlikely that such an alliance can translate into a stable government because they vary so wildly ideologically, so they'd probably try to consolidate power themselves or with fairly likeminded groups. But which would be in the best position to take power for themselves? The Croix-de-Feu hadn't yet reached the peak of its power, and were quite factionalised through their large membership. Action Française had been condemned by the Catholic Church, so would have been at odds gaining the favour of the more religious and socially conservative segments of the body politic.
So assuming a scenario where the leagues manage to fend off threats to their new establishment not only from the republican mainstream but also from the left, leaving no threats to consolidate their power, which of the leagues would be the likeliest to have the greatest ability to shape France in their image?