Challenge: Surviving French Union

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to make the French Union last to the present day with a POD after its foundation. Bonus points if it includes Vietnam.
 
Let's see now.....

Since it's creator, the 4th French Republic wasn't all that stable, I'd say that the best way for the French Union to survive would be if these things happened.....

Have De Gaulle become President of the 4th French Republic. Rallying around a war hero would help strengthen France's shaky government.

Have him engage in certain government reforms that helped to stabilize it on a long term basis.

Have the Nationalists in China win the Chinese Civil War or at the very least, limit the Communists to Northern China in the aftermath. This might limit or eliminate support to the rebel groups in French Indochina and allow France to hold onto it and save face.

Increase the amount of financial aid to France in the aftermath of World War II to help ensure that it recovers faster.

Have the French make certain concessions to the natives throughout France's colonies that lead them to want the French to stay such as autonomy and development of their lands.

Have the French government play the whole "we're a bulwark against Communism" dogma in order to get additional U.S support which might be hard since the Communists were a significant factor in French politics at the time.


Even with all of this, I'm unsure if the French Union could have survived to the Present Day even without Vietnam as France was badly weakened by all of the fighting in World War II.
 

Archibald

Banned
In order to avoid the Indochina War you have to get ride of Thierry D'Argenlieu. An amiral in the french navy, based in Indochina, in 1946 he sabotaged negociations with Ho-Chi-Minh. In november 1946 he ordered shelling of Hanoi by the Suffren cruiser, an event which really marks the beginning of the war.

The Blum governement intented negociations with Ho Chi Minh mid-1946.

Early 1947 and after the shelling of Hanoi Leclerc was send to Indochina in a last ditch atempt to save peace, but of course it was too late.
(Leclerc was killed in the crash of its B-25 transport in Northern Africa in november 1947)
 
What plan?

Basivally, a free Vietnam within the french Union in the short terms and and a full independent indochina - with preferential links to France - in the medium terms, from what I remember.

Basically, Leclers said that a military solution would soon fail and a political negociation was necessary. He actually signed a treaty for the first part with Ho-Chi-Minh and advocated the second, IIRC.

Early 1947 and after the shelling of Hanoi Leclerc was send to Indochina in a last ditch atempt to save peace, but of course it was too late.


WHy, of course?

If Leclerc goes back and proposes full independence within french Union, effective immediately, with progressive passation of all power to the new country, do you think Viet-Minh would have refused?

Of course, there may have been a coup attempt by the plantation owners, but I think it would have been short-lived.
 
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