WI: Communism in France

So lets take a scenario here. The United States never enters the war and WWI continues on until 1919 when finally the French mutinies that have dotted the war reach a new and full scale level, essentially couping the government. Philippe Pétain, who supports the coup in the end, takes up the reigns of government as France's new leader. He manages to declare peace and the situation at home settles for a short while.

Then on December 25, 1920 the so called 'Christmas Revolution' breaks out after crackdowns following a bombing of Pétain's Christmas celebration, killing the French leader. With martial law being declared, intense authoritarian laws go into play and several shooting incidents breaking out by troops loyal to the now dead Pétain. When the laws are not let up by the following spring people are getting restless. Finally many unions decide to ally themselves with French anarcho-syndicalist groups and declare a general strike. The troops are ordered in by the government to break up the strikes but they refuse to fire on the civilians and some even join the ranks of the protesters. Soon a full scale civil war breaks out in France. The civil war lasts two years but by 1923 the loyalists (pro-Pétain) have been defeated by the revolutionaries.

Where does France, Europe, and the world go from here? Is an anarcho-syndicalist government established in Paris, or does a more Marxian, Soviet style government come into play? Will two successful communist revolutions now trigger more, in say, Germany, Italy, Spain, or even Britain? How will this effect the cold war in the long run?
 
I think a more interesting PoD would be 1936 - what if the French Popular Front went the way of the Spanish Popular Front? Perhaps Blum has more support for New Deal/Swedish-style policies and intervention in Spain, France pulls out of the Great Depression ahead of schedule, the Republicans gain the upper hand in the Civil War (or maybe the Civil War happens in France instead of Spain?), and then we're set up for a different WWII.

EDIT:

Sorry, should explain more. Anarcho-syndicalism is incredibly strong in France, which makes a Soviet-style government really unlikely. Dirigisme plus a more Stockholm school economic policy is about as far as things are likely to go.

In terms of the Cold War, hard to say. It may well be that with their Western allies as socialists, the U.S will emphasize totalitarianism rather than Communism as the enemy, and do more 'Titoizations.'
 
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It is impossible to say much about the international situation if you give no hint at the peace in 1919. Is it a compromise peace? Versailles? Harsher than Versailles?
I won't even talk about the consequences of a CP victory.

A French Civil War means a very much stronger position for Germany, whatever the peace was like...I assume here, that before the outbreak of the Civil War, a copy of Versailles is being enforced. BUT - without American intervention and France in a 3-year-struggle to the death, I also assume a very weakened Britain... Germany would by 1923 probably have

- occupied the DMZ
- re-armed
- settled its issues with Poland
- unified with Austria
- maybe enforced concessions from Prague

Basically, there could be a Weimar Germany in 1923 with the borders of OTL-1939. There could be anything.

If you really want to fuck up the situation, Germany might intervene in the French Civil War to regain Alsace.

Concerning French influence on Germany, a QUICK Communist Revolution in Paris could do a lot, but the civil war scenario will make it too late to support violent communist overthrow in Germany. That time window would probably have been closed by then.

Besides, you have to take into account that one more year of WW1 plus Three Years of Ideological Civil War will turn France into a wreck. If not a second rate power forever, it will take decades to recover! It might even lose parts of the empire due to unrest there! Maybe an earlier Indochina war.

And now, come on. You cannot assume a similar to OTL Cold War with such a huge POD in 1918/23! There will not even be a recognizable WW2, but probably very different conflicts.
 
Well really the idea was broad but I'd assume that with a French mutiny in the name of peace Germany has the upper hands in a negotiation. Likely, I'd say, it would end up beneficial for Germany as there is no one left to attack them.
 

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Well really the idea was broad but I'd assume that with a French mutiny in the name of peace Germany has the upper hands in a negotiation. Likely, I'd say, it would end up beneficial for Germany as there is no one left to attack them.
If France collapses as a result of a failed WW1 and goes extreme left there are as you stated two distinct possibilities: Soviet- Communism or Syndicalism. It all depend on Russia, if Russia goes as OTL, Paris and Moscow will come closer and France would probably adapt a system that's close to the Russian one. of course both Russia and France would probably influence each other, and some French influences could affect Russia.

On the other hand Russian Communism could fail due to WW1 butterflies, in that case Russian Marxism would be considered a failure and the French would definitely adopt Syndicalism.

One interesting consequence would also be that the French colonial empire definitely would collapse.
 
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