Suppose that the police are overwhelmed by the rioting paramilitary groups, leading to mass police casualties and the capture of the Chamber of Deputies. If a military junta then took control to reestablish "law and order", what constitutional and economic reforms could they force to be adopted? Would a successor civilian government merely be a fig leaf for continued military control of the nation? Would Hitler's gamble to remilitarize the Rhineland blow up in his face?
Perhaps the most important aspect of a junta would be its effect on foreign relations. Publicly the governments of Britain and the United States would protest the suspension of civilian rule, but quietly they might be relieved to see an end to the constant procession of weak, short-lived governments that had plagued France since the late 20's. With the generals in charge at least they would not worry so much about the possibility of a communist takeover.