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The Popular Front was an alliance of left-wing political parties (the French Communist Party (PCF), the Socialist SFIO and the Radical and Socialist Party), which was in government in Third Republic France from 1936 to 1938.
The origins of the Popular Front
The Communist leader Maurice Thorez was the first to call for the formation of a "popular front", first in the Communist newspaper L'Humanité and subsequently in the Chamber of Deputies. The Radicals were at the time the largest party in the Chamber and were part of the governing right-wing coalition.
The Popular Front won the general election of May 3, 1936, with 376 seats out of 618. For the first time, the Socialists won more seats than the Radicals, and the Socialist leader Léon Blum became France's first Socialist Prime Minister. The first Popular Front cabinet consisted of twenty Socialists, thirteen Radicals and two Socialist Republicans (there were no Communist Ministers) and, for the first time, included three women (women were not able to vote in France at that time).
There are various reasons for the formation of the Popular Front and its subsequent electoral victory; they include economic crisis caused by the Great Depression, financial scandals and the instability of the Chamber elected in 1932 which had weakened the ruling parties, and the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany, the growth of violent far-right leagues in France, the Stavisky Affair and the anti-parliamentary riots in Paris of February 6, 1934, which had brought the left-wing parties together.
The Popular Front in government
Through the 1936 Matignon Accords, the Popular Front introduced new labor laws. It:
- enacted the law mandating 12 days (2 weeks) each year of paid vacations for workers
- enacted the law limiting the workweek to 40 hours (outside of overtime)
The Popular Front was actively fought by right-wing and far-right movements, which often used antisemitic slurs against Blum and other ministers.
Although Léon Blum, as the PCF, wanted to intervene to help the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), the Radicals opposed themselves to it, and threatened Blum to quit the government should he help them. Thus, non-intervention was decided, although Mussolini and Hitler didn't refrain from supporting Franco's troops.
Colonial policies of the Popular Front
Popular Front ministers
- Léon Blum, President of the Council
- Marx Dormoy, Minister of the Interior
- Léo Lagrange, under-secretary for leisure and sports
- Marius Moutet, Minister of Colonies
See also
1936 establishments | 1938 disestablishments | History of France | Contemporary French history | Politics of France | Socialist parties in France | Popular fronts
Volksfront | Frente Popular (Francia) | Front populaire | 人民戦線
"Popular Front (France)"