Posted on 07/02/2006 4:56:23 PM PDT by Nextrush
For many people including humanists who worhsipped France as a "modern secular state", the sudden fall of that nation to the Nazis came as a shock.
When the German blitzkrieg took out France in little more than a month, many asked why.
Treason from the Right was a common theme from liberals. France's conservative government was unwilling to fight Nazis as much as Communists and put many of them in jail when the war began in 1939.
Historian-Journalist William L. Shirer also took note that the Left was unwilling to fight too because they were sympathetic to the Soviets, then allied with the Nazis.
Add in the standard anti-war, pacifist propaganda that prevailed in the 1930's and the will to fight was sucked out of France.
Regardless superior Nazi tank tactics and air forces probably made a big difference too.
After the Nazis were booted out by the Allies in 1944, France began to rebuild itself but the old familiar political pattern emerged. Small left and right political factions competed for power and many coalition governments were formed.
France faced challenges even as it tried to rebuild its prestige in the world. Its colonies were swept by so called "nationalist" rebellions.
In Indochina, Communist Ho Chi Minh was sucessful with Red Chinese-Soviet support in forcing the French out of Indochina in 1955.
North Vietnam became a Communist country while new independent states were established in Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam which soon came under Communist attack.
Now the French confronted a rebellion in Algeria. Violence was being fomented by outside aid from Egypt where the Nasser regieme launched propaganda campaigns aginst both Israel and "colonialism."
In January 1956 the French elections were as fractured as ever with new factions like the Poujadists coming to the force. Poujadists were patriotic Frenchmen who wanted to keep Algeria a French colony. (They would later evolve into the National Front of Jean Marie LePen)
France's new coalition government was led by Socialist Guy Mollet who looked for a solution to Algeria.
He planned negotiations on the future of Algeria but could not act in the face of Egyptian agitation and propaganda, including arms supplies to the Algerian rebels.
Egyptian Colonel Abdel Gamal Nasser came to power in 1952 leading a "young military officers" coup against pro-Western King Farouk. He was too labeled as a "nationalist." (His coup the first of many such coups in the Middle East of "young military officers" like Quadaffi in Libya and Saddam Hussein in Iraq)
By 1955 Nasser was drawing closer to the Soviet Union and Soviet weapons started pouring into Egypt. Soviet "advisors" came along with Egyptians going to Eastern Europe for military training.
The Mig Jet fighters and Illyushin bombers would give Egypt military superiority over Israel. Taking notice the Israelis were afraid.
In September 1955 a young Israeli defense official named Shimon Peres went to Paris to appeal for French military aid and offers of tanks, anti-tank guns and jet fighters were made to him by the French.
Early in 1956 France simultaneously tried diplomacy with Egypt while building up Israel to punish Egypt militarily if diplomacy failed.
Peres began more extenisve contacts with French officials to work out details of the arms deal which included training of Israelis in France and French trainers travelling to Israel.
Peres pointed out to French Foreign Minister Christian Pineau and and Defense Minister Maurice Bouges-Maunoury that Israel may be forced to fight but an Israeli victory over Egypt would weaken Nasser and help French diplomacy over Algeria.
As the year wore on an diplomacy with Egypt turned into a stalemate, France drew up lists of weapons sales to Israel. They had one list to share with NATO allies and a secret list of additional tanks, jet fighters, etc. that would be provided to Israel....
Next......Israel's fight for survival in 1956.....
First post was:
http://www.free republic/com/focus/fnews/1658589/posts
More to follow.
And ironically, our diplomatic ally during Suez was the Soviet Union!
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