In order to understand what led to the collapse of the Fourth Republic, it is firstly necessary to look into its constitution, and highlight its weaknesses. Through the October 21, 1945 referendum, French citizens adopted a new constitution, promulgated on November 2nd 1945, which put an end to the Third Republic. Charles de Gaulle, chief of the Provisional Government of the French Republic (GPRF) since 1944, wished for a stronger executive but he was challenged by conservatives of the Third Republic on the one hand, and communists on the other hand. Consequently, he stepped down from the GPRF on January 20th 1946, leaving three equally-powerful parties (the French Section of the Workers' International, the Communist Party and the Popular Republican Movement) to manage the country. Under the Fourth Republic,
In order to understand what led to the collapse of the Fourth Republic, it is firstly necessary to look into its constitution, and highlight its weaknesses. Through the October 21, 1945 referendum, French citizens adopted a new constitution, promulgated on November 2nd 1945, which put an end to the Third Republic. Charles de Gaulle, chief of the Provisional Government of the French Republic (GPRF) since 1944, wished for a stronger executive but he was challenged by conservatives of the Third Republic on the one hand, and communists on the other hand. Consequently, he stepped down from the GPRF on January 20th 1946, leaving three equally-powerful parties (the French Section of the Workers' International, the Communist Party and the Popular Republican Movement) to manage the country. Under the Fourth Republic,