Consideration on the Line of the "Front Populaire"

Abstract

So far, the Front Populaire has been generally analyzed as a model of the united front against fascism. This tendency has been particulary marked in the Japanese studies which are rising recently. Consequently, the political aspect of the movement has been made clear. On the contrary, the social and economic aspect hasn't been made clear sufficiently. But in reality, the desire for social reforms and economic recovery also formed the important aspect in this movement. The substance of the movement existed in the combination of "anti-fascist struggle" and "anti-crisis struggle". Therefore, the whole figure of thi-s movement ought to be grasped not only as anti-fascist struggle, but as anti-crisis struggle which implies the intention for social and economic reforms. For my part, I think that the significations and limits peculiar to the Front Populaire can be made clear only by the correlative and synthetic analysis of these two aspects. This article deals with these subjects through the examination of the lines of Communist, Socialist (S.F.I.O.), Radical-Socialist and the program of the Front Populaire. As a result of my analysis, I can confirm the following facts. 1. The signification of the Front Populaire, first of all, consists in the defense and development of democracy and at the same time in the conversion of the remedy for economic crisis which is liable to be neglected. 2. But this remedy had some defects also. That is; (1) The remedy of the Front Populaire, which has been called "France's New Deal", believed that recovery can be realized by the reform of distribution (=the increase of consumption) alone. (2) France's New Deal wasn't accompanied with the conversion of the monetary and financial policy. (3) It regarded the structure of the french economy as healthy, owing to the lack of structural analysis. 3. These defects were influenced directly or indirectly with the proper historical character of the French middle class (its participation in the political movement and nonparticipation in the movement of social and economic reform). 4. The Front Populaire was supported with the reminisence of the French Revolution which penetrated into French society. This character of the Front Populaire was effective in the struggle with Dolitical crisis, but inefective in the struggle with economic crisis.