France, 1919–1932
Democracy · Republic · Western Europe · Interwar Years era
Interwar France, a republic on the winning side of 1918 but demographically and financially strained, seeking security against Germany through alliances and the Maginot line.
Victorious but drained by the war, interwar France sought security against a larger Germany through alliances, reparations enforcement and fixed defenses. The Third Republic’s parliamentary system produced frequent, short-lived cabinets even as the underlying regime endured. Financial instability and, later, the Depression strained politics and society.
Dominant patterns
- Democratization
- Economic Crisis
- External Expansion
Political-science factor profile
Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).
| Centralization of Power | 52 |
| Media Control | 32 |
| Repression | 35 |
| Nationalism | 60 |
| Militarization | 55 |
| Economic Stress | 55 |
| External Conflict | 55 |
| Cult of Personality | 30 |
| Elite Fragmentation | 60 |
| Institutions | 62 |
| Social Polarization | 58 |
| Corruption & Patrimonialism | 42 |
| Ideological Mobilization | 45 |
| External Sovereignty | 95 |
Economy & society
| GDP per capita | $4500 (intl-$) |
| GDP growth | +1.8%/yr |
| Population | 41.0M people |
| Share of world population | 2% |
| Urban share | 47% |
| Life expectancy | 54.4 years |
| Territory | ~550k km² |
| Capital population | ~2.9M |
Closest historical twins
The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles France 1919–1932, by similarity score (0–100).
- India, 1947–1966 – similarity 87/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
- United States, 1968–1980 – similarity 87/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis, External Expansion
- France, 1870–1900 – similarity 86/100 · shared: Democratization, External Expansion
- United Kingdom, 1970–1979 – similarity 86/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
- France, 1900–1914 – similarity 82/100 · shared: Democratization, External Expansion
- United Kingdom, 1918–1931 – similarity 82/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
- United Kingdom, 2010–2016 – similarity 81/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
- United States, 1789–1815 – similarity 80/100 · shared: Democratization
What followed
- Continuity of the parliamentary republic.
- Chronic cabinet instability and security anxiety.