France, 1919–1932

Democracy · Republic · Western Europe · Interwar Years era

Interwar France, a victorious but demographically and financially strained republic 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.

Open France 1919–1932 in the interactive 3D atlas →

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 Power52
Media Control32
Repression35
Nationalism60
Militarization55
Economic Stress55
External Conflict55
Cult of Personality30
Elite Fragmentation60
Institutions62
Social Polarization58
Corruption & Patrimonialism42
Ideological Mobilization45
External Sovereignty95

Economy & society

GDP per capita$4500 (intl-$)
GDP growth+1.8%/yr
Population41.0M people
Share of world population2%
Urban share47%
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).

  1. India, 1947–1966 – similarity 87/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
  2. United States, 1968–1980 – similarity 87/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis, External Expansion
  3. France, 1870–1900 – similarity 86/100 · shared: Democratization, External Expansion
  4. United Kingdom, 1970–1979 – similarity 86/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
  5. France, 1900–1914 – similarity 82/100 · shared: Democratization, External Expansion
  6. United Kingdom, 1918–1931 – similarity 82/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
  7. United Kingdom, 2010–2016 – similarity 81/100 · shared: Democratization, Economic Crisis
  8. United States, 1789–1815 – similarity 80/100 · shared: Democratization

What followed

  • Continuity of the parliamentary republic.
  • Chronic cabinet instability and security anxiety.