Political Paralysis

French politics in these final years showed democratic dysfunction. Governments fell with increasing rapidity—eleven different ministries between 1909 and 1914. The Caillaux scandal paralyzed politics just when decisive leadership was needed. Parliamentary debates degenerated into shouting matches. The very democratic institutions the Belle Époque had celebrated seemed incapable of managing crisis.

Raymond Poincaré's election as President in 1913 brought a strong nationalist to the Élysée Palace. His state visit to Russia in July 1914, reinforcing the alliance that would drag France into war, showed diplomatic rigidity. The alliance system, meant to preserve peace through balance, instead created automatic war through interlocking commitments.

The three-year military service law debates revealed deep divisions. Socialists opposed militarism; nationalists demanded preparedness. Jean Jaurès led massive demonstrations against the law, arguing it would provoke the war it claimed to prevent. The law passed, but implementation proved difficult. Young men who would enthusiastically volunteer in August 1914 resisted conscription months earlier.

Colonial tensions added complexity. The Moroccan crises required military resources. Indigenous protests in Algeria demanded attention. The empire that had seemed to strengthen France now dispersed its forces and attention. The civilizing mission rang hollow as Europe prepared to destroy its own civilization.