Economic Mobilization Begins

The illusion of short war shattered, France faced economic transformation. Peacetime production shifted to military needs. The Renault automobile factory began producing trucks, then shells, then tanks. Chemical plants previously making dyes now manufactured explosives.

This transformation required new workers. With men mobilized, women and colonial workers filled gaps. Vietnamese laborers arrived to work in munitions plants. Spanish and Portuguese immigrants, fleeing poverty, found employment in French factories. The workforce internationalized by necessity.

Industrial relations changed dramatically. The Sacred Union suspended strikes, unions cooperating with management for national defense. Socialist leaders like Albert Thomas joined government, managing war production. Class conflict, though not eliminated, submerged beneath patriotic unity.