The 1917 Crisis: Mutinies and Strikes

By 1917, war's accumulated suffering shattered the Sacred Union. The spring mutinies revealed military limits; civilian strikes exposed home front exhaustion. This double crisis nearly broke French resistance, forcing recognition that social transformation was not voluntary but essential for survival.

The mutinies, beginning after the Chemin des Dames disaster, spread through 54 divisions. These were not revolutionary uprisings but strikes—soldiers refusing suicidal attacks while maintaining defensive positions. Mutineers formed committees, presented demands: more leave, better food, no more "butchery." Their songs mixed revolutionary lyrics with patriotic themes.

Soldiers' demands reflected broader social grievances. They knew families suffered from inflation and shortages. Letters from home spoke of strikes, profiteering, and defeatism. The disconnect between propaganda's optimism and reality's grimness eroded trust in authority. Corporal Louis Barthas recorded: "We're told we fight for civilization while our families starve. We see war profiteers growing rich on our blood. The injustice burns worse than German gas."

Civilian strikes paralleled military mutinies. Beginning with Parisian midinettes (seamstresses) in January, unrest spread to munitions workers, then transport and services. May-June 1917 saw 100,000 workers simultaneously on strike in Paris region. Women led many strikes, demanding equal pay and shorter hours.

The strikes revealed accumulated grievances: wages lagged inflation by 50%, working conditions deteriorated, food shortages worsened. But deeper issues emerged—workers questioned why they sacrificed while employers profited. Class consciousness, suppressed by patriotism, reasserted itself. Revolutionary rhetoric appeared on factory walls: "Down with war! Long live the International!"

Government response mixed repression with reform. Strike leaders faced arrest or conscription. Troops occupied factories. Yet authorities recognized legitimate grievances. Wages increased 15-20%. The eight-hour day was promised postwar. Women received (largely unfulfilled) equal pay pledges. Minister of Armaments Albert Thomas, a socialist, mediated between workers and employers.