Fourth Republic (1946 - 1958)

• Crises of the Fourth Republic

• 24 governments in 12 years
• Difficult for one party to gain an ascendancy over the others!
• Power invested in the parties due to 1946 constitution
• President was a weakened figure-head
• Led to continued gridlock and shifting coalitions

• But fundamental difficulties remained to be faced

• Reconstruction
• Cold War
• Decolonisation