WEEKLY SUMMARY SPECIAL REPORT DE GAULLE AND THE FIFTH REPUBLIC, 1958-1968

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-00927A006800030002-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 4, 2005
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: December 20, 1968
• Content Type: SUMMARY

Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP79-00927A006808KOre
DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
WEEKLY SUMMARY
Special Report
De Gaulle and the Fifth Republic, 1958-1968
Secret
N2 43
20 December 1968
No. 0052/68A
Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP79-00927A006800030002-5
25X1 Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP79-00927A006800030002-5
Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP79-00927A006800030002-5
Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP79-00927A006800030002-5
SECRET
DE GAULLE AND THE FIFTH REPUBLIC, 1958 - 1968
The domestic crises that shook France during 1968
have revealed strengths as well as weaknesses in the
institutions of the Fifth Republic. Although the May
upheaval was comparable in scope to a number of past
national crises that toppled the men in power and led
to new constitutions, both the Gaullists and the Fifth
Republic survived the storm. Even if the present so-
cial discontent spirals into a new crisis serious
enough to prompt De Gaulle to resign, it is likely
that the governmental structure--a strong presidential
system--established by De Gaulle and his followers a
decade ago will last into a post-Gaullist era.
The constitution of the Fifth Republic gives the
president authority to act decisively in the realm of
foreign policy. Under De Gaulle, the internal polit-
ical checks on presidential powers have been virtually
eliminated, and only external factors--events in the
international sphere--have placed limits on the pres-
ident's actions. De Gaulle's foreign policy represents
less of a break with the past than the style of Gaullist
diplomacy might indicate. In some instances, however,
De Gaulle has taken advantages of changes in the inter-
national situation to make abrupt policy departures.
Above all, he has left a unique imprint on all French
policies--new and old--because of his style and his
philosophical approach.
De Gaulle and the Transformation
of the French Political System
General de Gaulle has played
a direct and decisive role in re-
stricting the French political
system to shift primary power to
the office of the president.
When, in May 1958, the National
Assembly invested De Gaulle as
premier and entrusted him with
special powers to deal with the
Algerian crisis, it also gave
him a mandate to draft a new con-
stitution and submit it to the
people of France for their ap-
proval within six months. Unlike
the constitution of the Fourth
Republic, which was the product
of public debate, the new docu-
ment was drafted behind closed
doors by a small group of men
seeking to embody De Gaulle's
political ideals.
The primary goal of these
Gaullists was to rectify the
obvious defects of the unique
form of parliamentary democracy
that had become entrenched in
SECRET
Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP79-00927A006800030002-5
Page 1 SPECIAL REPORT 20 Dec 68
SECRET
Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP79-00927A006800030002-5
KEY EVENTS UNDER THE FIFTH REPUBLIC
1958 May Military revolt in Algeria paves way for collapse of Fourth Republic and accession of
De Gaulle to power
October Adoption of a new constitution establishes the Fifth Republic
1960 February Successful test shots in the Sahara confirm French progress in nuclear research and
development
1962 March Evian agreement grants independence to Algeria after seven-year war
1963 January Franco-German Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation highlights French desire to
achieve independent European grouping within the Atlantic Alliance
1964 January France recognizes Communist China
1965 July Beginning of seven-month French boycott of European community bodies in op-
position to proposals to "democratize" the communities
December De Gaulle re-elected president by small margin for another seven-year term
1966 March France withdraws from the military organization of NATO and orders all foreign
troops and facilities from French soil
1967 March National Assembly elections assure Gaullists a small working?although not formal?
majority
November
1968 3 May
France again refuses to enter into immediate negotiations on British entry into the
Common Market
Student confrontation with police at the Sorbonne leads to ten days of street
fighting?initially students win widespread public sympathy
12 May Communist and non-Communist labor unions join in 24-hour sympathy strike
14-22 May Wildcat strikes sweep the country bringing economy to a halt?more than half of the
French workers on strike
24 May - De Gaulle's radio and TV call for a referendum on reform fails to restore order
30 May De Gaulle dissolves Assembly and calls for new elections?a turning point toward
restoration of order
7-16 June Workers gradually return to work and government takes control of universities
23 and 30 Gaullist pai-ty, taking advantage of reaction against disorder and fears of a Commu-
June nist takeover, wins massive election majority-296 seats
10 July TDe Gaulle, in a surprise move, replaces Georges Pompidou with Maurice Couve de
Murvil le as prime minister
September-1 Government debates and passes major educational reform bill
October
November !Government meets financial crisis by refusing to devalue franc and imposing eco-
nomic austerity measures
December !Student and labor unrest continues
Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP79-00927A006800030002-5
SECRET
25X1
Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP79-00927A006800030002-5
SECRET
France in the late nineteenth
century and had continued with
only slight modification until
the crisis of 1958. The primary
problem was to find a solution
to the Third and Fourth Republics'
most serious flaw: ministerial
instability--frequent changes of
the government resulting from
crumbling coalitions and a loss
of a majority in the National
Assembly. Between 1876, when
the Third Republic took its final
political form, and 1958, when
the Fourth Republic collapsed,
there were 119 ministerial crises,
24 of which occurred during the
12 years of the Fourth Republic.
Chronic governmental in-
stability affected the manner in
which French premiers fulfilled
their tasks. Because these men
were almost certain that they
would not be in office for any
extended period of time, they
tended to concentrate on immedi-
ate problems rather than on long-
range questions of domestic and
foreign policy. The essential
task of the cabinet was less to
make decisions on the major issues
confronting France than to defend
itself against attacks of the
elected parliamentarians. The
more serious the problems con-
fronting France, the more the
govermental system acted as a
brake on effective action.
Ministerial instability be-
came an indicator of the gravity
of the issues facing France. The
average duration of a ministry
during the Third and Fourth Re-
publics was one year and five
months. Between 1918 and 1940,
when France was confronted with
the Great Depression and the tri-
umph of fascism in Italy and Ger-
many, ministerial crises occurred
on an average of every six months.
Following the Second World War,
faced with the challenge of So-
viet Communism and the crises
of decolonization, the average
life of a ministry was six months.
The most acute problem of decol-
onization was Algeria, and as
the Algerian crisis increased in
intensity, so also did government
instability: in the year immedi-
ately preceding the collapse of
the Fourth Republic there was a
new government every three to
four months. Thus, at precisely
those moments in history when
France was most in need of
decisive leadership, the govern-
mental system proved least ef-
fective in solving the nation's
problems.
With this history in mind,
De Gaulle and his followers moved
to design a new political system
that would reduce ministerial
instability, strengthen the au-
thority of the executive, improve
the efficiency of the decision-
making processes of government,
and provide the executive with
reserve authority to deal with
national emergencies like those
of 1940 and 1958--and 1968.
The most fundamental change
that the Fifth Republic's polit-
ical system instituted was the
shift in power from the National
Assembly to the President of the
Republic. Under the Fourth Re-
public, both the premier, who
was the effective chief executive,
and the president, a ceremonial
head of state, were chosen by the
National Assembly. Under the
Fifth Republic, the Assembly's
SECRET
Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP79-00927A006800030002-5
Page 3 SPECIAL REPORT 20 Dec 68
Approved For Release 2005/03/16 : CIA-RDP79-00927A006800030002-5
SECRET
Av age Tenure
Rene Waldeck-Rousseau
RADICA PARTY
Ay/age Tenure
iGuy Mollet
SOCI4LIST PARTY
Av age Tenure
Georges Pompidou
party
III
1
Years
2 3
4
5
Third Republic, 1876-1940
Fourth Republic, 1946-1958
Fifth Republc, 1958-present
First
Term
1962
Second Term
Average Tenure
Longest tenure by single Prime Minister
*Three co inets in the Fourth Republic
lasted 2 eeks or less
-4-1F
Third
Term**
1967
**Pompidou's third term was ended on
70 July 1968 by presidential decision.
'-