Fear of another Indochina made the army resent the Fourth Republic’s political system
Evidence
Taking upon itself not only the burden of the fighting but also the severity, and sometimes the beastliness, of the repression, closely in touch with the anxieties of the French population of Algeria and the Muslim auxiliaries, haunted by fear of another Indo-China, another military reverse inflicted on its colours, the army, more than any other body, felt a growing resentment against a political system which was the embodiment of irresolution. — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 529
Categorization
- DEFINE: Horne’s summary of de Gaulle’s characterization of the army’s psychology — the defector-soldier complex central to understanding the war.
- XREF: connects to: Army disaffection extended into the Fourth Republic’s highest levels; Army disaffection and Fourth Republic decay were visible inside the state before 1958; The French bombing of Sakiet triggered the Fourth Republic’s collapse (+3 more)
Related
- Army disaffection and Fourth Republic decay were visible inside the state before 1958 (similarity 0.91)
- Army disaffection extended into the Fourth Republic’s highest levels (similarity 0.90)
- French protests against torture deepened the army’s contempt for the Fourth Republic (similarity 0.84)
- French military contempt and complacency blinded them to the coming revolt (similarity 0.80)
- Army morale collapsed because de Gaulle’s policies erased the soldiers’ sense of purpose (similarity 0.80)
- De Gaulle demanded total replacement of the Fourth Republic as his price for returning. (similarity 0.80)
- The army’s anti-Communist doctrine threatened French democracy by courting fascism (similarity 0.79)
- The French bombing of Sakiet triggered the Fourth Republic’s collapse (similarity 0.79)
- Army leaders conflated negotiation with betrayal, haunted by 1940 and Dien Bien Phu memories. (similarity 0.79)
Broader Connections
- French protests against torture deepened the army’s contempt for the Fourth Republic
#corroborates(0.70) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 735 - Army morale collapsed because de Gaulle’s policies erased the soldiers’ sense of purpose
#complicates(0.50) — Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Algeria 1954-1962, 1295