South France
French Democratic Republic République Démocratique Française (French) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1942–1999 | |||||||||
|
Anthem: "The Internationale" | |||||||||
| Status | Sovereign state | ||||||||
| Capital |
Lyon | ||||||||
| Largest city | Marseille | ||||||||
| Official languages |
Southern French Occitan, Provençal, Basque, Catalan, Romani | ||||||||
| Religion | See Religion in South France | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) |
| ||||||||
| Government |
Federal Marxist–Landonist one-party socialist republic (1997–1999) | ||||||||
| General Secretary | |||||||||
• 1938–1943[a] |
Gracchus Reynaud and Félix Ramadier[b] | ||||||||
• 1943–1969 | Pèire Jouhaux | ||||||||
• 1969–1985 | Marat Pagnol | ||||||||
• 1985–1994 | Jaures Lavelle | ||||||||
• 1994–1998 | Augièr Vallès and Audrey Bosco[c] | ||||||||
• 1998–1999 | René Hyppolite | ||||||||
| Head of State | |||||||||
• 1942–1954 (first) | Gracchus Reynaud | ||||||||
• 1999 (last) | Jules Sagan | ||||||||
| Head of Government | |||||||||
• 1942–1960 (first) | Félix Ramadier | ||||||||
• 1999 (last) | Jean Puertolas | ||||||||
| Legislature | Supreme Council of the Communes | ||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||
• Constitution adopted | 17 October 1942 | ||||||||
• Basic Treaty with the CRF | 6 June 1969 | ||||||||
• Admitted to the LN | 4 August 1970 | ||||||||
| 20 January 1998 | |||||||||
| 12 October 1999 | |||||||||
| 9 November 1999 | |||||||||
| Area | |||||||||
• Total | 286,860 km2 (110,760 sq mi) | ||||||||
| Population | |||||||||
• 1946 | 15,000,000 | ||||||||
• 1990 | 20,500,000 | ||||||||
• Density | 71.46/km2 (185.1/sq mi) | ||||||||
| GDP (PPP) | 1998 estimate | ||||||||
• Total | $545.52 billion | ||||||||
• Per capita | $24,573 | ||||||||
| HDI (1990 formula) |
0.903 very high | ||||||||
| Currency | South French franc | ||||||||
| Time zone | (UTC+1) | ||||||||
| Driving side | right | ||||||||
| Calling code | +34 | ||||||||
| Internet TLD | .df | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | France | ||||||||
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South France (French: Sud de la France; Occitan: Sud de França), officially the French Democratic Republic (FDR; French: République Démocratique Française, RDF; Occitan: Republica Democratica Francesa), was a country in Western Europe that existed from its formation on 17 October 1942 until its reunification with North France on 9 November 1999. Until 1998, it was generally viewed as a Landonist state, and it described itself as a socialist "workers' and peasants' state". Before its establishment, the country's territory was administered and occupied by joint-Landonist forces led by Italy, Iberia, and the United Commonwealth, and in cooperation with local communists, following the defeat of Derzhavist France in the Great War. South France was dominated by the Socialist Unity Party of France (PSUF), a communist party, from 1942 to 1998, before being democratized and liberalized under the impact of the January Revolution, which was itself part of the larger Revolutions of 2000, laying the foundation for reunification with North France. Unlike its northern contemporary, South France did not see itself as the successor of the Second French Empire, but nonetheless claimed to represent the entirety of Metropolitan France and sought to reunite the two countries, although this goal was formally removed from its constitution in 1980. Often described as a "Landonist satellite state", South France was a member of the Eastern Bloc of the Cold War and strongly aligned with its neighbor Italy.
The FDR was declared in the Landonist-occupied zone of the French Fourth Republic (1926–1938) on 17 October 1942, while the Kingdom of France, also known as the Fourth French Kingdom (Quatrième Royaume Français, QRF) or more commonly as North France, was established as a liberal democracy and constitutional monarchy in the British-German occupied zones. Landonist occupation authorities began transferring administrative responsibility to French communist leaders in 1940 and the FDR began to function as an independent state after 1942, although Italy and the United Commonwealth maintained troops in and substantial political influence over the country. In 1969, South France signed the Basic Treaty, which recognized North France and vice versa, and also allowed both states to become members of the League of Nations the following year. Until 1998, the FDR was governed by the Socialist Unity Party of France, a communist party founded in the Landonist-occupied zone in 1938; although other parties nominally participated in its alliance organization, the National Front of the French Democratic Republic.
The economy of South France was centrally planned and state-owned, with prices of housing, utilities, and other basic goods and services being heavily subsidized and set by central government planners. Although the FDR had to pay substantial war reparations to the Landonist powers, it became among the most successful European countries of the Eastern Bloc. Emigration to North France and the rest of the Western Bloc proved a significant problem for the country, leading to the fortification of the inner French border, with over 2 million South French people migrating to the north and an estimated 1,100 deaths along the border between 1942 and 1998. In the late 1990s, increasing economic stagnation, popular discontent, and the withdrawal of Italian occupation forces catalyzed the January Revolution of 1998. The government responded by allowing a free and fair election later that year, in which the ruling Socialist Unity Party was removed from power. The state began international negotiations which led to the Final Settlement in 1999, allowing South France to join the Kingdom of France in 1999. The formation of a new constitution led to the creation of the current French state. Several of the FDR's former leaders, including its last communist leader René Hyppolite, were later prosecuted for offenses committed during the FDR years.
Naming conventions
The official name of the country was the French Democratic Republic (République Démocratique Française), commonly abbreviated as the RDF (FDR in English). Both terms were commonly used in the country, with the abbreviation seeing increased usage overtime, since the North French were considered foreigners following the drafting of the 1980 constitution. North French and Western Bloc governments, officials, media outlets and statesmen avoided using the official name of the country, instead referring to it as the common name of South France, the "Southern Zone" among the North French government, the Landonist occupied zone, or the "so-called RDF".
The center of political power was the city of Lyon while the southern coastal city of Montpellier was the headquarters for the Landonist International military mission to South France consisting of troops from the United Commonwealth, Italy, and the Iberian Union of Socialist Republics. Overtime, the PDF abbreviation became commonly used in both North France and the rest of the Western Bloc, both by political authorities and by various media outlets, as both French states increased diplomatic discussions between each other.
When used by North French, the term "South France" referred to the areas of Metropolitan France. Before the Great War, South France largely referred to any area of French soil located in the southern departments that were close to the Mediterranean Sea and were located south of the French capital city of Paris. Both during and after the end of the Cold War, the term "Landonist France" or "Red France" have been used by several historians, politicians, and figures when referring to South France as a state in reference to its political system and ideological alignment during the Cold War as part of the communist Eastern Bloc.
History
In regards to explaining the impact of the FDR within the perspective of French history, historian Maugier Travere argued that the South French state was influenced by two major factors – Continental communism and the pre-war experiences of French communists during the Third Republic. Throughout its entire existence, South France consistently grappled with the influence of the more affluent and prosperous states of the Western Bloc, especially its neighbor of North France. This struggle resulted in frequent comparison between South France and its Western Bloc neighbors, measuring their country against its neighbors.
Origins
Towards the end of the Great War, the major leaders of the Allied Powers met at the Pittsburg Conference in February 1938 in Pennsylvania in regards to the treatment of the derzhavist powers, including France. At the conference, the Allies agreed on a joint occupation of the country with Metropolitan France set to be divided into separate occupation zones. The occupation was carried out by the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, the Iberian Union of Socialist Republics, and the United Commonwealth. The territories that would make up South France were organized into an occupation zone under the administration of the Landonist International due to the presence of Landintern forces who invaded France through the south during Operation Dragoon late in the war while North France was under Anglo-German administration due to capture of the region in Operation Overlord. Paris, the French capital, remained in the northern occupation zones and lacked any Landintern presence before the war's end, resulting in a the choosing of a new city to serve as the capital of South France with Vichy being selected.