French Fourth Republic
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems. France adopted the constitution of the Fourth Republic on 13 October 1946.
The Fourth Republic oversaw an era of great economic growth in France and the rebuilding of the nation's social institutions and industry after the war, and was largely responsible for the development of the institutions of European unity which changed the continent permanently. Some attempts were made to strengthen the executive branch of government to prevent the unstable situation that had existed before the war, but the instability remained and the Fourth Republic saw frequent changes in government. Additionally, the government proved unable to make effective decisions regarding decolonization. As a result, the Fourth Republic collapsed and a coup d'état subsequently legitimized by a referendum led to the establishment of the Fifth Republic, which was introduced on 5 October 1958.