Out of a major crisis came the first Government of the Fourth Republic.
It was a victory for President de Gaulle and a defeat, with consolations, for his Communist opponents. In the 22-man Cabinet the three major parties (Communist, Socialist, Popular Republicans) each had five portfolios. Six posts went to independents and moderates, only one to an admitted rightist. But the Communists failed to win any of the three key ministries: Foreign Affairs, Interior and War.
President de Gaulle had worked out a fragile compromise which postponed rather than solved the issue. He himself took a new overall Ministry of National...
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