A viewer connects France's First World War casualties with damage to institutions and society. The collapse of 1940 is treated as the product of several pressures rather than a single cause. The comparison with Britain is that one crisis was manageable, perhaps two, but all three were too much. For France, the First World War and the Depression had already created deep problems. Political infighting compounded them, while short-lived governments disrupted continuity between what the armed forces requested and what the state delivered. Carrier delay sits within this broader difficulty of sustaining an interwar naval program.
Notable Point · 33:11-34:37
War losses, depression, and French naval procurement
France's First World War losses, the Depression, and short-lived governments form the background to inconsistent interwar naval programs.