Father of France

Chapter 20: He Recognizes No One But the General
"I heard that the French Communist Party's strength has expanded rapidly since I arrived in Paris, but if just anyone can join so easily, this party won't amount to much," Koeman commented indifferently, putting away his party membership card.

He knew that the French Communist Party and the Italian Communist Party followed the so-called parliamentary struggle route, or the European route. But the final result proved that this path was a dead end.

“I see.” Alan knew that Koeman was explaining his recent trip to the French Communist Party headquarters. “But doesn’t absorbing more power make you stronger?”

"Not necessarily. The combat-capable portion is only so large. New members won't increase our strength; in fact, they might bring contamination and disrupt cohesion," Koman replied with his signature bright smile.

In terms of strength, the Italian Communist Party is certainly stronger and has maintained its influence for a longer period of time.

However, this still needs to be analyzed from the perspective of political systems. France's parliamentary system is a parliamentary system with many parties and frequent changes of government. Italy's parliamentary system during the Cold War was a Catholic Democratic Party that integrated all political forces except the Italian Communist Party, similar to the Liberal Democratic Party's dominance under Japan's 1955 system.

Therefore, while the Italian Communist Party was suppressed, it also ensured its influence for a longer period of time. As for France, the influence of the French Communist Party was divided among various left-wing parties such as the Socialist Party. In a left-wing society where there is no limit to what can be divided and there is always someone more progressive than you, influence takes the lead.

In fact, Koeman really hoped that France would learn from Italy. Although France's parliamentary system could dilute the influence of the French Communist Party more quickly, there was also too much political power in France.

This is not limited to the left wing; in fact, the right wing is the same. If the French royalists had not split, the Third Republic would never have been established.

However, due to the question of whether the throne should belong to the two Bourbon factions or Napoleon, the country split into three factions, and the royalists, who had the advantage, lost to the republicans.

It's no wonder that France, as a pioneer of revolution and a forerunner of new systems, has stumbled upon all sorts of pitfalls in its institutional development.

Alain has been handling the Antioch Regiment's investigation into French collaborators around Paris, while Martin, one of Corman's two henchmen, is in charge of processing the raw materials shipped from Syria into cigarettes.

Alan also knew about this and informed Coleman of Martin's recent progress, "but now it's wartime and the national tobacco is monopolized."

“We have nothing to do with the country, and we won’t be releasing this to the domestic market,” Coman said excitedly. “Only the noble Germans are worthy of the efforts of the Holy Alliance.”

Many things are indeed happening somewhat hastily, but there's no rush. Koeman has enough patience to take steady steps, one by one, to achieve the desired outcome.

Of course, it's not that he's in a hurry about the national blood bank issue, but rather that women's right to vote is about to be opened up, and if he doesn't implement it as soon as possible, it might be too late.

Koeman dared not underestimate the boxers in the old revolutionary base areas. He also knew a bit about boxers in Europe. French boxers might not have made it too obvious yet, but as early as the 1960s, Swedish boxers had already openly called for women to vote only for female candidates during elections, without even bothering to pretend.

There are reasons why it evolved into a haven for liberal leftists in later generations; Sweden has its own unique national circumstances in this regard.

At this critical moment when de Gaulle was about to reclaim the armed forces under the French Communist Party, the headquarters of the First Army of France issued a public statement expressing support for the decision to bring the French army under unified command and better integrate it until victory in the war. The statement said, "General de Gaulle, at a time when the nation and people faced peril, abandoned personal honor and disgrace, and established and led the cause of national liberation amidst uncertainty, restoring the dignity of the French nation. The war is not yet completely won, and only General de Gaulle can unite the entire society to wash away the shame of the fall of our homeland."

"A country cannot have two armies that are not under each other's command. Only by uniting closely under the leadership of General de Gaulle can France achieve victory as soon as possible and devote itself to post-war reconstruction. At this moment, no party or individual can be perfunctory about this decision that is beneficial to the whole French society. All parties and individuals should put aside their selfishness and devote all their strength to the war until the war is completely won."

The public statement from the First Army of France, issued at a crucial moment in the discussions between de Gaulle and the French Communist Party regarding unified command of the army, gave de Gaulle a much-needed boost.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) quickly broadcast the statement from the First Army of France through radio and newspapers, followed by a statement from Tassigny, commander of the Second Army of France, in support of de Gaulle.

The First and Second French Armies are considered the main forces of France at present. Their statement supporting de Gaulle was based entirely on their strength and position, clearly telling the French Communist Party that although the French Communist Party has 250,000 armed men, they are still not enough in front of the two armies and cannot act based on their strength and position.

"Should I write a sycophantic article that we don't recognize anyone except the general?" Koeman muttered after seeing the AFP report on the two army groups.

While discussions were taking place in the old revolutionary districts of Paris and throughout France about bringing all armed forces under unified command, the US military was also paying close attention to the ongoing negotiations between de Gaulle and the French Communist Party regarding the ownership of the army.

Americans certainly didn't like de Gaulle. After the liberation of Paris, the United States had already begun to discover that de Gaulle was not very compliant. However, compared to the French Communist Party, which the United States saw as a Soviet proxy, de Gaulle was not unbearable.

The issue of unified command of the French army has also caught the attention of Eisenhower, who is currently clearing obstacles for the attack on the Siegfried Line. He is working to eliminate the remaining German forces in France in preparation for an invasion of Germany.

Eisenhower was similar to MacArthur, only not as flamboyant.

Essentially, the United States had many politician-type generals during World War II, and Marshall, who was a long-time admirer of Eisenhower, was also such a military man.

Eisenhower, who was considering how to invade Germany, had already keenly realized that if Germany were defeated, the next adversary of the United States would be the Soviet Union, and given the Soviet Union's enormous influence over the French Communist Party, it was only right to suppress it.

"We should raid the headquarters of the French Communist Party directly and disarm its subordinate forces." General Patton made no attempt to hide his hostility toward the Soviet Union. "Germany's defeat is a foregone conclusion, and we will have to go to war with the Soviet Union sooner or later. If we let the French Communist Party run rampant, there will be problems in our rear."

"How could this be handled? We should also trust de Gaulle's abilities," Eisenhower couldn't help but reply. Many American generals possessed ample political acumen; how could there be a general with only granite in his head?
Eisenhower also believed that the next adversary of the United States was the Soviet Union, but he felt that coexistence was possible, while Patton clearly did not think so.

　I'm going to the hospital for a follow-up check-up tomorrow. I had a physical exam before starting the book, and my liver transaminase levels were too high. I think it was less than 200. I'll go tomorrow to see if they've decreased.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)