The First World War was an unprecedented catastrophe that wipe out millions and set the continent of Europe on the path to further calamity two decades afterward . But it did n’t come out of nowhere . With the centennial of the irruption of hostilities come up in August , Erik Sass will be take care back at the lead - up to the war , when seemingly modest import of friction gather until the situation was ready to explode . He ’ll be covering those case 100 years after they occurred . This is the 121st installment in the serial publication .
14 March 2025: Crisis In France Over Military Service Law
As the European arms raceacceleratedin 1912 and 1913 , France ’s response was theThree - Year Service Law , which aimed to increase the sizing of the standing army by lead conscripts ’ full term of service from two to three years . A key triumph for conservative President RaymondPoincaré(above , impart ) the constabulary was bitterly opposed by the left ( always a powerful force in France ) for a whole slew of reasons : Socialists attacked it as a symptom of growing “ militarism ” and feared the army would conquer worker ’ demonstrations , while the more moderate Radicals said the law was go at the behest of France ’s ally Russia , practically making France a vassal of the tsar .
In the elections of April and May 1914 , the left swept to mightiness with major triumph by both the Radicals and Socialists , forcing the cabinet of center - right Premier Gaston Doumergue to resign on June 2 and place the stage for an all - out violation on the Three - Year Service Law . But Poincaré was determined to save it , declaring in a lecture on June 1 that France “ needs an army … capable of rapid mobilization . ” On June 3 , the Socialist loss leader Jean Jaurès ( above , meat ) attack Poincaré ’s speech as “ honestly unconstitutional ” ( at that time the presidentship was supposed to be a ceremonial office ) and the struggle line were drawn .
Now Poincaré begin a frantic search for someone — anyone — in the new Chamber of lieutenant who could cobblestone together a new government that would bear on the Three - Year Service Law . His labor was a fiddling easier because the Radical leader , Joseph Caillaux , was temporarily out of the plot following his wife’smurderof the newspaper publisher editor Gaston Calmette — but Caillaux would come back to the bowl as soon as her trial was over , so time was of the essence .
On June 4 , Poincaré offered the job of Premier to an unoffending restrained socialist , René Viviani ( above , right ) , who assay to feather the political circle by call that the Three - Year Service Law might be revised at a later particular date , if “ external circumstances ” allow — meaning if the Franco - Russian Alliance no longer postulate it . But this infract the Radical member of his aim political science , who said it just establish that France was a Russian vassal after all , and on June 6 the cabinet fall apart .
Now Poincaré ’s Book of Job became even harder thanks to his champion MauricePaléologue , the Gallic ambassador to Russia , who ( probably not coincidently ) happened to render to France on June 5 at the peak of the political crisis . A staunch supporter of the Russian alliance , but not the most suave pol , Paléologue roundly declared he would n’t return to Russia if the Three - Year Service Law were reverse at plate — a bizarre and totally unfitting statement from a serving diplomat . Outraged , the leftists accuse Paléologue of using foreign insurance to hijack domestic political science ; Paléologue explain , a bit melodramatically , that he simply could n’t face the Russians if France let them down .
On June 7 , Poincaré went back to the drawing control board , offer the premiership to five leading leftist politicians , but was turned down by every single one . finally a temperate , Alexandre Ribot , agreed to try constitute a government even though it was a long shot — and as expected on June 12 the new Chamber of Deputies rejected his proposed cabinet amid catcall and shouts to end the Three - Year Service Law .
With warfare looming , France was undirected and its alliance with Russia in peril . Poincaré had to act tight .
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