France Restored: Cold War Diplomacy and the Quest for Leadership in Europe, 1944-1954

by William I. Hitchcock, John Lewis Gaddis (Foreword by)

Overview

Historians of the Cold War, argues William Hitchcock, have too
often overlooked the part that European nations played in shaping
the post-World War II international system. In particular,
France, a country beset by economic difficulties and political
instability in the aftermath of the war, has been given short
shrift.
With this book, Hitchcock restores France to the narrative
of Cold War history and illuminates its central role in the
reconstruction of Europe. Drawing on a wide array of evidence
from French, American, and British archives, he shows that France
constructed a coherent national strategy for domestic and
international recovery and pursued that strategy with tenacity
and effectiveness in the first postwar decade. This once-occupied
nation played a vital part in the occupation and administration
of Germany, framed the key institutions of the "new" Europe,
helped forge the NATO alliance, and engineered an astonishing
economic recovery. In the process, France successfully contested
American leadership in Europe and used its position as a key Cold
War ally to extract concessions from Washington on a wide range
of economic and security issues.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807866801
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	11/09/2000
Series:	New Cold War History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	312
Lexile:	1610L (what's this?)
File size:	870 KB

About the Author

William I. Hitchcock is assistant professor of history and
associate director of International Security Studies at Yale University.

Table of Contents

Contents

Foreword by John Lewis Gaddis
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Founding of the Fourth Republic and the Conditions for French Recovery
Chapter 2. The Limits of Independence, 1944-1947
Chapter 3. No Longer a Great Power
Chapter 4. The Hard Road to Franco-German Rapprochement, 1948-1950
Chapter 5. Sound and Fury: The Debate over German Rearmament
Chapter 6. The European Defense Community and French National Strategy
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Tables and Map

Tables
1. France's Balance of Payments, 1944-1949
2. Franc Zone Deficits with Dollar Zone, 1945-1949
3. Average Annual Growth in Gross Domestic Product, 1949-1970
4. American Aid to France, 1945-1952

Map
Germany under Occupation

What People are Saying About This

Charles S. Maier

Persuasively redeeming the Fourth Republic from its earlier reputation as a feckless regime...[Hitchcock] shows that its civil servants and more far-sighted political leaders ably laid the foundation for a long-term enhancement of French influence in postwar Europe.

From the Publisher

A valuable contribution to the University of North Carolina Press's 'New Cold War History' series.—American Historical Review



A fine example of the new Cold War history that aims at transcending a purely US-Soviet framework, France Restored provides an original, critical perspective not only of the history of the Fourth Republic but also of Europe's first decade after World War II. . . . An eloquent, well-organized [book].—Choice



Persuasively redeeming the Fourth Republic from its earlier reputation as a feckless regime, William Hitchcock's solidly researched study shows that its civil servants and more far-sighted political leaders ably laid the foundation for a long-term enhancement of French influence in postwar Europe. During years of vulnerability they defended their autonomy while accepting American support, and they designed imaginative institutions to benefit from a German recovery they learned could serve their own interests: the innovative capacity still at the heart of today's European Union.—Charles S. Maier, Harvard University



Elegantly written and thoughtfully argued, Hitchcock's book will be indispensable for all future debates about postwar reconstruction policy in Europe. Weaving a subtle story of domestic and international policymaking, Hitchcock shows how the French, despite their many weaknesses, managed to protect their own vital strategic and economic interests.—Melvyn P. Leffler, University of Virginia



This is a first-rate study of French foreign policy during the early Cold War period. The basic argument here is that French policy had a profound impact on the sort of international system that took shape in Europe in this period—and thus that the American role in shaping what went on in the West was a good deal more limited that most people think. Hitchcock makes his case quite effectively. This book shows what a talented and skillful historian can accomplish when old problems are approached in new ways, and it is exceptionally well-written to boot.—Marc Trachtenberg, University of Pennsylvania

Melvyn P. Leffler

Indispensable for all future debates about postwar reconstruction policy in Europe.

Editorial Reviews

[A] solidly researched study.

Charles S. Maier, Harvard University

A fine example of the new Cold War history that aims at transcending a purely US-Soviet framework.

"Choice"

A valuable contribution to the University of North Carolina Press's 'New Cold War History' series.

"American Historical Review"

Elegantly written and thoughtfully argued, Hitchcock's book will be indispensable for all future debates about postwar reconstruction policy in Europe.

Melvyn P. Leffler, University of Virginia

This is a first-rate study of French foreign policy during the early Cold War period.

Marc Trachtenberg, University of Pennsylvania

ÝA¨ solidly researched study.

Charles S. Maier, Harvard University

"[A] solidly researched study.

Charles S. Maier, Harvard University"

"Elegantly written and thoughtfully argued, Hitchcock's book will be indispensable for all future debates about postwar reconstruction policy in Europe.

Melvyn P. Leffler, University of Virginia"

"This is a first-rate study of French foreign policy during the early Cold War period.

Marc Trachtenberg, University of Pennsylvania"

From the Publisher