The Republic of Broken Dreams

Since the revolution, French history has been marked by moments that promise progress but end in bitter failure. The election of the Popular Front in 1936 was one such example, says Jonathan Fenby.

The upper-class holiday-makers of Deauville, Nice and other French resorts, which had previously been reserved for them, were horrified. Alighting from the cheap compartments of trains were crowds of workers on their first outing to the seaside. In some places, shops put up signs making clear that these new holiday-makers would not be welcome. 

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