Gen. de Gaulle assumed control of the nationwide Rassemblement du Peuple Français (Rally of the French People, RPF) to rally noncommunists to the cause of unity and reform.
The growing split between Communist and other members of the government, increased by economic difficulties and a wave of strikes, led to the exclusion of the five Communist ministers from the cabinet. An unbalanced budget, a poor harvest, and the refusal of many peasants to deliver their grain further aggravated the situation in the summer and early fall.
De Gaulle's RPF emerged as the strongest group in the municipal elections, followed by the Communists. In the face of this growing extremism, the government and middle parties decided to cooperate and created a new Third Force.
A series of strikes, sparked by the postwar economic situation and affecting nearly two million workers, was overcome by firm governmental action and a growing rift among workers over the Communist-dominated leadership of the union Conféderation Générale du Travail (CGT). The noncommunist members of the executive committee, on Dec. 19, seceded and formed the Force Ouvrière as a socialist union.
