It was in this spirit that in 1934 the conservative government of Doumergue had started the process of building up ties with France’s eastern allies including the Soviet Union, resulting a year later in the signing of a security pact with Moscow. But when the pact came up for ratification in parliament in February 1936, some 150 conservative députés voted against because of their concern about the rising influence of Communism in France. This was a sign of new political alignments to come.
