Clemenceau chose to stake everything on a single throw not only because he already had no retreat left, but more importantly out of a desire to preserve France.
France suffered a heavy blow in the First World War, losing a vast number of people, and the outcome of the war for France further impressed upon the French leadership the importance of population. Had France not been inferior to Germany in demographic terms, it would not have fallen into today's predicament.
Although French industry has now fallen behind that of Germany, in the final analysis this must be traced back to the population question. After all, compared with Germany, metropolitan France lacks the basic mineral resources needed for industrial development, whereas the resources of France's colonies are by no means poor.
