L’Empire Éternel | A French Mainland & Colonial Expansion

The year is 1936. The Third Republic, born from the ashes of Sedan, now teeters on the brink of collapse. The Great Depression has shattered its economy, the streets of Paris echo with the marching boots of paramilitaries, and the colonies—from the cedar groves of Lebanon to the rubber plantations of Cochinchina—simmer with revolt. In this hour of crisis, France stands at a crossroads: Will it resurrect the glory of its monarchist past, embrace the fiery promises of revolution, or descend into the abyss of dictatorship? And what of its empire—will it be the lifeline of a dying metropole, or the spark that burns it to the ground?

This mod redefines France in Hearts of Iron IV, not as a mere secondary power, but as the epicenter of a vast ideological and imperial struggle. With entirely reworked focus trees, events, and mechanics, players will navigate the labyrinthine politics of a nation where every decision could trigger civil war, colonial rebellion, or a dramatic resurrection of past grandeur.

• The Monarchist Restoration
  The royalists have waited decades for this moment. With the Republic faltering, three dynasties vie for the vacant throne:

  The Orléanists: Advocates of a constitutional monarchy, they promise stability through gradual reform, appealing to liberals and industrialists. But can they placate both the reactionary right and the militant left?

  The Legitimists (Bourbon): The ultra-traditionalists, dreaming of a divine-right kingdom, seek to erase every trace of revolution. Their path leads to absolute rule, a revived ancien régime—and likely, a bloody reckoning with the mobs of Paris.

  The Bonapartists: The heirs of Napoleon demand empire, not kingship. Their vision is one of militaristic expansion, a revived Grande Armée, and the conquest of the Rhineland. But Europe remembers 1815—will they tolerate a new Caesar?

• The Fascist Temptation
  The Croix-de-Feu and the PPF (Parti Populaire Français) circle like vultures over the dying Republic.

  François de La Rocque’s PSF: A "respectable" fascism, blending militarism with Catholic conservatism. They will build a corporatist state, crush the left, and preserve the empire—but at what cost to liberty?

  Jacques Doriot’s PPF: Ruthless and revolutionary, they seek a totalitarian France, allied with Hitler or Mussolini. Their rise means street wars with communists, pogroms, and the transformation of France into a fascist satellite.

• The Left’s Last Stand
  Léon Blum’s Popular Front: The last hope of democracy, if they can tame the radicals in their ranks. Their path is fraught with general strikes, assassination attempts, and the specter of Franco-style reaction.

  Maurice Thorez’s Communists: The PCF will not stop at elections. Their victory means Soviets in the streets, the guillotine for the bourgeoisie, and a red alliance with Moscow—but will Stalin abandon them when Hitler turns west?

• The Military Junta
  When all else fails, the generals step in. Gamelin’s conservatives or de Gaulle’s modernizers will impose order by bayonet, preserving the empire through sheer force. But a junta is a fragile thing—will it hold when the colonies explode?

France’s overseas dominions are no longer mere resources to be extracted—they are battlegrounds. Each major colony has its own unique focus tree, reflecting its struggle between loyalty, revolt, or opportunistic betrayal.

The Question Is Not Whether France Will Fall—But What Will Rise in Its Place. Will you restore the fleur-de-lis? Unleash the revolution? Or preside over the empire’s funeral?

La France éternelle awaits its fate.

I’m an individual mod-creator so these projects take me a large chunk of time, meaning that not all planned content is available on launch, and that issues may be present. Currently focuses have no available/bypass checks, which I plan to add. Along with this, I need to add flavour news events and events for France when a colony proclaims independence.

Any and all bugs will be addressed accordingly, as-well as balance issues. The order in which they are resolved will depend on the severity of the issue and its effects on the mod.

Do I Need DLC To Use This Mod?
• No, you don’t need any DLC in order to use this mod, however for the best experience I recommend them.

  Is This Compatible With X Mod?

• This mod is NOT compatible with any other mod that makes changes to the world map, or any of the nations inside this mod. Otherwise, the mod should (hopefully) be compatible.

  What Languages Are Available For This Mod?

• Currently L’Empire Éternel currently has full support for English, and machine translations for Russian and Chinese.

This mod and any of its content may only be distributed, published, or used in any form by the original mod author or by mods that have contributed resources to this project. This includes, but is not limited to, remakes, remasters, or mod packs. This is because not all content inside the mod belongs to me, as some features are included from other mods/mod developers.

Thanks go to @萌新战犯, and @Der Kaiser for creating the Chinese and Russian localization files. Without them, the mod would only have English support.

If you’d like to talk about the mod, Hearts of Iron 4, report any bugs, or get updates on new releases, mod updates, and other information, join my Discord server – https://discord.gg/Tu9Ju76Qwp

Thanks for downloading!