Marcel Paul
Encyclopedia
Marcel Paul was a French
trade union
ist and communist
politician. He was also a Nazi concentration camp survivor and later served as a member of the French parliament.
. His birthday is given as July 12, 1900, the date he was found in the 14th arrondissement
in Paris. He began working at age 13, and became politically active at the age of 15 with socialist youth against the war
.
He was drafted into the navy, where he joined the sailors who refused to be a strikebreaker
against striking
workers at the Saint-Nazaire
power station. At his discharge, he settled first at Saint-Quentin, Aisne
, then Paris, where he worked as an electrician. In 1923, he left the French socialist party and in 1927, joined the French Communist Party
(PCF), becoming close to Maurice Thorez
, though he maintained his union ties.
He was drafted into the army in 1939 during the Phoney War. Paul was taken prisoner by the Nazis, but managed to escape and fled to Brittany
, where he established contact with the PCF and its regional leader, Auguste Havez. Paul joined Havez to form a branch of the party aiming to integrate the Resistance
. In November 1940, he returned to Paris and led an insurgent group, the PCF's Organisation Spéciale ("Special Organization"), while creating connections with the trade unions. The Organisation Spécial was later renamed FTP-MOI
),
Paul organized an attack against Hermann Goering, but it failed. He was denounced and arrested on November 13, 1941 and tortured by Prefecture of Police
Special Brigadesmen in the police station of Saint-Denis
. First held in Fontevraud-l'Abbaye
, he was transferred to Blois
and delivered to the Germans. He was then taken to Compiègne
and subsequently deported to Auschwitz concentration camp
and Buchenwald
. While at Buchenwald, he took part in the April 1945 insurrection
. Paul also helped save the life of many inmates, including the industrialist Marcel Dassault
, who later became an important financial backer of the PCF newspaper L'Humanité
.
After the liberation of France, he became Minister of Industrial Production of the interim government under Charles de Gaulle
. He voted for nationalization
of electricity and natural gas
on April 8, 1946, creating Électricité de France
and Gaz de France
. He was deputy leader of the PCF in Haute-Vienne
at the Second Constituent National Assembly and served in the French National Assembly
from 1945 to 1948, when he resigned. Paul was on the Central Committee
of the PCF from 1945 to 1964.
Paul was named an officer of the French Legion of Honor in April 1982. After the ceremony on November 11, 1982 at the Place de l'Étoile
in Paris, Paul was taken ill and died at his home a few hours later.
in Saint-Denis bears his name, as well as a number of streets in various cities in France, including in the 14th arrondissement in Paris.
, wrote an article in which he explained his refusal to support renaming a local street after Paul. He accused Paul of having cooperated with the internal management at the camp, thereby having determined the fate (the death) of a number of prisoners and he accused Paul of having given greater priority to the interests of his party. The Association Dora-Buchenwald
and the Fédération nationale des déportés et internés résistants et patriotes
filed a libel suit. The trial was held in Versailles
and heard testimony from a number of former concentration camp prisoners. Wetzel was acquitted, but the court refused to rule on the historical truth. A similar accusation was raised against Paul in 1946.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist and communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
politician. He was also a Nazi concentration camp survivor and later served as a member of the French parliament.
Biography
Marcel Paul was a foundlingChild abandonment
Child abandonment is the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one's offspring with the intent of never again resuming or reasserting them. Causes include many social and cultural factors as well as mental illness. An abandoned child is called a foundling .-Causes:Poverty is often a...
. His birthday is given as July 12, 1900, the date he was found in the 14th arrondissement
Arrondissement
Arrondissement is any of various administrative divisions of France, certain other Francophone countries, and the Netherlands.-France:The 101 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The capital of an arrondissement is called a...
in Paris. He began working at age 13, and became politically active at the age of 15 with socialist youth against the war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
He was drafted into the navy, where he joined the sailors who refused to be a strikebreaker
Strikebreaker
A strikebreaker is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who are not employed by the company prior to the trade union dispute, but rather hired prior to or during the strike to keep the organisation running...
against striking
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
workers at the Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire
Saint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
power station. At his discharge, he settled first at Saint-Quentin, Aisne
Saint-Quentin, Aisne
Saint-Quentin is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France. It has been identified as the Augusta Veromanduorum of antiquity. It is named after Saint Quentin, who is said to have been martyred here in the 3rd century....
, then Paris, where he worked as an electrician. In 1923, he left the French socialist party and in 1927, joined the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
(PCF), becoming close to Maurice Thorez
Maurice Thorez
thumb|A Soviet stamp depicting Maurice Thorez.Maurice Thorez was a French politician and longtime leader of the French Communist Party from 1930 until his death. He also served as vice premier of France from 1946 to 1947....
, though he maintained his union ties.
He was drafted into the army in 1939 during the Phoney War. Paul was taken prisoner by the Nazis, but managed to escape and fled to Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, where he established contact with the PCF and its regional leader, Auguste Havez. Paul joined Havez to form a branch of the party aiming to integrate the Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
. In November 1940, he returned to Paris and led an insurgent group, the PCF's Organisation Spéciale ("Special Organization"), while creating connections with the trade unions. The Organisation Spécial was later renamed FTP-MOI
FTP-MOI
The Francs-tireurs et partisans – main-d'œuvre immigrée were a sub-group of the Francs-tireurs et partisans organization, a component of the French Resistance. A wing composed mostly of foreigners, the MOI maintained an armed force to oppose the German occupation of France during World War II...
),
Paul organized an attack against Hermann Goering, but it failed. He was denounced and arrested on November 13, 1941 and tortured by Prefecture of Police
Prefecture of Police
The Prefecture of Police , headed by the Prefect of Police , is an agency of the Government of France which provides the police force for the city of Paris and the surrounding three suburban départements of Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne...
Special Brigadesmen in the police station of Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Denis....
. First held in Fontevraud-l'Abbaye
Fontevraud-l'Abbaye
Fontevraud-l'Abbaye is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It is situated both in the Loire Valley, an UNESCO World Heritage Site between Chalonnes-sur-Loire and Sully-sur-Loire, and the Loire Anjou Touraine French regional natural park.-External links:****...
, he was transferred to Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
and delivered to the Germans. He was then taken to Compiègne
Compiègne
Compiègne is a city in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.The city is located along the Oise River...
and subsequently deported to Auschwitz concentration camp
Auschwitz concentration camp
Concentration camp Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II...
and Buchenwald
Buchenwald concentration camp
Buchenwald concentration camp was a German Nazi concentration camp established on the Ettersberg near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937, one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps on German soil.Camp prisoners from all over Europe and Russia—Jews, non-Jewish Poles and Slovenes,...
. While at Buchenwald, he took part in the April 1945 insurrection
Buchenwald Resistance
The Buchenwald Resistance was a resistance group of prisoners at Buchenwald concentration camp. It involved Communists, Social Democrats, and people affiliated with other political parties, unaffiliated people, and Christians. Because Buchenwald prisoners came from a number of countries, the...
. Paul also helped save the life of many inmates, including the industrialist Marcel Dassault
Marcel Dassault
Marcel Dassault, born Marcel Bloch was a French aircraft industrialist.-Biography:Dassault was born in Paris. After graduating from the lycée Condorcet, Breguet School and Supaero, he invented a type of aircraft propeller used by the French army during World War I and founded the Société des...
, who later became an important financial backer of the PCF newspaper L'Humanité
L'Humanité
L'Humanité , formerly the daily newspaper linked to the French Communist Party , was founded in 1904 by Jean Jaurès, a leader of the French Section of the Workers' International...
.
After the liberation of France, he became Minister of Industrial Production of the interim government under Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
. He voted for nationalization
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
of electricity and natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
on April 8, 1946, creating Électricité de France
Électricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
and Gaz de France
Gaz de France
Gaz de France was a French company which produced, transported and sold natural gas around the world, especially in France, its main market. The company was also particularly active in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, and other European countries. Through its part-owned Belgian subsidiary SPE...
. He was deputy leader of the PCF in Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne
Haute-Vienne is a French department named after the Vienne River. It is one of three departments that together constitute the French region of Limousin.The chief and largest city is Limoges...
at the Second Constituent National Assembly and served in the French National Assembly
French National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
from 1945 to 1948, when he resigned. Paul was on the Central Committee
Central Committee
Central Committee was the common designation of a standing administrative body of communist parties, analogous to a board of directors, whether ruling or non-ruling in the twentieth century and of the surviving, mostly Trotskyist, states in the early twenty first. In such party organizations the...
of the PCF from 1945 to 1964.
Paul was named an officer of the French Legion of Honor in April 1982. After the ceremony on November 11, 1982 at the Place de l'Étoile
Place de l'Étoile
The Place Charles de Gaulle, , historically known as the Place de l'Étoile , is a large road junction in Paris, France, the meeting point of twelve straight avenues including the Champs-Élysées which continues to the east. It was renamed in 1970 following the death of General and President Charles...
in Paris, Paul was taken ill and died at his home a few hours later.
Legacy
The great hall of the labour councilLabour council
A labour council, trades council or industrial council is an association of labour unions or union branches in a given area. Most commonly, they represent unions in a given geographical area, whether at the district, city, region, or provincial or state level...
in Saint-Denis bears his name, as well as a number of streets in various cities in France, including in the 14th arrondissement in Paris.
Post-mortem controversy
Two years after Paul's death, a controversy arose concerning his activities in Buchenwald. Laurent Wetzel, a CDS politician from SartrouvilleSartrouville
Sartrouville is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. it is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris from the center.-Name:...
, wrote an article in which he explained his refusal to support renaming a local street after Paul. He accused Paul of having cooperated with the internal management at the camp, thereby having determined the fate (the death) of a number of prisoners and he accused Paul of having given greater priority to the interests of his party. The Association Dora-Buchenwald
International concentration camp committees
International concentration camp committees are organizations composed of former inmates of the various Nazi concentration camps, formed at various times, primarily after the Second World War...
and the Fédération nationale des déportés et internés résistants et patriotes
Fédération nationale des déportés et internés résistants et patriotes
The Fédération nationale des déportés et internés résistants et patriotes is an organization founded by Marcel Paul and Henri Manhès in October 1945, five months after the defeat of Nazi Germany at the end of World War II...
filed a libel suit. The trial was held in Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
and heard testimony from a number of former concentration camp prisoners. Wetzel was acquitted, but the court refused to rule on the historical truth. A similar accusation was raised against Paul in 1946.