Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont
Encyclopedia
Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont (14 May 1914 – 2 August 2006) was a militant communist
who took part in the French Resistance
during the Second World War
, and a French
politician. Along with General Leclerc and Henri Rol-Tanguy
, he accepted the surrender of Dietrich von Choltitz
at the Liberation of Paris
.
to a Jewish family with central European origins. He studied law at the University of Strasbourg, and then became legal adviser to an insurance company after a move to Paris in 1936.
, Kriegel became a trade union activist. He headed the organisation in the insurance sector of the Confédération générale du travail
(CGT), and he was also active in the Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France
(MJCF).
Not having been called up in 1939 due to ill health, he moved to Toulouse in the unoccupied zone
.
Valrimont, among others. When arrested in Lyon on March 15 1942, his knowledge of German as a native of Alsace allowed him to conceal his true identity from his interrogators, and he thus faced only minor charges. On May 24 he escaped from prison with several colleagues and resumed his activities, organising sabotage in factories and opposing the drafting of French labour for the German war effort. By 1944 the resistance had complex coordination structures including a military action committee (Comac) which directed the French Forces of the Interior
(FFI). As a member of Comac, Kriegel was at the very top of the resistance.
At the moment of the Normandy landings, Kriegel supported an immediate internal uprising of the French population. This was in contrast with the attitude of General Charles de Gaulle
, whose strategy was tied to close cooperation with the allies. When street fighting broke out in Paris on August 19, de Gaulle's representatives negotiated a truce with the German commander. Kriegel and Henri Rol-Tanguy
, the communist leader of the FFI in the city, denounced this. When the allied troops led by General Leclerc arrived in the city, Kriegel was one of the three leaders of the resistance who received the surrender of the German military governor of Paris, General Dietrich von Choltitz
, on August 25, 1944.
(PCF) after the war and was elected to parliament in 1945 to represent an Alsace constituency. From 1947 onward, he was a member of the party's central committee, and was given responsibility for its press bureau. In 1952, André Marty
and Charles Tillon
were excluded from the direction of the PCF. Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont voted for their exclusion but later wrote in his memoirs: "When I ask myself questions about my life, it is the only point where I find no excuses."
After Nikita Khrushchev
's 1956 denunciation of the crimes of Joseph Stalin
, Kriegel tried to get the French communist party to adopt a more liberal line. This resulted in his disgrace, and he left the party in 1961, finding employment as an administrator in the social security system until retirement. In 1995, he was formally rehabilitated by the leader of the Communist party, and in 1997 he stood on the Communist list for the European parliamentary
elections.
and the brother-in-law of historian Annie Kriegel
.
He died of a pulmonary embolism
at the age of 92 in Paris
, France
.
and Dominique Lapierre
, Is Paris Burning?
, New York: Pocket Books, 1965.
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...
who took part in the French 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...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and a French
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...
politician. Along with General Leclerc and Henri Rol-Tanguy
Henri Rol-Tanguy
Henri Rol-Tanguy was a French communist and a leader in the French Resistance during World War II.-Biography:...
, he accepted the surrender of Dietrich von Choltitz
Dietrich von Choltitz
General der Infanterie Dietrich von Choltitz was the German military governor of Paris during the closing days of the German occupation of that city during World War II...
at the Liberation of Paris
Liberation of Paris
The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...
.
Early years
He was born Maurice Kriegel in StrasbourgStrasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
to a Jewish family with central European origins. He studied law at the University of Strasbourg, and then became legal adviser to an insurance company after a move to Paris in 1936.
1930s and the outbreak of war
During the period of the Popular FrontPopular Front (France)
The Popular Front was an alliance of left-wing movements, including the French Communist Party , the French Section of the Workers' International and the Radical and Socialist Party, during the interwar period...
, Kriegel became a trade union activist. He headed the organisation in the insurance sector of the Confédération générale du travail
Confédération générale du travail
The General Confederation of Labour is a national trade union center, the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions.It is the largest in terms of votes , and second largest in terms of membership numbers.Its membership decreased to 650,000 members in 1995-96 The General...
(CGT), and he was also active in the Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France
Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France
The Mouvement Jeunes communistes de France , commonly called the "JC" , is a political youth organisation, close to the French communist party....
(MJCF).
Not having been called up in 1939 due to ill health, he moved to Toulouse in the unoccupied zone
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
.
Resistance activities
In early 1942, he was approached by leaders of a left-wing resistance organisation, and he went on to play a leading role in setting up an embryonic paramilitary section. During the resistance he adopted the pseudonymPseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Valrimont, among others. When arrested in Lyon on March 15 1942, his knowledge of German as a native of Alsace allowed him to conceal his true identity from his interrogators, and he thus faced only minor charges. On May 24 he escaped from prison with several colleagues and resumed his activities, organising sabotage in factories and opposing the drafting of French labour for the German war effort. By 1944 the resistance had complex coordination structures including a military action committee (Comac) which directed the French Forces of the Interior
French Forces of the Interior
The French Forces of the Interior refers to French resistance fighters in the later stages of World War II. Charles de Gaulle used it as a formal name for the resistance fighters. The change in designation of these groups to FFI occurred as France's status changed from that of an occupied nation...
(FFI). As a member of Comac, Kriegel was at the very top of the resistance.
At the moment of the Normandy landings, Kriegel supported an immediate internal uprising of the French population. This was in contrast with the attitude of General 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....
, whose strategy was tied to close cooperation with the allies. When street fighting broke out in Paris on August 19, de Gaulle's representatives negotiated a truce with the German commander. Kriegel and Henri Rol-Tanguy
Henri Rol-Tanguy
Henri Rol-Tanguy was a French communist and a leader in the French Resistance during World War II.-Biography:...
, the communist leader of the FFI in the city, denounced this. When the allied troops led by General Leclerc arrived in the city, Kriegel was one of the three leaders of the resistance who received the surrender of the German military governor of Paris, General Dietrich von Choltitz
Dietrich von Choltitz
General der Infanterie Dietrich von Choltitz was the German military governor of Paris during the closing days of the German occupation of that city during World War II...
, on August 25, 1944.
Complex relationship with PCF
Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont, as he was now known, formally joined the French Communist PartyFrench 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) after the war and was elected to parliament in 1945 to represent an Alsace constituency. From 1947 onward, he was a member of the party's central committee, and was given responsibility for its press bureau. In 1952, André Marty
André Marty
André Marty was a leading figure in the French Communist Party, the PCF, for nearly thirty years. He was also a member of the National Assembly, with some interruptions, from 1924 to 1955; Secretary of Comintern from 1935 to 1944; and Political Commissar of the International Brigades during the...
and Charles Tillon
Charles Tillon
Charles Tillon was a French politician.- Biography :Tillon was born in Rennes in the Ille-et-Vilaine département....
were excluded from the direction of the PCF. Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont voted for their exclusion but later wrote in his memoirs: "When I ask myself questions about my life, it is the only point where I find no excuses."
After Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
's 1956 denunciation of the crimes of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, Kriegel tried to get the French communist party to adopt a more liberal line. This resulted in his disgrace, and he left the party in 1961, finding employment as an administrator in the social security system until retirement. In 1995, he was formally rehabilitated by the leader of the Communist party, and in 1997 he stood on the Communist list for the European parliamentary
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
elections.
Other
Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont was the father of the president of Haut Conseil à l'intégration (high council on immigration), Blandine Kriegel, the father-in-law of journalist Alexandre AdlerAlexandre Adler
Alexandre Adler is a French historian, journalist and expert of contemporary geopolitics, the former USSR, and the Middle East. He is a Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’Honneur...
and the brother-in-law of historian Annie Kriegel
Annie Kriegel
Annie Kriegel, née Annie Becker was a French historian, a leading expert on Communist studies and the history of communism, a co-founder of the academic journal Communisme , and a columnist for Le Figaro.As a student, Kriegel was a member of the French Communist Party, but changed her...
.
He died of a pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream . Usually this is due to embolism of a thrombus from the deep veins in the legs, a process termed venous thromboembolism...
at the age of 92 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
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...
.
Further reading
Larry CollinsLarry Collins
Larry Collins may refer to:* Larry Collins , author of several historical books, mainly in collaboration with Dominique Lapierre * Larry Collins , one of The Collins Kids, a juvenile rockabilly duo...
and Dominique Lapierre
Dominique Lapierre
Dominique Lapierre is a French author.-Life:Dominique Lapierre was born in Châtelaillon-Plage, Charente-Maritime, France. At the age of thirteen, he traveled to America with his father who was a diplomat...
, Is Paris Burning?
Is Paris Burning?
Is Paris Burning? is a 1966 film dealing with the 1944 liberation of Paris by rival branches of the French Resistance and the Free French Forces.-Plot:...
, New York: Pocket Books, 1965.