Édouard Daladier
Encyclopedia
Édouard Daladier was a French Radical
politician and the Prime Minister of France
at the start of the Second World War.
, Vaucluse
. Later, he would become known to many as "the bull of Vaucluse" because of his thick neck and large shoulders and determined look, although cynics also quipped that his horns were like those of a snail. During World War I, he rose from Private to Captain and Company Commander.
A government minister in various posts during the coalition government
s between 1924 and 1928, he was instrumental in the Radical Party's break with the socialist SFIO
in 1926, the first Cartel des gauches
– "Left-wing Coalition"), and with the conservative
Raymond Poincaré
in November 1928.
Daladier became a leading member of the Radicals. He first became Prime Minister in 1933, and then again in 1934 for a few weeks when the Stavisky Affair
led to the riots of 6 February 1934 instigated by the far right
and the fall of the second Cartel des gauches.
Daladier became Minister of War for the Popular Front
coalition in 1936; after the fall of the Popular Front, he became Prime Minister again on 10 April 1938.
While the forty-hour workweek was abolished under Daladier's government, a more generous system of family allowances was established, set as a percentage of wages: for the first child, 5%; for the second, 10%; and for each additional child, 15%. Also created was a home-mother allowance, which had been advocated by pronatalist and Catholic women’s groups since 1929. All mothers who were not professionally employed and whose husbands collected family allowances were eligible for this new benefit. In March 1939, the government added 10% for workers whose wives stayed home to take care of the children. Family allowances were enshrined in the Family Code of July 1939 and, with the exception of the stay-at-home allowance, have remained in force to this day.
Daladier's last government was in power at the time of the negotiations preceding the Munich Agreement
, when France backed out of its obligations to defend Czechoslovakia
against Nazi Germany
. He was pushed into negotiating by Britain's Neville Chamberlain
, without which war would have been inevitable at that time. Unlike Chamberlain, Daladier had no illusions about Hitler's ultimate goals. In fact, he told the British in a late April 1938 meeting that Hitler's real aim was to eventually secure "a domination of the Continent in comparison with which the ambitions of Napoleon were feeble." He went on to say "Today, it is the turn of Czechoslovakia. Tomorrow, it will be the turn of Poland and Romania. When Germany has obtained the oil and wheat it needs, she will turn on the West. Certainly we must multiply our efforts to avoid war. But that will not be obtained unless Great Britain and France stick together, intervening in Prague for new concessions but declaring at the same time that they will safeguard the independence of Czechoslovakia. If, on the contrary, the Western Powers capitulate again, they will only precipitate the war they wish to avoid."
Nevertheless, perhaps discouraged by the pessimistic and defeatist attitudes of both military and civilian members of the French government, as well as traumatized by France's blood-bath in World War I that he personally witnessed, Daladier ultimately let Chamberlain have his way. On his return to Paris, Daladier, who was expecting a hostile crowd, was acclaimed. He then commented to his aide, Alexis Léger
: "Ah, les cons (the fools)!".
, which forbade loans to nations that had defaulted on their World War I debts. In February 1939, the French offered to cede their possessions in the Caribbean and the Pacific together with a lump sum payment of 10 billion francs, in exchange for the unlimited right to buy, on credit, American aircraft. After torturous negotiations, an arrangement was worked out in the spring of 1939 to allow the French to place huge orders with the American aircraft industry; though most of the aircraft ordered had not arrived in France by 1940, the Americans arranged for French orders to be diverted to the British.
was signed, Daladier responded to the public outcry by outlawing the French Communist Party
, which had refused to condemn Joseph Stalin
's actions. In 1939, after the German invasion of Poland
, he was reluctant to go to war, but he did so on 4 September 1939, inaugurating the Phony War
. On 6 October of that year, Hitler offered France and Great Britain a peace proposal. There were more than a few in the French government prepared to take Hitler up on his offer; but, in a nationwide broadcast the next day, Daladier declared, "We took up arms against aggression. We shall not put them down until we have guarantees for a real peace and security, a security which is not threatened every six months.". On 29 January 1940, in a radio address delivered to the people of France entitled The Nazi's Aim is Slavery, Daladier left little doubt about his opinion of the Germans. In his radio address, he said: "For us, there is more to do than merely win the war. We shall win it, but we must also win a victory far greater than that of arms. In this world of masters and slaves, which those madmen who rule at Berlin are seeking to forge, we must also save liberty and human dignity."
In March 1940, Daladier resigned as Prime Minister in France because of his failure to aid Finland
's defence during the Winter War
, and he was replaced with Paul Reynaud
. Daladier remained, however, Minister of Defence, and his antipathy to Paul Reynaud prevented Reynaud from dismissing Maurice Gamelin
as Supreme Commander of all French armed forces
. As a result of the massive German breakthrough at Sedan, Daladier swapped ministerial offices with Reynaud, taking over the Foreign Ministry while Reynaud took over Defence. Gamelin was finally replaced by Maxime Weygand
on 19 May 1940, nine days after the Germans began their invasion campaign
. Under the impression the government would continue in North Africa
, Daladier fled with other members of the government to Morocco
; but he was arrested and tried for treason by the Vichy government
during the "Riom Trial
". He was kept in prison from 1940 to April 1943, when he was handed over to the Germans and deported to Buchenwald concentration camp
in Germany. In May 1943, he was transported to the Itter Castle
in North Tyrol with other French dignitaries, where he remained until the end of the war.
, where he was an opponent of Charles de Gaulle
. He was also mayor of Avignon
from 1953 until 1958. He died in Paris in 1970 and is buried in the famous cemetery of Père-Lachaise.
Changes
Changes
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Changes
Radical-Socialist Party (France)
The Radical Party , is a liberal and centrist political party in France. The Radicals are currently the fourth-largest party in the National Assembly, with 21 seats...
politician and the Prime Minister of France
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
at the start of the Second World War.
Career
Daladier was born in CarpentrasCarpentras
Carpentras is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It stands on the banks of the Auzon...
, Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
. Later, he would become known to many as "the bull of Vaucluse" because of his thick neck and large shoulders and determined look, although cynics also quipped that his horns were like those of a snail. During World War I, he rose from Private to Captain and Company Commander.
A government minister in various posts during the coalition government
Coalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
s between 1924 and 1928, he was instrumental in the Radical Party's break with the socialist SFIO
Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière
The French Section of the Workers' International , founded in 1905, was a French socialist political party, designed as the local section of the Second International...
in 1926, the first Cartel des gauches
Cartel des Gauches
The Cartel des gauches was the name of the governmental alliance between the Radical-Socialist Party and the socialist French Section of the Workers' International after World War I , which lasted until the end of the Popular Front . The Cartel des gauches twice won general elections, in 1924 and...
– "Left-wing Coalition"), and with the conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France on five separate occasions and as President of France from 1913 to 1920. Poincaré was a conservative leader primarily committed to political and social stability...
in November 1928.
Daladier became a leading member of the Radicals. He first became Prime Minister in 1933, and then again in 1934 for a few weeks when the Stavisky Affair
Stavisky Affair
The Stavisky Affair was a 1934 financial scandal generated by the actions of embezzler Alexandre Stavisky. It had political ramifications for the French Radical Socialist moderate government of the day...
led to the riots of 6 February 1934 instigated by the far right
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
and the fall of the second Cartel des gauches.
Daladier became Minister of War for the Popular Front
Popular 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...
coalition in 1936; after the fall of the Popular Front, he became Prime Minister again on 10 April 1938.
While the forty-hour workweek was abolished under Daladier's government, a more generous system of family allowances was established, set as a percentage of wages: for the first child, 5%; for the second, 10%; and for each additional child, 15%. Also created was a home-mother allowance, which had been advocated by pronatalist and Catholic women’s groups since 1929. All mothers who were not professionally employed and whose husbands collected family allowances were eligible for this new benefit. In March 1939, the government added 10% for workers whose wives stayed home to take care of the children. Family allowances were enshrined in the Family Code of July 1939 and, with the exception of the stay-at-home allowance, have remained in force to this day.
Munich
Munich Agreement
The Munich Pact was an agreement permitting the Nazi German annexation of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The Sudetenland were areas along Czech borders, mainly inhabited by ethnic Germans. The agreement was negotiated at a conference held in Munich, Germany, among the major powers of Europe without...
, when France backed out of its obligations to defend Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. He was pushed into negotiating by Britain's Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
, without which war would have been inevitable at that time. Unlike Chamberlain, Daladier had no illusions about Hitler's ultimate goals. In fact, he told the British in a late April 1938 meeting that Hitler's real aim was to eventually secure "a domination of the Continent in comparison with which the ambitions of Napoleon were feeble." He went on to say "Today, it is the turn of Czechoslovakia. Tomorrow, it will be the turn of Poland and Romania. When Germany has obtained the oil and wheat it needs, she will turn on the West. Certainly we must multiply our efforts to avoid war. But that will not be obtained unless Great Britain and France stick together, intervening in Prague for new concessions but declaring at the same time that they will safeguard the independence of Czechoslovakia. If, on the contrary, the Western Powers capitulate again, they will only precipitate the war they wish to avoid."
Nevertheless, perhaps discouraged by the pessimistic and defeatist attitudes of both military and civilian members of the French government, as well as traumatized by France's blood-bath in World War I that he personally witnessed, Daladier ultimately let Chamberlain have his way. On his return to Paris, Daladier, who was expecting a hostile crowd, was acclaimed. He then commented to his aide, Alexis Léger
Saint-John Perse
Saint-John Perse was a French poet, awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1960 "for the soaring flight and evocative imagery of his poetry." He was also a major French diplomat from 1914 to 1940, after which he lived primarily in the USA until 1967.-Biography:Alexis Leger was...
: "Ah, les cons (the fools)!".
Rearmament
In October 1938, Daladier opened secret talks with the Americans on how to bypass American neutrality laws and allow the French to buy American aircraft to make up for productivity deficiencies in the French aircraft industry. Daladier commented in October 1938, "If I had three or four thousand aircraft, Munich would never have happened", and he was most anxious to buy American war planes as the only way to strengthen the French Air Force. A major problem in the Franco-American talks was how the French were to pay for the American planes, as well as how to bypass the American neutrality acts In addition, France had defaulted on its World War I debts in 1932 and hence fell foul of the American Johnson Act of 1934Johnson Act
The Johnson Act of 1934 prohibited foreign nations in default from marketing their bond issues in the United States....
, which forbade loans to nations that had defaulted on their World War I debts. In February 1939, the French offered to cede their possessions in the Caribbean and the Pacific together with a lump sum payment of 10 billion francs, in exchange for the unlimited right to buy, on credit, American aircraft. After torturous negotiations, an arrangement was worked out in the spring of 1939 to allow the French to place huge orders with the American aircraft industry; though most of the aircraft ordered had not arrived in France by 1940, the Americans arranged for French orders to be diverted to the British.
World War II
When the Molotov-Ribbentrop PactMolotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
was signed, Daladier responded to the public outcry by outlawing 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...
, which had refused to condemn 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...
's actions. In 1939, after the German invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
, he was reluctant to go to war, but he did so on 4 September 1939, inaugurating the Phony War
Phony War
The Phoney War was a phase early in World War II – in the months following Britain and France's declaration of war on Germany in September 1939 and preceding the Battle of France in May 1940 – that was marked by a lack of major military operations by the Western Allies against the German Reich...
. On 6 October of that year, Hitler offered France and Great Britain a peace proposal. There were more than a few in the French government prepared to take Hitler up on his offer; but, in a nationwide broadcast the next day, Daladier declared, "We took up arms against aggression. We shall not put them down until we have guarantees for a real peace and security, a security which is not threatened every six months.". On 29 January 1940, in a radio address delivered to the people of France entitled The Nazi's Aim is Slavery, Daladier left little doubt about his opinion of the Germans. In his radio address, he said: "For us, there is more to do than merely win the war. We shall win it, but we must also win a victory far greater than that of arms. In this world of masters and slaves, which those madmen who rule at Berlin are seeking to forge, we must also save liberty and human dignity."
In March 1940, Daladier resigned as Prime Minister in France because of his failure to aid Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
's defence during the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
, and he was replaced with Paul Reynaud
Paul Reynaud
Paul Reynaud was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. He was the penultimate Prime Minister of the Third Republic and vice-president of the Democratic Republican Alliance center-right...
. Daladier remained, however, Minister of Defence, and his antipathy to Paul Reynaud prevented Reynaud from dismissing Maurice Gamelin
Maurice Gamelin
Maurice Gustave Gamelin was a French general. Gamelin is best remembered for his unsuccessful command of the French military in 1940 during the Battle of France and his steadfast defense of republican values....
as Supreme Commander of all French armed forces
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. As a result of the massive German breakthrough at Sedan, Daladier swapped ministerial offices with Reynaud, taking over the Foreign Ministry while Reynaud took over Defence. Gamelin was finally replaced by Maxime Weygand
Maxime Weygand
Maxime Weygand was a French military commander in World War I and World War II.Weygand initially fought against the Germans during the invasion of France in 1940, but then surrendered to and collaborated with the Germans as part of the Vichy France regime.-Early years:Weygand was born in Brussels...
on 19 May 1940, nine days after the Germans began their invasion campaign
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
. Under the impression the government would continue in North Africa
French colonial empires
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
, Daladier fled with other members of the government to Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
; but he was arrested and tried for treason by the Vichy government
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...
during the "Riom Trial
Riom Trial
The Riom Trial was an attempt by the Vichy France regime, headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain, to prove that the leaders of the French Third Republic had been responsible for France's defeat by Germany in 1940...
". He was kept in prison from 1940 to April 1943, when he was handed over to the Germans and deported to Buchenwald concentration camp
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,...
in Germany. In May 1943, he was transported to the Itter Castle
Itter Castle
Itter Castle is a small castle standing on a high knoll in Itter, a village in North Tyrol , 20 km west of Kitzbühel.The castle was used from 1943–45, during the Nazi occupation of France, to incarcerate prominent French prisoners...
in North Tyrol with other French dignitaries, where he remained until the end of the war.
Later Life
After the conflict ended, Daladier was a member of the Chamber of DeputiesChamber of Deputies of France
Chamber of Deputies was the name given to several parliamentary bodies in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries:* 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the Lower chamber of the French Parliament, elected by census suffrage.*...
, where he was an opponent of 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 was also mayor of Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
from 1953 until 1958. He died in Paris in 1970 and is buried in the famous cemetery of Père-Lachaise.
Daladier's First Government, 31 January – 26 October 1933
- Édouard Daladier – President of the Council and Minister of War
- Eugène Penancier – Vice President of the Council and Minister of Justice
- Joseph Paul-BoncourJoseph Paul-BoncourAugustin Alfred Joseph Paul-Boncour was a French politician of the Third Republic.-Career:Born in Saint-Aignan, Loir-et-Cher, Paul-Boncour received a law degree from the University of Paris and became active in the labor movement, organizing the legal council of the Bourses du Travail...
– Minister of Foreign Affairs - Camille ChautempsCamille ChautempsCamille Chautemps was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic, three times President of the Council .-Career:Described as "intellectually bereft", Chautemps nevertheless entered politics and became Mayor of Tours in 1912, and a Radical deputy in 1919...
– Minister of the Interior - Georges BonnetGeorges BonnetNot to be confused with the French Socialist Georges MonnetGeorges-Étienne Bonnet was a French politician and leading figure in the Radical-Socialist Party.- Early career :...
– Minister of Finance - Lucien Lamoureux – Minister of Budget
- François Albert – Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions
- Georges LeyguesGeorges LeyguesGeorges Leygues was a French politician of the Third Republic. During his time as Minister of Marine he worked with the navy's chief of staff Henri Salaun in unsuccessful attempts to gain naval re-armament priority for government funding over army rearmament such as the Maginot Line.He was born...
– Minister of Marine - Eugène Frot – Minister of Merchant Marine
- Pierre CotPierre Cot.Pierre Cot , French politician, was a leading figure in the Popular Front government of the 1930s...
– Minister of Air - Anatole de MonzieAnatole de MonzieAnatole de Monzie was a French administrator, encyclopaedist , political figure and scholar. His father was a tax collector in Bazas, Gironde where Anatole - a name he disliked from an early age - was born in 1876...
– Minister of National Education - Edmond Miellet – Minister of Pensions
- Henri QueuilleHenri QueuilleHenri Queuille was a French Radical politician prominent in the Third and Fourth Republics. After World War II, he served three times as Prime Minister.He was the son of a noblewoman.-First ministry :...
– Minister of Agriculture - Albert SarrautAlbert SarrautAlbert-Pierre Sarraut was a French Radical politician, twice Prime Minister during the Third Republic.Sarraut was born in Bordeaux, Gironde, France.He was Governor-General of French Indochina, from 1912 to 1919....
– Minister of Colonies - Joseph Paganon – Minister of Public Works
- Charles Daniélou – Minister of Public Health
- Laurent EynacLaurent EynacLaurent Eynac was a French politician who was appointed Minister of Transportation on 7 June 1935 until 24 January 1936.He was born in Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille, Haute-Loire.-References:...
– Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones - Louis Serre – Minister of Commerce and Industry
Changes
- 6 September 1933 – Albert SarrautAlbert SarrautAlbert-Pierre Sarraut was a French Radical politician, twice Prime Minister during the Third Republic.Sarraut was born in Bordeaux, Gironde, France.He was Governor-General of French Indochina, from 1912 to 1919....
succeeds Leygues (d. 2 September) as Minister of Marine. Albert Dalimier succeeds Sarraut as Minister of Colonies.
Daladier's Second Ministry, 30 January – 9 February 1934
- Édouard Daladier – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Eugène Penancier – Vice President of the Council and Minister of Justice
- Jean Fabry – Minister of National Defence and War
- Eugène Frot – Minister of the Interior
- François PiétriFrançois PiétriFrançois Piétri was a minister in several governments in the later years of the French Third Republic and was French ambassador to Spain from 1940 to 1944 under the Vichy regime....
– Minister of Finance - Jean Valadier – Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions
- Louis de Chappedelaine – Minister of Military Marine
- Guy La ChambreGuy La ChambreGuy La Chambre was a French politician.He was born in Paris on 5 June 1898 into a prosperous family with roots in Brittany. His father, Charles La Chambre served in the Chamber of Deputies representing Ille-et-Vilaine from 1902 to 1906, and Guy's grandfather Charles-Emile also served in that...
– Minister of Merchant Marine - Pierre CotPierre Cot.Pierre Cot , French politician, was a leading figure in the Popular Front government of the 1930s...
– Minister of Air - Aimé Berthod – Minister of National Education
- Hippolyte Ducos – Minister of Pensions
- Henri QueuilleHenri QueuilleHenri Queuille was a French Radical politician prominent in the Third and Fourth Republics. After World War II, he served three times as Prime Minister.He was the son of a noblewoman.-First ministry :...
– Minister of Agriculture - Henry de Jouvenel – Minister of Overseas France
- Joseph Paganon – Minister of Public Works
- Émile Lisbonne – Minister of Public Health
- Paul Bernier – Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones
- Jean MistlerJean MistlerJean Mistler was a French writer born in Sorèze, Tarn. In 1966 he was elected to the Académie Française.Mistler, whose father's family had left Alsace in 1871, did his schooling in Sorèze, before preparing for the entrance examination of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure at the Lycée Henri IV, where...
– Minister of Commerce and Industry
Changes
- 4 February 1934 – Joseph Paul-BoncourJoseph Paul-BoncourAugustin Alfred Joseph Paul-Boncour was a French politician of the Third Republic.-Career:Born in Saint-Aignan, Loir-et-Cher, Paul-Boncour received a law degree from the University of Paris and became active in the labor movement, organizing the legal council of the Bourses du Travail...
succeeds Fabry as Minister of National Defence and War. Paul MarchandeauPaul MarchandeauPaul Marchandeau was a French politician. He was awarded the Croix de guerre and the Légion d'honneur, for his actions during World War I. From 1925 until 1942, he was the mayor of Reims...
succeeds Piétri as Minister of Finance.
Daladier's Third Ministry, 10 April 1938 – 21 March 1940
- Édouard Daladier – President of the Council and Minister of National Defence and War
- Camille ChautempsCamille ChautempsCamille Chautemps was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic, three times President of the Council .-Career:Described as "intellectually bereft", Chautemps nevertheless entered politics and became Mayor of Tours in 1912, and a Radical deputy in 1919...
– Vice President of the Council - Georges BonnetGeorges BonnetNot to be confused with the French Socialist Georges MonnetGeorges-Étienne Bonnet was a French politician and leading figure in the Radical-Socialist Party.- Early career :...
– Minister of Foreign Affairs - Albert SarrautAlbert SarrautAlbert-Pierre Sarraut was a French Radical politician, twice Prime Minister during the Third Republic.Sarraut was born in Bordeaux, Gironde, France.He was Governor-General of French Indochina, from 1912 to 1919....
– Minister of the Interior - Paul MarchandeauPaul MarchandeauPaul Marchandeau was a French politician. He was awarded the Croix de guerre and the Légion d'honneur, for his actions during World War I. From 1925 until 1942, he was the mayor of Reims...
– Minister of Finance - Raymond Patenôtre – Minister of National Economy
- Paul RamadierPaul RamadierPaul Ramadier was a prominent French politician of the Third and Fourth Republics. Mayor of Decazeville starting in 1919, he served as the first Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic in 1947. On 10 July 1940, he voted against the granting of the full powers to Marshal Philippe Pétain, who...
– Minister of Labour - Paul ReynaudPaul ReynaudPaul Reynaud was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. He was the penultimate Prime Minister of the Third Republic and vice-president of the Democratic Republican Alliance center-right...
– Minister of Justice - César CampinchiCésar CampinchiCésar Campinchi was a lawyer and French statesman in the beginning of the 20th century....
– Minister of Military Marine - Louis de Chappedelaine – Minister of Merchant Marine
- Guy La ChambreGuy La ChambreGuy La Chambre was a French politician.He was born in Paris on 5 June 1898 into a prosperous family with roots in Brittany. His father, Charles La Chambre served in the Chamber of Deputies representing Ille-et-Vilaine from 1902 to 1906, and Guy's grandfather Charles-Emile also served in that...
– Minister of Air - Jean ZayJean ZayJean Zay is a French politician born in Orléans on 6 August 1904 and assassinated 20 June 1944 by the miliciens in Molles . He was the Minister of National Education and Fine Arts from 1936 until 1939....
– Minister of National Education - Auguste Champetier de RibesAuguste Champetier de RibesAuguste Champetier de Ribes was a French politician and jurist.A devout Catholic, he was an early follower of Albert de Mun and social Christianity. Wounded in the First World War, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies from the Basses-Pyrénées as a Christian democrat from 1924 to 1934...
– Minister of Veterans and Pensioners - Henri QueuilleHenri QueuilleHenri Queuille was a French Radical politician prominent in the Third and Fourth Republics. After World War II, he served three times as Prime Minister.He was the son of a noblewoman.-First ministry :...
– Minister of Agriculture - Georges MandelGeorges MandelGeorges Mandel was a French politician, journalist, and French Resistance leader.-Biography:Born Louis George Rothschild in Chatou, Yvelines, was the son of a tailor...
– Minister of Colonies - Ludovic-Oscar FrossardLudovic-Oscar FrossardLudovic-Oscar Frossard was a French socialist and communist politician, a member of six successive French governments between 1935 and 1940.-Early career and PCF:Born into an anti-clerical family opposed to the antisemitical side during the Dreyfus...
– Minister of Public Works - Marc Rucart – Minister of Public Health
- Alfred Jules-Julien – Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones
- Fernand Gentin – Minister of Commerce
Changes
- 23 August 1938 – Charles Pomaret succeeds Ramadier as Minister of Labour. Anatole de MonzieAnatole de MonzieAnatole de Monzie was a French administrator, encyclopaedist , political figure and scholar. His father was a tax collector in Bazas, Gironde where Anatole - a name he disliked from an early age - was born in 1876...
succeeds Frossard as Minister of Public Works. - 1 November 1938 – Paul ReynaudPaul ReynaudPaul Reynaud was a French politician and lawyer prominent in the interwar period, noted for his stances on economic liberalism and militant opposition to Germany. He was the penultimate Prime Minister of the Third Republic and vice-president of the Democratic Republican Alliance center-right...
succeeds Paul MarchandeauPaul MarchandeauPaul Marchandeau was a French politician. He was awarded the Croix de guerre and the Légion d'honneur, for his actions during World War I. From 1925 until 1942, he was the mayor of Reims...
as Minister of Finance. Marchandeau succeeds Reynaud as Minister of Justice. - 13 September 1939 – Georges BonnetGeorges BonnetNot to be confused with the French Socialist Georges MonnetGeorges-Étienne Bonnet was a French politician and leading figure in the Radical-Socialist Party.- Early career :...
succeeds Marchandeau as Minister of Justice. Daladier succeeds Bonnet as Minister of Foreign Affairs, remaining also Minister of National Defence and War. Raymond Patenôtre leaves the Cabinet and the Position of Minister of National Economy is abolished. Alphonse Rio succeeds Chappedelaine as Minister of Merchant Marine. Yvon DelbosYvon DelbosYvon Delbos was a French Radical-Socialist Party politician and minister.Delbos was born in Thonac, Dordogne, Aquitaine, entered a career as a journalist, and became a member of the Radical-Socialist Party...
succeeds Zay as Minister of National Education. René BesseRené BesseRené Besse was a French politician.Besse was Minister of Pensions for a few months in the second government of Albert Sarraut and Minister of Veterans and Pensioners from 18 September 1938 to 21 March 1940 in the third government of Édouard Daladier....
succeeds Champetier as Minister of Veterans and Pensioners. Raoul DautryRaoul DautryRaoul Dautry was a French engineer, business leader and politician. He was born on 16 September 1880 at Montluçon in the department of Allier; he died on 21 August 1951 at Lourmarin in the department of Vaucluse.- Education and career :...
enters the Cabinet as Minister of Armaments. Georges Pernot enters the Cabinet as Minister of Blockade.