Édouard Depreux
Encyclopedia
Édouard Depreux was a French socialist journalist, essayist, and politician of the French Fourth Republic
; he was born in Viesly
(département of Nord) and died in Paris.
, Depreux was injured in a gas attack
, and was subsequently awarded the Croix de guerre
. He joined the Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière
(SFIO) at age 20, being influenced by the ideas of Jean Jaurès
and Jean Longuet
; he studied Philosophy, Law, and Humanities
, before becoming a lawyer.
After serving as a member of the Sceaux
commune council in 1935, and as a council member for Seine
(1938–1941), he joined the French Resistance
in the fight against the Nazi German
military occupation
, and held a high-ranking position in the SFIO executive committee, being the editor of the illegal newspaper Le Populaire. After the liberation of Paris
, Depreux became mayor of Sceaux (a position he would hold until 1959), and a member of the Assemblée Consultative Provisoire that served as the legislature of France prior to the creation of the Fourth Republic; he then was elected to the French Parliament for successive terms between 1946 and 1958.
between 24 June 1946 and 24 November 1947 (in the Ministries of Georges Bidault
, Léon Blum
, and Paul Ramadier
), he imposed the voting of an Organic Statute of Algeria, confirming partial autonomy for the colony
of Algeria
. In 1947, he revealed the existence of an American-sponsored secret "stay-behind
army" in France codenamed Plan Bleu.
He was Minister of Education in Robert Schuman
's first cabinet (February–July 1948). Hostile to the European Defence Community
plan proposed by René Pleven
, and highly critical of the colonialism
accommodated by the SFIO, Depreux nonetheless led the Party's group in the French National Assembly
on two occasions.
At the same time, he became an opponent of Charles de Gaulle
and Gaullism
, and declared his dissatifaction with the proclamation of the Fifth Republic. Édouard Depreux left the SFIO to enter the new Autonomous Socialist Party (PSA), and then the Unified Socialist Party
(PSU, created by a merger between the PSA and other groups), serving as its national secretary between 1960 and 1967.
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems...
; he was born in Viesly
Viesly
-References:*...
(département of Nord) and died in Paris.
Early career
A soldier in World War IWorld 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...
, Depreux was injured in a gas attack
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
, and was subsequently awarded the Croix de guerre
Croix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
. He joined the Section Française de l'Internationale Ouvrière
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
(SFIO) at age 20, being influenced by the ideas of Jean Jaurès
Jean Jaurès
Jean Léon Jaurès was a French Socialist leader. Initially an Opportunist Republican, he evolved into one of the first social democrats, becoming the leader, in 1902, of the French Socialist Party, which opposed Jules Guesde's revolutionary Socialist Party of France. Both parties merged in 1905 in...
and Jean Longuet
Jean Longuet
Jean-Laurent-Frederick Longuet was a French socialist and Karl Marx's grandson.Son of Charles and Jenny Longuet. French lawyer and Socialist who in the First World War held a pacifist position but invariably voted for war credits. Founder and editor of the newspaper Le Populaire...
; he studied Philosophy, Law, and Humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, before becoming a lawyer.
After serving as a member of the Sceaux
Sceaux, Hauts-de-Seine
Sceaux is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Wealth:Sceaux is famous for the Château of Sceaux, set in its large park , designed by André Le Nôtre, measuring...
commune council in 1935, and as a council member for Seine
Seine (département)
Seine was a département of France encompassing Paris and its immediate suburbs. Its préfecture was Paris and its official number was 75. The Seine département was abolished in 1968 and its territory divided among four new départements....
(1938–1941), he joined 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...
in the fight against the Nazi German
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...
military occupation
Military history of France during World War II
The military history of France during World War II covers the period from 1939 until 1940, which witnessed French military participation under the French Third Republic , and the period from 1940 until 1945, which was marked by mainland and overseas military administration and influence struggles...
, and held a high-ranking position in the SFIO executive committee, being the editor of the illegal newspaper Le Populaire. After 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...
, Depreux became mayor of Sceaux (a position he would hold until 1959), and a member of the Assemblée Consultative Provisoire that served as the legislature of France prior to the creation of the Fourth Republic; he then was elected to the French Parliament for successive terms between 1946 and 1958.
As Minister and PSU leader
A Minister of the InteriorMinister of the Interior (France)
The Minister of the Interior in France is one of the most important governmental cabinet positions, responsible for the following:* The general interior security of the country, with respect to criminal acts or natural catastrophes...
between 24 June 1946 and 24 November 1947 (in the Ministries of Georges Bidault
Georges Bidault
Georges-Augustin Bidault was a French politician. During World War II, he was active in the French Resistance. After the war, he served as foreign minister and prime minister on several occasions before he joined the Organisation armée secrète.-Early life:...
, Léon Blum
Léon Blum
André Léon Blum was a French politician, usually identified with the moderate left, and three times the Prime Minister of France.-First political experiences:...
, and Paul Ramadier
Paul Ramadier
Paul 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...
), he imposed the voting of an Organic Statute of Algeria, confirming partial autonomy for the colony
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...
of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. In 1947, he revealed the existence of an American-sponsored secret "stay-behind
Stay-behind
In a stay-behind operation, a country places secret operatives or organisations in its own territory, for use in the event that the territory is overrun by an enemy. If this occurs, the operatives would then form the basis of a resistance movement, or would act as spies from behind enemy lines...
army" in France codenamed Plan Bleu.
He was Minister of Education in Robert Schuman
Robert Schuman
Robert Schuman was a noted Luxembourgish-born French statesman. Schuman was a Christian Democrat and an independent political thinker and activist...
's first cabinet (February–July 1948). Hostile to the European Defence Community
European Defence Community
The European Defense Community was a plan proposed in 1950 by René Pleven, the French President of the Council , in response to the American call for the rearmament of West Germany...
plan proposed by René Pleven
René Pleven
René Pléven was a notable French politician of the Fourth Republic. A member of the Free French, he helped found the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance , a political party that was meant to be a successor to the wartime Resistance movement...
, and highly critical of the colonialism
Colonialism
Colonialism is the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory. It is a process whereby the metropole claims sovereignty over the colony and the social structure, government, and economics of the colony are changed by...
accommodated by the SFIO, Depreux nonetheless led the Party's group 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 ....
on two occasions.
At the same time, he became 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....
and Gaullism
Gaullism
Gaullism is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Resistance leader then president Charles de Gaulle.-Foreign policy:...
, and declared his dissatifaction with the proclamation of the Fifth Republic. Édouard Depreux left the SFIO to enter the new Autonomous Socialist Party (PSA), and then the Unified Socialist Party
Unified Socialist Party (France)
The Unified Socialist Party was a socialist political party in France, founded on April 3, 1960. It was originally led by Édouard Depreux , and by Michel Rocard .- History :...
(PSU, created by a merger between the PSA and other groups), serving as its national secretary between 1960 and 1967.
Works
- Renouveau du socialisme, Calmann-Lévy, 1960
- La nouvelle Chine et son héritage, Editions du Burin, 1967
- Souvenir d'un militant, de la social-démocratie au socialisme, Fayard, 1972
- Servitude et grandeur du PSU, Editions Syros, 1974
- Comment j'ai pu, en décembre 1941, sous l'occupation nazie, dire non à Pétain et à Hitler, Presses de l'Atelier Graphique, Reims 1979
See also
- Nationalism and resistance in AlgeriaNationalism and resistance in Algeria-Algerian nationalism:A new generation of Muslim leadership emerged in Algeria at the time of World War I and grew to maturity during the 1920s and 1930s. It consisted of a small but influential class of évolués, other Algerians whose perception of themselves and their country had been shaped by...
- Operation GladioOperation GladioOperation Gladio is the codename for a clandestine NATO "stay-behind" operation in Italy after World War II. Its purpose was to continue anti-communist actions in the event of a shift to a Communist party led government...