Georges-Augustin Bidault (; 5 October 189927 January 1983) was a French

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he was active in the

French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...

. After the war, he served as foreign minister and prime minister on several occasions. He joined the Organisation armée secrète; however he always denied his involvement.

Biography

Early life

Bidault was born in Moulins, Allier. He studied in the Sorbonne and became a college history teacher. In 1932 he helped to found the Catholic Association of French Youth and the left-wing anti-fascist newspaper '' l'Aube''. He had a column in the paper and, among other things, protested against the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...

in 1938.

World War II

After the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the French army. He was captured during the Fall of France and was briefly imprisoned. After his release in July 1941, he became a teacher at the Lycée du Parc in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

and joined the ''Liberté'' group of

that eventually merged with ''Combat''.

Jean Moulin Jean Pierre Moulin (; 20 June 1899 – 8 July 1943) was a French civil servant and French Resistance, resistant who served as the first President of the National Council of the Resistance during World War II from 27 May 1943 until his death less ...

recruited him to organize an underground press and the ''Combat'' underground newspaper. In his work in the resistance, he was helped by his private administrative assistant Laure Diebold. Bidault, inter alia along with other high profile people, was imprisoned by the Spanish in an

Internment Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simp ...

camp at Miranda de Ebro. Bidault participated in the forming of the Conseil National de la Résistance and, after the Gestapo captured Moulin, he became its new chairman. In 1944 he formed a Resistance Charter that recommended an extensive post-war reform program. After the liberation of Paris he represented the Resistance in the victory parade. Charles de Gaulle appointed him as a foreign minister of his provisional government on 25 August. He was the founder of the

Mouvement Républicain Populaire The Popular Republican Movement (french: Mouvement Républicain Populaire, MRP) was a Christian-democratic political party in France during the Fourth Republic. Its base was the Catholic vote and its leaders included Georges Bidault, Robert Sch ...

(MRP). He was head of the French delegation to the San Francisco Conference, which established the UN, from April to June 1945. At the conference, France succeeded in gaining a permanent seat on the Security Council.

Fourth Republic

On 4 January 1946, Bidault married Suzanne Borel, the first French woman to be employed as a diplomat. The same year he served as foreign minister in Félix Gouin's

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...

. On 19 June 1946, the National Constituent Assembly elected him as president of the provisional government. His government, formed on 15 June, was composed of socialists, communists and Bidault's own MRP. In social policy, Bidault's government was notable for passing important pension and workman's compensation laws. An act of 22 August 1946 extended coverage of family allowances to practically the entire population, while a law of October 1946 provided that insurance of occupation risks "would henceforth be mandatory and that such insurance would be granted by the Social Security that had been created in 1945." In August 1946, an Act was passed that made provision for two-day's holiday a month up to a maximum of 24 working days for young persons between the ages of 14 and 18 and for one-and-a-half days' a month up to a maximum of 18 working days for those aged between 18 and 21. In addition, an Act was passed on 11 October 1946 that introduced occupational medical services. Bidault later became foreign minister once again. The government held elections to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...

on 29 November after which Bidault resigned. His successor was Léon Blum. Bidault served in various French governments, first as foreign minister under Paul Ramadier and Robert Schuman. In April 1947 he supported Ramadier's decision to expel the Communists from his government. Bidault had recently been to Moscow and was disturbed by the Soviet regime; he believed an agreement with Stalin was impossible. In 1949 he became the President of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) but his government lasted only 8 months. During his last term as prime minister, a law of February 1950 that regulated collective bargaining, and contained a guarantee of the right of workers to strike. The same law required the government to fix minimum wages for agriculture and for industry. In Henri Queuille's governments in 1950–1951 he held the office of Vice-president of the Council and under René Pleven and Edgar Faure also the post of defense minister. In 1952 Bidault became an honorary president of MRP. On 1 June 1953 President

Vincent Auriol Vincent Jules Auriol (; 27 August 1884 – 1 January 1966) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1947 to 1954. Early life and politics Auriol was born in Revel, Haute-Garonne, as the only child of Jacques Antoine Auri ...

assigned him to form his own government but the National Assembly refused to give him the official mandate at 10 June. In 1953 Bidault became a presidential candidate but withdrew after the second round. Bidault was foreign minister during the siege of the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu from March to May 1954. He protested to the Red Cross that the Viet Minh were shooting at clearly marked French medical evacuation flights, killing some of the evacuees. The ongoing fighting in Indochina had exhausted him; he was described by American secretary of state John Foster Dulles as "a deeply harassed man" and later by a historian as "on the verge of a nervous breakdown". Caught between his desires to end the war and to maintain French rule over its colonies, he vacillated between pressing the war, perhaps by asking the Americans for air support, or seeking a negotiated solution. Bidault stated that John Foster Dulles (then Secretary of State of United States) offered France two atomic bombs in 1954.

Fifth Republic

In April 1958 Bidault again became prime minister but did not form a cabinet and had a hand in forming the conservative Christian Democratic Movement. He also supported De Gaulle's presidency after the outbreak of the Algerian War of Independence. In 1961 Bidault became President of the Executive Council of the Rally for French Algeria and opposed De Gaulle's policy of Algerian independence. He established his own National Resistance Council within the far-right paramilitary organization OAS ( Organisation armée secrète). In June 1962 he was accused of conspiring against the state and stripped of his parliamentary immunity. He left for exile in Brazil. In 1967 he moved to Belgium and in 1968 returned to France after benefiting from an amnesty. In his political memoirs, Bidault stated that he was never involved in the OAS, and was not qualified to give any precise information about its deeds.Bidault, Georges (1967) ''Resistance: The Political Autobiography of Georges Bidault''. F.A. Praeger. p. 245. When the

Front national The National Rally (french: Rassemblement National, ; RN), until 2018 known as the National Front (french: link=no, Front National, ; FN), is a far-rightAbridged list of reliable sources that refer to National Rally as far-right: Academic: * ...

was founded in October 1972 by members of Ordre nouveau, he participated but resigned from the organisation a few days later. Bidault died of a stroke in Cambo-les-Bains in January 1983.

Governments

First ministry (24 June – 16 December 1946)

*Georges Bidault – Chairman of the Provisional Government and Minister of Foreign Affairs * Maurice Thorez – Vice Chairman of the Provisional Government * Félix Gouin – Vice Chairman of the Provisional Government and Minister of National Defense * Charles Tillon – Minister of Armaments *

Édouard Depreux Édouard Gustave Depreux (31 October 1898 – 16 October 1981) 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. Early career Born ...

– Minister of the Interior * Robert Schuman – Minister of Finance *

François de Menthon Count François de Menthon (8 January 1900 – 2 June 1984) was a French politician and professor of law. Early and private life Menthon was born in Montmirey-la-Ville in Jura. He was a son of an old noble family from Menthon-Saint-Bernard. He ...

– Minister of National Economy *

Marcel Paul Marcel Paul (12 July 1900, Paris — 11 November 1982) was a French trade unionist and communist politician. He was also a Nazi concentration camp survivor and later served as a member of the French parliament. Biography Marcel Paul was a ...

– Minister of Industrial Production *

Ambroise Croizat Ambroise Croizat (28 January 1901 – 11 February 1951) was a French syndicalist and communist politician. As the minister of Labour and of Social security, he founded the French Social security system (or social safety net) and the retirement sy ...

– Minister of Labour and Social Security * Pierre-Henri Teitgen – Minister of Justice *

Marcel Edmond Naegelen Marcel-Edmond Naegelen (17 January 1892, Belfort – 15 April 1978, Paris) was a French politician. He represented the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) in the Constituent Assembly elected in 1945, in the Constituent Assembly e ...

– Minister of National Education *

François Tanguy-Prigent François Marie Tanguy Prigent (11 October 1909 – 20 January 1970) was a French Socialist politician who became a resistance fighter during World War II (1939–45). He was Minister of Agriculture from September 1944 to October 1947 and was Min ...

– Minister of Agriculture * Yves Farge – Minister of Supply *

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– Minister of Overseas France *

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– Minister of Public Works and Transport * Robert Prigent – Minister of Population *

François Billoux François Billoux (21 May 1903 – 14 January 1978) was a French communist politician. Biography Billoux was born in Saint-Romain-la-Motte. He was a member of the Central Committee of the French Communist Party (PCF) from 1926, and a member ...

– Minister of Reconstruction and Town Planning * Jean Letourneau – Minister of Posts * Alexandre Varenne – Minister of State * Francisque Gay – Minister of State

Second ministry (28 October 1949 – 7 February 1950)

*Georges Bidault – President of the Council *

– Vice President of the Council and Minister of the Interior * Henri Queuille – Vice President of the Council * Robert Schuman – Minister of Foreign Affairs * René Pleven – Minister of National Defense *

Maurice Petsche Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor * Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and L ...

– Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs * Robert Lacoste – Minister of Commerce and Industry * Pierre Segelle – Minister of Labour and Social Security * René Mayer – Minister of Justice * Yvon Delbos – Minister of National Education * Louis Jacquinot – Minister of Veterans and War Victims * Pierre Pflimlin – Minister of Agriculture * Jean Letourneau – Minister of Overseas France * Christian Pineau – Minister of Public Works, Transport, and Tourism *

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– Minister of Public Health and Population *

Eugène Claudius-Petit Eugène Claudius-Petit was a French politician. He participated in many governments under the Fourth Republic and was a proponent of Firminy Vert. He later added his pseudonym from the Resistance, "Claudius", to his name. Early life and care ...

– Minister of Reconstruction and Town Planning *

Eugène Thomas Eugène Thomas (23 July 1903 – 29 January 1969) was a French socialist teacher, trade unionist and politician. He was a member of the French Resistance during World War II (1939–45). He was Minister or Secretary of State for PTT four times i ...

– Minister of Posts * Pierre-Henri Teitgen – Minister of State Changes: *2 December 1949 – Gabriel Valay succeeds Pflimlin as Minister of Agriculture

Third Ministry (7 February – 2 July 1950)

*Georges Bidault – President of the Council * Henri Queuille – Vice President of the Council and Minister of the Interior * Robert Schuman – Minister of Foreign Affairs * René Pleven – Minister of National Defense *

– Minister of Finance and Economics Affairs *

Jean-Marie Louvel Jean-Marie Louvel (1 July 1900 – 13 June 1970) was a French engineer and politician. 1900 births 1970 deaths People from Orne Politicians from Normandy Popular Republican Movement politicians French Ministers of Commerce and I ...

– Minister of Commerce and Industry * Paul Bacon – Minister of Labour and Social Security * René Mayer – Minister of Justice * Yvon Delbos – Minister of National Education * Louis Jacquinot – Minister of Veterans and War Victims * Gabriel Valay – Minister of Agriculture * Jean Letourneau – Minister of Overseas France * Jacques Chastellain – Minister of Public Works, Transport, and Tourism *

– Minister of Public Health and Population *

– Minister of Reconstruction and Town Planning * Charles Brune – Minister of Posts * Pierre-Henri Teitgen – Minister of State

References

Sources and further reading

* Bidault, Georges. ''Resistance: The Political Autobiography of Georges Bidault'' (Praeger, 1965
online
*

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bidault, Georges 1899 births 1983 deaths 20th-century heads of state of France 20th-century Princes of Andorra Politicians from Moulins, Allier French Roman Catholics Popular Democratic Party (France) politicians Popular Republican Movement politicians Heads of state of France Princes of Andorra Prime Ministers of France French Foreign Ministers Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1945) Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1946) Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic French military personnel of World War I French Resistance members Members of the Organisation armée secrète Companions of the Liberation Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Lycée Louis-le-Grand teachers