René Pleven (; 15 April 1901 – 13 January 1993) 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 (UDSR), a political party that was meant to be a successor to the wartime Resistance movement. He served as prime minister twice in the early 1950s, where his most notable contribution was the introduction of the

Pleven Plan The Treaty establishing the European Defence Community, also known as the Treaty of Paris, is an unratified treaty signed on 27 May 1952 by the six 'inner' countries of European integration: the Benelux countries, France, Italy, and West Germa ...

, which called for a

European Defence Community The Treaty establishing the European Defence Community, also known as the Treaty of Paris, is an unratified treaty signed on 27 May 1952 by the six 'inner' countries of European integration: the Benelux countries, France, Italy, and West German ...

between France, Italy,

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

, and the

Benelux The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico- economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe ...

countries.

Early life

René Pleven was born in

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departme ...

on 15 April 1901 as the son of a

commissioned officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent contex ...

and director of studies at the Special Military School of St. Cyr.René Pleven
'' DHM''. After studying law at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, he failed the exam for the financial corps of the civil service, so he decided to move to the United States, Canada, and Great Britain to work there. He rose to the become a telephone company executive. In 1924, he married Anne Bompard.Lambert, Bruce: "Rene Pleven, 91, Prime Minister of France Twice in Early 1950s". ''The New York Times''. 20 January 1993.

Wartime

Immediately after the breakout of the Second World War, he was in charge of encouraging the construction of aircraft for the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

in the United States and of purchasing planes for France. As late as 1939, Pleven stated that "Politics do not interest me,"Pour la France
''Time''. but then a year later, he joined

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...

's Free French Forces, which resisted the Nazi-allied French

Vichy Regime Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...

. Pleven suggested a political union between Britain and France, with a unification of sovereignty and defensive forces. The plan, supported by

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

, Paul Reynaud and

was not approved due to the opposition of the French armistice with Germany. Pleven helped rally support for Free France in French Equatorial Africa. Returning to London, where de Gaulle and his forces were exiled, in 1941, he became national commissioner for the economy, finance, the colonies and foreign affairs of the French National Committee. In this role, he presided over a 1944 conference in Brazzaville, which opted for a more liberal policy towards the colonies.

Postwar years

After France's liberation, he was the Minister of the Economy and Finance in the provisional government. After the war, Pleven was elected a legislator from the Côtes-du-Nord department. In 1946, he broke with Charles de Gaulle and founded the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance (UDSR) serving as the party's president from 1946 to 1953. The party was positioned between the Radical Socialists and the Socialists, favoring limited industrial

nationalization Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to p ...

and state controls. He then held several Cabinet posts, most notably Defense Minister from 1949 to 1950. In July 1950 he became the country's Prime Minister, as power was shifting to the right. A vehement supporter of European integration, he pushed the ratification of the

Schuman Plan The Schuman Declaration, or Schuman Plan, was a proposal to place French and West German production of coal and steel under a single authority that later became the European Coal and Steel Community, made by the French foreign minister, Robert ...

for European integration creating the

European Coal and Steel Community The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was a European organization created after World War II to regulate the coal and steel industries. It was formally established in 1951 by the Treaty of Paris, signed by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxemb ...

as Prime Minister. He had to face opposition from both left and right to push it through, but he collected enough votes in parliament by promising to increase farm loans and to lower taxes for low-income groups. After three days and two nights of debate, the treaty was ratified. He served until February 1951 and then again from August 1951 to January 1952, resigning over disagreements about budget deficits. He then became Defense Minister again. His proposal for a

European Defense Community The Treaty establishing the European Defence Community, also known as the Treaty of Paris, is an unratified treaty signed on 27 May 1952 by the six 'inner' countries of European integration: the Benelux countries, France, Italy, and West Germa ...

, in which to integrate a re-armed Germany, known as the

, was defeated by the Gaullists, communists, and socialists. He also advocated a hard hand in defending French colonial rule in

Indochina Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as the Indochinese Peninsula or Indochina, is the continental portion of Southeast Asia. It lies east of the Indian subcontinent and south of Mainland China and is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the west an ...

. In 1953, he resigned as chairman of the UDSR after his party supported the Vietnam peace talks. Being Minister of Defense from 1952 to 1954, he was responsible when the French lost the

Battle of Dien Bien Phu The Battle of Dien Bien Phu (french: Bataille de Diên Biên Phu ; vi, Chiến dịch Điện Biên Phủ, ) was a climactic confrontation of the First Indochina War that took place between 13 March and 7 May 1954. It was fought between the Fr ...

initiating the crumbling of French hegemony in the whole region. In 1957, President

René Coty Jules Gustave René Coty (; 20 March 188222 November 1962) was President of France from 1954 to 1959. He was the second and last president of the Fourth French Republic. Early life and politics René Coty was born in Le Havre and studied at t ...

offered him the opportunity to become Prime Minister again, but he turned it down.The Little Plum
''Time''. 10 June 1957. Instead, he became the Fourth Republic's last Foreign Minister in 1958. In 1966, Pleven's wife died. He had had two daughters, Françoise and Nicole, with her. From 1969 to 1973, he served as Minister of Justice in the governments of

Jacques Chaban-Delmas Jacques Chaban-Delmas (; 7 March 1915 – 10 November 2000) was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1969 to 1972. He was the Mayor of Bordeaux from 1947 to 1995 and a deputy for the Gironde '' ...

and Pierre Messmer, signing the pardon of notorious escapee

Henri Charrière Henri Charrière (; 16 November 1906 – 29 July 1973) was a French writer, convicted in 1931 as a murderer by the French courts and pardoned in 1970. He wrote the novel '' Papillon'', a memoir of his incarceration in and escape from a pen ...

in 1970. Losing re-election as legislator in 1973, he became president of a regional development council in his native

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

. He died of heart failure on 13 January 1993 at the age of 91.

Governments

First ministry (12 July 1950 – 10 March 1951)

*René Pleven – President of the Council *

Robert Schuman Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Robert Schuman (; 29 June 18864 September 1963) was a Luxembourg-born French statesman. Schuman was a Christian Democrat ( Popular Republican Movement) political thinker and activist. Twice Prime Minister of France, a re ...

– Minister of Foreign Affairs *

Guy Mollet Guy Alcide Mollet (; 31 December 1905 – 3 October 1975) was a French politician. He led the socialist French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) from 1946 to 1969 and was the French Prime Minister from 1956 to 1957. As Prime Minist ...

– Minister for the Council of Europe *

Jules Moch Jules Salvador Moch (15 March 1893, in Paris – 1 August 1985, in Cabris, Alpes-Maritimes) was a French politician. Biography Moch was born into a renowned French Jewish military family, the son of Captain Gaston Moch and Rébecca Alice ...

– Minister of National Defense *

Henri Queuille Henri Queuille (; 31 March 1884 – 15 June 1970) was a French Radical politician prominent in the Third and Fourth Republics. After World War II, he served three times as Prime Minister. Governments First ministry (11 September 1948 – 28 O ...

– Minister of the Interior *

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 * Edgar Faure – Minister of Budget *

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 * Gaston Defferre – Minister of Merchant Marine * Pierre-Olivier Lapie – Minister of National Education * Louis Jacquinot – Minister of Veterans and War Victims * Pierre Pflimlin – Minister of Agriculture *

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

– Minister of Overseas France * Antoine Pinay – Minister of Public Works, Transport, and Tourism *

Pierre Schneiter François Charles Pierre Schneiter (13 May 1905 – 19 March 1979) was a French politician. Pierre Schneiter was born in Reims, elder son of Charles Albert Schneiter, a wine broker, and Jeanne Marie Alice Sart. Charles Schneiter's father was ...

– 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 * Charles Brune – Minister of Posts *

Albert Gazier Albert Gazier (16 May 1908 – 2 March 1997) was a French trade union leader and politician. During World War II (1939–45) he helped reorganize the unions during the German occupation of France. He escaped arrest by the Gestapo, made his way to ...

– Minister of Information * Jean Letourneau – Minister of Relations with Partner States *

Paul Giacobbi Paul Giacobbi (born 4 June 1957 in Courbevoie, Hauts-de-Seine) was a member of the National Assembly of France until he retired at the 2017 Parliamentary Elections. He represented the 2nd constituency of the Haute-Corse Haute-Corse (; co, ...

– Minister without Portfolio

Second Ministry (11 August 1951 – 20 January 1952)

*René Pleven – President of the Council *

Georges Bidault Georges-Augustin Bidault (; 5 October 189927 January 1983) 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. He joined the ...

– Vice President of the Council and Minister of National Defense * René Mayer – Vice President of the Council and Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs *

– Minister of Foreign Affairs * Charles Brune – Minister of the Interior *

Pierre Courant Pierre Courant (12 September 1897, Le Havre, Seine-Maritime – 22 March 1965, Le Havre) was a French politician. He belonged first to the Independent Republicans (1946–1955) and then to the National Centre of Independents and Peasants The ...

– Minister of Budget *

– Minister of Industry * Paul Bacon – Minister of Labour and Social Security * Edgar Faure – Minister of Justice *

André Morice André Morice (11 October 1900, Nantes – 17 January 1990) was a French politician. He represented the Radical Party in the Constituent Assembly elected in 1945, in the Constituent Assembly elected in 1946 and in the National Assembly from 1946 ...

– Minister of Merchant Marine *

André Marie André Marie (3 December 1897 – 12 June 1974) was a French Radical politician who served as Prime Minister during the Fourth Republic in 1948. Biography Born at Honfleur, Calvados, the young André Marie studied at primary and second ...

– Minister of National Education * Emmanuel Temple – Minister of Veterans and War Victims *

Paul Antier Paul may refer to: * Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

– Minister of Agriculture * Louis Jacquinot – Minister of Overseas France * Antoine Pinay – Minister of Public Works, Transport, and Tourism *

Paul Ribeyre Paul François Ribeyre (11 December 1906 – 14 January 1988) was a French mineral water bottler and liberal conservative politician who was a deputy in the Constituent Assembly and then the National Assembly from 1945 to 1958, then a senator from ...

– Minister of Public Health and Population *

– Minister of Reconstruction and Town Planning * Joseph Laniel – Minister of Posts * Robert Buron – Minister of Information * Pierre Pflimlin – Minister of Commerce and External Economic Relations * Jean Letourneau – Minister of State *

– Minister of State *

– Minister of State Changes: *16 September 1951 – Minister of State Maurice Petsche dies. *4 October 1951 – Joseph Laniel becomes a Minister of State.

Roger Duchet Roger Duchet (4 July 1904 – 6 September 1981) was a French veterinarian and politician. He was Minister of PTT from 1951 to 1953, and Minister of Reconstruction from 1955 to 1956. After leaving politics he became involved in film production. Ea ...

succeeds Laniel as Minister of Posts. *21 November 1951 – Camille Laurens succeeds Antier as Minister of Agriculture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pleven, Rene 1901 births 1993 deaths Prime Ministers of France French Foreign Ministers French Ministers of Justice French Ministers of Overseas France French Ministers of Finance Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1945) Politicians from Rennes Presidents of the Regional Council of Brittany Members of the Regional Council of Brittany Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance politicians Centre Democracy and Progress politicians 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 Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 4th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic French Roman Catholics University of Paris alumni World War II political leaders French people of the Algerian War