Joseph Rossé (August 26, 1892 – October 24, 1951) was an Alsatian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

autonomist Autonomism or ''autonomismo'', also known as autonomist Marxism or autonomous Marxism, is an anti-capitalist Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and Political movement, movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose ...

, notable for his engagement in the Union Populaire Républicaine and his controversial role during and after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Early life and education

Rossé was born in

Montreux-Vieux Montreux-Vieux (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department and Grand Est Regions of France, region of north-eastern France. People * Hans Paetsch, German actor and speaker, born here See also * Com ...

, then part of Alsace-Lorraine under German rule. Raised in a Catholic family, he became trilingual in French, German, and Alsatian. After the region returned to France following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he became a teacher at the École primaire supérieure in

Colmar Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...

. Rossé experienced professional discrimination compared to his colleagues from mainland France, particularly in salary discrepancies. This fueled his involvement in

trade unionism A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

and later in the regionalist movement, advocating for the preservation of Alsace's linguistic and religious traditions.

Political career

In 1928, Rossé was elected as a deputy for

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (); Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; , . is a department in the Grand Est region, France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine; its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less pop ...

, representing the Union Populaire Républicaine. That same year, he was implicated in the ''Komplottprozess'' in

, where he and other regionalists were accused of conspiring against the French state. Rossé was convicted of "plotting against state security" and briefly imprisoned before being pardoned. Despite these setbacks, Rossé was re-elected in 1932 and again in 1936, serving as part of the

Républicains du centre The Republicans of the Centre and the Independents of Popular Action were the names given to a parliamentary group in the French Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic, composed mainly of Catholic regionalists from Alsace and Lorraine. ...

and later the Indépendants d'action populaire parliamentary groups. He was a staunch pacifist and supported the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement was reached in Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, French Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. The agreement provided for the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–194 ...

in 1938.

World War II and controversy

At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Rossé was arrested on charges of collaboration with

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

. In 1940, after the German invasion, he and other detainees were freed by German forces. He subsequently signed the "Manifesto of the Trois-Épis," which advocated for Alsace's annexation to Germany, though he did so under duress. Rossé later managed the publishing house ''ALSATIA'', where he clandestinely published Catholic and anti-Nazi literature. He also maintained connections with the German resistance, including

Claus von Stauffenberg Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg (; 15 November 1907 – 21 July 1944) was a German army officer who is best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, part of Op ...

. He would continue to advocate for greater Alsatican automony.

Post-war

Following the liberation of France, Rossé was arrested and tried for collaboration. In 1947, he was sentenced to 15 years of forced labor. He died in 1951 while imprisoned in

Villeneuve-sur-Lot Villeneuve-sur-Lot (; in the Languedocien dialect of Occitan language: ''Vilanuèva d'Òlt'' ) is a town and Communes of France, commune in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Lot-et-Garonne. The commune was formerly name ...

. Rossé's role during the war remains controversial. While some view him as a victim of his circumstances, others criticize his perceived collaboration. In 2016, a group in

began efforts to rehabilitate his memory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossé, Joseph 1892 births 1951 deaths Members of Parliament for Haut-Rhin Politicians from Alsace-Lorraine Members of the National Assembly (France) French people who died in prison custody People convicted of indignité nationale Prisoners who died in French detention Republicans of the Centre politicians

Early life and education

Political career

World War II and controversy

Post-war

Further reading

References