Georges Bidault
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Georges-Augustin Bidault (October 5, 1899 – January 27, 1983) was a French politician and active in the French Resistance and Organisation armée secrète (OAS).
Bidault was born in Moulins, France. 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 in 1938.
After the outbreak of the Second World War he joined the French army and was captured during the Fall of France and was briefly imprisoned. After his release in July 1941 he joined the Liberté group of French Resistance that eventually merged with Combat. Jean Moulin recruited him to organize an underground press and the Combat underground newspaper.
Bidault participated in the forming of the Conseil National de la Résistance and after 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 in August 25. He became the founder of the Mouvement Républicain Populaire (MRP).
After the war Bidault served as a foreign minister in Félix Gouin's provisional government in 1946. In June 19 1946 National Constituent Assembly elected him to the president of the provisional government (de facto prime minister). His government composed of socialists, communists and Bidault's own MRP, was formed in June 15 and he yet again became the foreign minister. They conducted elections of the National Assembly in November 29 after which Bidault resigned. His successor was Léon Blum.
Bidault served as in various post-WW2 French governments, first as a foreign minister under Paul Ramadier and Robert Schuman. In 1949 he became the president of the Council of Ministers (again, effectively a prime minister) but his cabinet lasted only 8 months. In Henri Queuille's governments in 1950-1951 he held the office of Vice-president of the Council and under Rene Pleven and Edgar Faure added a post of defense minister.
In 1952 Bidault became a honorary president of MRP. In June 1 1953 president Vincent Auriol assigned him to form his own government but National Assembly refuse to give him the official mandate at June 10. In 1953 Bidault became a presidential candidate but withdrew after the second round.
In April 1958 Bidault again became a 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 a president of the Executive Council of the Rally for the French Algeria and resisted De Gaulle's policy of Algerian independence. He established his own National Resistance Council within the OAS. In June 1962 he was accused of conspiring against the state as the head of OAS and stripped of his parliamentary immunity. He left for an exile in Brazil. In 1967 he moved to Belgium and in 1968 he returned to France after he had received an amnesty.
Georges Bidault died in 1983 in Cambo-les-Bains.
Contents |
[edit] Bidault's 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 - Minister of the Interior
- Robert Schuman - Minister of Finance
- François de Menthon - Minister of National Economy
- Marcel Paul - Minister of Industrial Production
- Ambroise Croizat - Minister of Labour and Social Security
- Pierre-Henri Teitgen - Minister of Justice
- Marcel Edmond Naegelen - Minister of National Education
- François Tanguy-Prigent - Minister of Ariculture
- Yves Farge - Minister of Supply
- Marius Moutet - Minister of Overseas France
- Jules Moch - Minister of Public Works and Transport
- Robert Prigent - Minister of Population
- François Billoux - Minister of Reconstruction and Town Planning
- Jean Letourneau - Minister of Posts
- Alexandre Varenne - Minister of State
- Francisque Gay - Minister of State
[edit] Bidault's Second Government, 28 October 1949 - 7 February 1950
- Georges Bidault - President of the Council
- Jules Moch - 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 - 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
- Pierre Schneiter - Minister of Public Health and Population
- Eugène Claudius-Petit - Minister of Reconstruction and Town Planning
- Eugène Thomas - Minister of Posts
- Pierre-Henri Teitgen - Minister of State
Changes
- 2 December 1949 - Gabriel Valay succeeds Pflimlin as Minister of Agriculture
[edit] Bidault's 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
- Maurice Petsche - Minister of Finance and Economics Affairs
- Jean-Marie Louvel - 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
- Pierre Schneiter - Minister of Public Health and Population
- Eugène Claudius-Petit - Minister of Reconstruction and Town Planning
- Charles Brune - Minister of Posts
- Pierre-Henri Teitgen - Minister of State
[edit] Quotes
- "Ho Chi Minh is about to capitulate. We are going to beat him."
| Preceded by: Pierre Laval |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1944–1946 |
Succeeded by: Léon Blum |
| Preceded by: Félix Gouin |
Chairman of the Provisional Government 1946 |
Succeeded by: Léon Blum |
| Preceded by: Félix Gouin and Ramon Iglesias i Navarri |
Co-Prince of Andorra 1946-1947 with Ramon Iglesias i Navarri |
Succeeded by: Vincent Auriol and Ramon Iglesias i Navarri |
| Preceded by: Léon Blum |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1947–1948 |
Succeeded by: Robert Schuman |
| Preceded by: Henri Queuille |
President of the Council 1949–1950 |
Succeeded by: Henri Queuille |
| Preceded by: Henri Queuille |
Vice President of the Council 1950 |
Succeeded by: — |
| Preceded by: — |
Vice President of the Council 1951–1952 |
Succeeded by: — |
| Preceded by: Jules Moch |
Minister of National Defense 1951–1952 |
Succeeded by: René Pleven |
| Preceded by: Robert Schuman |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1953–1954 |
Succeeded by: Pierre Mendès-France |
