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Guy Mollet
Guy Mollet
In office
January 31, 1956 – June 12, 1957
Preceded by Edgar Faure
Succeeded by Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury
Born December 31, 1905
Died October 3, 1975
Political party SFIO

Guy Mollet (31 December 1905 - 3 October 1975) was a French Socialist politician. The Prime Minister of France ( Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic is the functional Head of the government and Council of Ministers Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1381 - Peasants' Revolt: in England, rebels arrive at Blackheath. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Edgar Faure (18 August 1908 30 March 1988 was a French politician essayist historian and memoirist Maurice Jean Marie Bourgès-Maunoury (19 August 1914 - 10 February 1993 was a French Radical politician who served as Prime Minister in the Fourth Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1905 ( MCMV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. He led the SFIO party from 1946 to 1969 and was Prime Minister in 1956-1957. The Prime Minister of France ( Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic is the functional Head of the government and Council of Ministers

Contents

Life

Early life and WWII

He was born in Flers, in Normandy, the son of a textile worker. Flers is a French commune, located in the Orne département and the Basse-Normandie region. Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. He was educated in Le Havre and became a school teacher in Arras. Le Havre is a city in the northwest region of France situated on the right bank of the mouth of the Seine River as it outlets into the Bay of the Seine Arras (Atrecht is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. Like most teachers, he was an active member of the French Socialist Party, then called the SFIO, and in 1928 he became SFIO Secretary for the Pas-de-Calais departement. The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Pas-de-Calais is a department in northern France. Its name is the French language equivalent of the Strait of Dover, which it borders He joined the French Army in 1939 and was taken prisoner by the Germans. Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Released after seven months, he joined the Resistance in the Arras area and was three times arrested and interrogated by the Gestapo. The French Resistance is the collective name used for the French Resistance movements which fought against the Nazi German The ( contraction of ge heime Sta ats' po' lizei: "Secret State Police" was the official Secret police of Nazi Germany

Early political career

In October 1945, Mollet was elected to the National Assembly as representative of Pas-de-Calais. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The National Assembly is either a Legislature, or the Lower house of a Bicameral legislature in some countries In 1946 he became Secretary-General of the SFIO against Daniel Mayer, the candidate supported by Léon Blum. Year 1946 ( MCMXLVI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Daniel Mayer (1909-1996 was a member of the SFIO French Socialist party president of the Ligue des droits de l'homme (LDH Human Rights League André Léon Blum (9 April 1872 30 March 1950 was a French politician usually identified with the moderate left and three times the Prime Minister of France. Mollet represented the left-wing of the party which faired the dissolution of the Socialist identity in a centerist conglomerate. However, if he kept a marxist language, he accepted the alliance with the center and center-right parties during the Fourth Republic. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The founding of the Fourth Republic (1944-47 See also Three Parties, Third Force (France European Unity The creation of the

In this, he served as vice-Prime minister in 1946. In 1950-51 he was Minister for European Relations in the government of the Radical René Pleven, and in 1951 he was Deputy Prime Minister in the government of Henri Queuille. Year 1950 ( MCML) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January René Pleven (15 April 1901 – 13 January 1993 was a notable French politician of the Fourth Republic. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Henri Queuille (31 March 1884 - 15 June 1970 was a French Radical politician prominent in the Third and Fourth Republics He represented France at the Council of Europe, and was President of the Socialist Group on the Council's Assembly. The Council of Europe (Conseil de l'Europe is the oldest International organisation working towards European integration, being founded in 1949 From 1951 to 1969 he was Vice-President of the Socialist International. Year 1951 ( MCMLI) was a Common year starting on Monday. Events of 1951 January Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Socialist International is a worldwide organization of socialist ( social democratic and labour) political parties

Premiership

During the 1956 legislative campaign, he created a center-left coalition called the Republican Front with the Radical Party of Pierre Mendès-France, the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance led by François Mitterrand and the Social Gaullists headed by Jacques Chaban-Delmas. French legislative elections to elect the 3rd National Assembly of the Fourth Republic took place on 2 January 1956 using Party-list proportional The Republican Front was a French center-left coalition which won the 1956 legislative election. The Radical Party ( Parti Radical, Rad also known as Parti radical valoisien) is a liberal and centrist political party in France The Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance ( Union démocratique et socialiste de la Résistance or UDSR was a French right-of-center political party found at François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist Jacques Chaban-Delmas (7 March 1915&ndash10 November 2000 was a French Gaullist politician

It won the election in promising to re-establish the peace in Algeria. Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's Leader of the main party of the coalition, Mollet led and formed the cabinet in January 1956.

Suez

Although Mollet wanted to concentrate on domestic issues, he found himself confronted with a major foreign policy issue, the Suez Crisis, when the President of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalised the Suez Canal. The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, (أزمة السويس - العدوان الثلاثي Crise du canal de Suez מבצע קדש Kadesh This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Gamal Abdel Nasser (جمال عبد الناصر Gamāl ‘Abd an-Nāṣir; - January 15 1918 September 28 1970) was the second President The Suez Canal is a Canal in Egypt. Opened in 1869 it allows Water transportation between Europe and Asia without circumnavigation

As the crisis escalated, previously secret British cabinet papers show that in September 1956 the Anglophile Mollet requested to merge France and the United Kingdom and again, two weeks later, for France to join the Commonwealth of Nations. [1] Along with the crisis, the French economy was in a mess and the United Kingdom was seen as a social and economic role model in Paris. Both requests were turned down by the British prime minister Anthony Eden, and a year later France signed the Treaty of Rome with Germany and the other founding nations of the Common market. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Robert Anthony Eden 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC (12 June 1897 &ndash 14 January 1977 was a British Conservative Politician

Eden feared that Nasser intended to cut off oil supplies to Europe. In October 1956 Mollet, Eden and the Israeli Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, met in secret and agreed to make a joint attack on Egypt. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The Israelis invaded Egypt, and British and French troops occupied the Suez Canal area. But the invasion met with unexpected opposition from the United States, and France and the United Kingdom were forced into a humiliating backdown. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Eden resigned, but Mollet survived the crisis, despite fierce criticism from the left.

Algeria

Further information: Algerian War

Like the rest of the French left, Mollet opposed French colonialism, and had supported Mendès-France's efforts in office to withdraw from Tunisia and Morocco (whom were granted independence in 1956 by the loi-cadre Deferre). The Algerian War ( French: Guerre d'Algérie; 1954-1962 also known as Algerian War of Independence, led to Algeria 's independence from France was a dominant empire in the world from the 1600s to the late 1960s possessing many colonies in various locations around the world Tunisia (تونس Tūnis officially the Tunisian Republic ( is a country located in North Africa. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Mollet's government was left with the issue of the three departments of Algeria, where the presence of a million French settlers made a simple withdrawal politically impossible.

At first, Mollet's policy was to negotiate with the FLN liberation front. The National Liberation Front ( Arabic: جبهة التحرير الوطني transliterated: Jabhat al-Taḩrīr al-Waţanī French: Front Once in office, however, he changed his mind and argued that the FLN insurgents must be defeated before negotiations could begin. Mollet's visit to Algiers was a stormy one, with almost everyone against him. Algiers (الجزائر Algerian Arabic: Dzayer ( (From kabyle pronunciation Kabyle: Ledzayer, Alger) is the Capital and largest He was pelted with rotten tomatoes at a demonstration in Algiers on 6 February 1956, a few weeks after becoming prime minister. The French refer to this memorable event as "la journée des tomates".

He poured French troops into Algeria, where they conducted a campaign of counter-terrorism including torture, in particular during the Battle of Algiers which took place from January to October 1957. The French Armed Forces made a systematic and indiscriminate use of torture during the Algerian War of Independence (1954-62 creating a public controversy which is far from This was too much for most French, and Mollet's government collapsed in June 1957 on the issue of taxation to pay for the Algerian War. The Secretary of State to Foreign Affairs Alain Savary, also a SFIO member, resigned because of his opposition to Mollet's hard-stance in Algeria. Alain Savary (April 25 1918 - February 2 1988 was a French Socialist politician deputy during the Fourth and Fifth Republic, chairman of the Socialist Party

Suggested Franco-British Union

British Government cabinet papers from September 1956, during Sir Anthony Eden's term as Prime Minister, have shown that Mollet approached the British Government suggesting the idea of a Franco-British Union — an economic and political union between France and the United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body composed of the most senior government ministers chosen by the Prime Minister Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Robert Anthony Eden 1st Earl of Avon, KG, MC, PC (12 June 1897 &ndash 14 January 1977 was a British Conservative Politician This article is about the government position For other uses see Prime Minister (disambiguation. Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at A political union is a type of state which is composed of or created out of smaller States Unlike a Personal union, the individual states share a common government This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located [1]

Mollet's request for Union with Britain was rejected by Eden, but the additional possibility of France joining the Commonwealth of Nations was considered, although similarly rejected. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

The idea of a merger of France and Britain was previously proposed by Sir Winston Churchill on 16 June 1940 (the date is important as the German Panzer divisions were then racing through France, and Belgium had surrendered to Hitler a few days previously). Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately It was apparently agreed by de Gaulle as a French defence liaison with Britain, one of whose advisory staff was Jean Monnet, later prime minister and architect of the post war recovery plan for France and then of the Common Market. Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French Jean Omer Marie Gabriel Monnet ( November 9, 1888 &ndash March 16, 1979) is regarded by many as a chief architect of European Unity

When the papers were made public in January 2007, a poll conducted by the BBC with the French public came out with a resounding note of surprise and disbelief. Almost all of the people interviewed contended the union would have been a disaster for France's identity.

Home Policy

Mollet's cabinet led a social policy which went unnoticed in due to the international context and the Algerian War. In this, the third week of holidays was decided. Besides, he negotiated and signed the Treaty of Rome creating the European Economic Community. The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992

Mollet's cabinet was the last government formed by the SFIO (soon divided into PCF and PS), which was in increasing decline, and also the last stable government of the Fourth Republic. The founding of the Fourth Republic (1944-47 See also Three Parties, Third Force (France European Unity The creation of the The Algiers coup of 1958 led by First Indochina War and Suez Crisis veterans brought Charles de Gaulle to power from retirement and in effect seized power. Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The First Indochina War (also known as the French Indochina War, the The Anti-French War, the Franco-Vietnamese War, the Franco-Vietminh War, Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French Mollet supported him on the grounds that France needed a new constitution which would allow the formation of strong governments. De Gaulle appointed him one of four Secretaries of State in his first cabinet. This caused the creation of the PSU, the Unified Socialist Party, formed by the PSA Autonomous Socialist Party and the UGS (Union de la Gauche Socialiste, a split of the SFIO). The Unified Socialist Party ( French: Parti Socialiste Unifié, PSU) was a socialist Political party in France, founded

Late political career

Mollet resigned from de Gaulle's cabinet in 1959 and did not hold office again. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He remained Secretary General of the SFIO, but under de Gaulle's new system, the Fifth Republic, it was a powerless opposition party, and by the 1960s it was in terminal decline. See also Government of France The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on

During the 1965 presidential campaign, he presented himself again like the attendant of the Socialist identity and opposed to the candidacy of Gaston Defferre, who proposed the constitution of a "Great Federation" with the non-Gaullist center-right. The 1965 French presidential election was the first presidential election by direct universal suffrage of the French Fifth Republic. Gaston Defferre ( September 14, 1910 - May 7, 1986, Marseille) was a French socialist politician He accepted to support François Mitterrand's candidacy and participated to the center-left coalition called Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left. François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist The Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left ( Fédération de la gauche démocrate et socialiste or FGDS was a conglomerate of French Left-wing But it split three years later.

His leadership over the party was more and more challenged. He could not prevent the designation of Defferre as SFIO candidate at the 1969 presidential election. The 1969 French presidential election took place on 1 June and 15 June 1969 This one obtained a disastrous result (5%) which swallowed up the SFIO and Mollet too. The party merged with left-wing clubs in a new Socialist Party, which Mollet abandoned the leadership to Alain Savary. The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. Alain Savary (April 25 1918 - February 2 1988 was a French Socialist politician deputy during the Fourth and Fifth Republic, chairman of the Socialist Party However, the internal opposition accused Mollet to be stood the real leader of the party. It allied with François Mitterrand, who joined the party during the Epinay Congress and took the lead in 1971. François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist The Epinay Congress was the third national congress of the French Socialist Party ( Parti socialiste or PS) which took place on 11 12 and 13 June 1971

Mollet and his followers were ejected in the minority of the party. He mocked the Socialist speeches of Mitterrand: "he is not socialist, he has learned to speak socialist".

Death

Guy Mollet died in Paris in 1975. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He is, until today, the more controversial of the French Socialist leaders. His name is tied up to the SFIO decline and his repressive policy in Algeria. In the French political language, the word molletisme means a duplicity consisting to do left-wing speeches to win the elections then lead a conservative policy. Currently, the French Socialist politicians preferred refer to the moral authority of Pierre Mendès-France, although he was not member of the party.

Biographies

His biography, by Denis Lefebvre, was called Guy Mollet: Le mal aimé (Guy Mollet: The Unpopular Man).

See also

Mollet's Ministry, 1 February 1956 - 13 June 1957

Changes

References

  1. ^ a b When Britain and France nearly married, summary of Document's "A Marriage Cordial", first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2007. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The document treated was DO 35/5264.
Preceded by
Daniel Mayer		 General Secretary of the French Section of the Workers' International
1946–1969		 Succeeded by
Alain Savary
Preceded by
—		 Minister of State
1946–1947		 Succeeded by
—
Preceded by
—		 Minister for the Council of Europe
1950–1951		 Succeeded by
—
Preceded by
—		 Deputy Prime Minister of France
with René Pleven and Georges Bidault
1951		 Succeeded by
René Mayer
Preceded by
Edgar Faure		 Prime Minister of France
1956–1957		 Succeeded by
Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury
Preceded by
—		 Deputy Prime Minister of France
1958		 Succeeded by
—
Preceded by
—		 Minister of State
1958		 Succeeded by
—
Preceded by
—		 Minister of General Civil Servant Status
1958–1959		 Succeeded by
—
Daniel Mayer (1909-1996 was a member of the SFIO French Socialist party president of the Ligue des droits de l'homme (LDH Human Rights League The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. Alain Savary (April 25 1918 - February 2 1988 was a French Socialist politician deputy during the Fourth and Fifth Republic, chairman of the Socialist Party Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a Parliamentary system. The Council of Europe (Conseil de l'Europe is the oldest International organisation working towards European integration, being founded in 1949 René Pleven (15 April 1901 – 13 January 1993 was a notable French politician of the Fourth Republic. Georges-Augustin Bidault (5 October 1899 27 January 1983 was a French politician René Mayer ( 4 May 1895, Paris 13 December 1972, Paris) was a French Radical politician of the Fourth Edgar Faure (18 August 1908 30 March 1988 was a French politician essayist historian and memoirist The Prime Minister of France ( Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic is the functional Head of the government and Council of Ministers Maurice Jean Marie Bourgès-Maunoury (19 August 1914 - 10 February 1993 was a French Radical politician who served as Prime Minister in the Fourth Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a Parliamentary system.
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