Ambroise Croizat (28 January 1901 – 11 February 1951) was a French
syndicalist
Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of pr ...
and
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
politician. As the minister of Labour and of Social security, he founded the French
Social security system
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
(or social safety net) and the retirement system, between 1945 and 1947. He was also the general secretary of the Fédération des travailleurs de la métallurgie CGT.
Biography
Early life
His father, Antoine Croizat, was a blue-collar worker,Jean Marie Mayeur, Arlette Schweitz, ''Les Parlementaires de la Seine sous la Troisième République'', vol. 1. and his mother, Louise Jeannette Piccino, was a weaver. Ambroise started working in a plant at the age of 13, when his father was drafted in 1914. As a metalworker trainee, he also followed evening classes, and became a toolmaker near
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 t ...
.
Early politics
In 1917, Croizat joined the
Young Socialist Movement
The Movement of the Young Socialists (french: Mouvement des Jeunes Socialistes, MJS) or simply ''Jeunes Socialistes'' is the youth organisation of the Socialist Party of France.
MJS was founded in 1993 as a formally independent youth organisation. ...
, and then the Parti socialiste (French socialist party) in 1918. He began supporting the
Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière
The French Section of the Workers' International (french: Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière, SFIO) was a political party in France that was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the modern-day Socialist Party. The SFIO was found ...
(SFIO) in the
Communist International
The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to "struggle by a ...
. He participated in the great social movements of the metalworkers of the Lyon area. In 1920, he joined the Parti communiste, and became one of the leaders of Jeunesses communistes, a political youth organisation, from 1920 to 1928. In 1928, he was named secretary of the Fédération unitaire des métaux (French united federation of metalworkers). From 1929 – to his death in 1951 – he was a member of the central committee and of the bureau of the federated young communist movement.Michel Étiévent « Ambroise Croizat, "militant ambulant" » ''L'Humanité'', le 31 janvier 2001. In 1936, he became general secretary of the
Metalworkers' Federation
The Metalworkers' Federation (french: Fédération des travailleurs de la métallurgie, FTM) is a trade union representing workers in the metallurgical industry in France.
The union was founded in May 1909 and brought together the Federal Union o ...
, which then represented 20% of the total CGT members.
During the
1936 French legislative election
French legislative elections to elect the 16th legislature of the French Third Republic were held on 26 April and 3 May 1936. This was the last legislature of the Third Republic and the last election before World War II. The number of candida ...
, he was elected in the second division of the 14th district of
. He negotiated the Parisian metalworking convention, and, as a
rapporteur
A rapporteur is a person who is appointed by an organization to report on the proceedings of its meetings. The term is a French-derived word.
For example, Dick Marty was appointed ''rapporteur'' by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Euro ...
, he presented the
collective agreement
A collective agreement, collective labour agreement (CLA) or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is a written contract negotiated through collective bargaining for employees by one or more trade unions with the management of a company (or with an ...
to the Chamber.
He was subsequently accused of "having participated in the creation and organisation of the Groupe ouvrier et paysan", and on the night of 7 October 1939, he was arrested. On 20 February 1940, he was ejected from the Legislature, and on 3 April 1940, he was sentenced to five years in prison, the loss of his civil and politic rights, and a fine of 4000 francs. After having been moved between 14 prisons, he was eventually detained during March 1941 in the bagne of
Maison Carrée
Maison (French for "house") may refer to:
People
* Edna Maison (1892–1946), American silent-film actress
* Jérémy Maison (born 1993), French cyclist
* Leonard Maison, New York state senator 1834–1837
* Nicolas Joseph Maison (1771–1840), Ma ...
, near Alger. Freed on 5 February 1943, three months after
Operation Torch
Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...
, he was summoned by the CGT to be a member of the consultative commission of the interim government of Alger. After the
Libération
''Libération'' (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Initially positioned on the far-left of France's ...
of France, he again served as an elected official, first in the two constitutive assemblies (voted on 21 October 1945 and 2 June 1946) and then in the National Assembly from 1946 to 1951.
Croizat served as
Minister of Labour Minister of Labour (in British English) or Labor (in American English) is typically a cabinet-level position with portfolio responsibility for setting national labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, traini ...
under the général de Gaulle from 21 November 1945 to 26 January 1946, and Minister of Labour and
Social security
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...
from 26 January to 16 December 1946 (governments of Felix Gouin and
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 ...
) and from 22 January to 4 May 1947 (government of
Paul Ramadier
Paul Ramadier (17 March 1888 in La Rochelle – 14 October 1961 in Rodez) was a French statesman.
Biography
The son of a psychiatrist, Ramadier graduated in law from the University of Toulouse and started his profession as a lawyer in Par ...
, to the end of the communist participation in the government).
He participated in the foundation of the
Social security system
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
: health insurance,
pension system
A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...
,
child benefit
Child benefit or children's allowance is a social security payment which is distributed to the parents or guardians of children, teenagers and in some cases, young adults. A number of countries operate different versions of the program. In most co ...
, and broad reform of French labour laws, through the creation of employee representative committees,
occupational medicine
Occupational medicine, until 1960 called industrial medicine, is the branch of medicine which is concerned with the maintenance of health in the workplace, including prevention and treatment of diseases and injuries, with secondary objectives ...
, regulation of
overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...
, and a change of statute for miners.
Personal life
Croizat's first wife was Germaine Marie Girod (1902–1977). They divorced and, in 1939, he married Denise Mettetal (1912–1972), with whom he had two children (a daughter in March 1939, and a son in February 1940).
Death
In 1951, Croizat died of lung cancer. The Communist Party organized his funeral, with visitation at the Metalworkers House (now called Maison des métallos) at the CGT siege; historian Michel Étiévent later estimated that a million people attended. He was buried in
Père Lachaise Cemetery
Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...
.
Contributions
Nicknamed the "ministre des travailleurs" (Minister of the workers), Ambroise Croizat is permanently associated with the major laws concerning
Social security in France
Social security (french: sécurité sociale) is divided by the French government into five branches: illness; old age/retirement; family; work accident; and occupational disease. From an institutional point of view, French social security is ma ...
, notably the creation and administrative organisation of pension funds, and the special officials' treatment.
He also launched projects concerning employee representatives committees, staff representative's statute, collective agreements, prevention and compensation for workplace accidents, and family benefits.
Government functions
* Minister of Labour under "le gouvernement de Charles de Gaulle" (2) (21 November 1945 – 26 January 1946)
* Minister of Labour and Social security under "le gouvernement de Félix Gouin" (26 January – 24 June 1946)
* Minister of Labour and Social security under "le gouvernement de Georges Bidault" (1) (24 June −16 December 1946)
* Minister of Labour and Social security under "le gouvernement de Paul Ramadier" (1) (22 January – 4 May 1947)
Posterity
Multiple items have been named in Croizat's honor.
Streets
* Grand boulevard Ambroise Croizat, Venissieux (Rhône).
* City hall of
Guyancourt
Guyancourt () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris, in the "new town" of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.
Geography ...
on Ambroise Croizat street, (
Yvelines
Yvelines () is a department in the western part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. In 2019, it had a population of 1,448,207.Saint Michel de Maurienne (Savoie).
* Ambroise Croizat avenue,
Saint-Martin-d'Hères
Saint-Martin-d'Hères (; frp, Sant-Martin-d’Èra) is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. Part of the Grenoble urban unit (agglomeration),Lanester
Lanester (; br, Lannarstêr) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany, in north-western France.
It is the largest suburb of the city of Lorient, across the river Scorff to the east.
Demographics
Inhabitants of Lanester are called ' ...
(Morbihan).
* Ambroise Croizat street,
Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis)
Saint-Denis (, ) is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis had a population of 112,091 as of 2018. It is a subprefecture (french: sous-préfecture) of the department of Seine-Sa ...
.
* Ambroise Croizat street,
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat (dialect), Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population ...
.
* Ambroise Croizat street,
Saint-Pierre-des-Corps
Saint-Pierre-des-Corps () is a commune in the French department of Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is located about 4 km (2.5 mi) from Tours. During the French Revolution, it was called ''La Clarté-Républicaine''.
Population
T ...
.
* Ambroise Croizat street,
Villejuif
Villejuif () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
Name
The earliest reference to Villejuif appears in a bill signed by the Pope Callixtus II on 27 November 1119. It refers to Villa Ju ...
.
* Ambroise Croizat street,
Varennes-Vauzelles
Varennes-Vauzelles () is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. It is a northwestern suburb of Nevers. Vauzelles station has rail connections to Nevers and Cosne-sur-Loire.
Demographics
See also
* Communes of the Nièvre depar ...
Moûtiers
Moûtiers (; Arpitan: ''Motiérs''), historically also called Tarentaise, is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France. In 2018, it had a population of 3,511.
Moûtiers is the main access point ...
' highschool in
Tarentaise Valley
The Tarentaise Valley (french: Vallée de la Tarentaise, ; frp, Tarentèsa) is a valley of the Isère River in the heart of the French Alps, located in the Savoy region of France. The valley is named for the ancient town of ''Darantasia'', the ...
, near a town close to where he was born.
*
Vierzon
Vierzon () is a commune in the Cher department, Centre-Val de Loire, France.
Geography
A medium-sized town by the banks of the river Cher with some light industry and an area of forestry and farming to the north. It is situated some northwest o ...
's Ambroise Croizat retirement house.
*
Angers
Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the prov ...
' Ambroise Croizat university restaurant..
*
Chambéry
Chambéry (, , ; Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the prefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. The population of the commune of Chambéry was 58,917 as of 2019, while the population of the Chambér ...
's Ambroise Croizat gymnasium.
* Imphy (Nièvre)'s Ambroise Croizat hall, part of Aperam metalwork factory.
*
Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne
Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne (, literally ''Saint-Michel of Maurienne''; frp, Sin Mestyé) is a commune in the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.
Geography Climate
Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne has a ocea ...
(Savoie)'s Ambroise Croizat nursing home.
*
Sainte-Tulle
Sainte-Tulle (; oc, Santa Túllia) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.
Population
See also
* Luberon
* Coteaux de Pierrevert AOC
*Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department
The following ...
(Alpes de Haute Provence)'s Ambroise Croizat people's house.
*
Vaulx-en-Velin
Vaulx-en-Velin () is a commune in the Metropolis of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France. It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and is located to its northeast, on the river Rhône.
History
The rivers, including th ...
(Rhône)'s Ambroise Croizat primary and secondary schools.
*
Tarnos
Tarnos (; eu, Tarnose; oc, Tarnòs) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.
Geography
Tarnos is in the far southwest corner of the department, 5 km north of Bayonne.
Population
See also
*Commune ...
(Landes)'s Ambroise Croizat vocational school.
*
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
(Alpes-Maritimes)'s previous Social security center.
*
Fontenay-sous-Bois
Fontenay-sous-Bois () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
Name
The name Fontenay was recorded in the Middle Ages as ''Fontanetum'', meaning "the springs", from Medieval Latin ''fonta ...
' Ambroise Croizat retired people's house.
*
Gonfreville-l'Orcher
Gonfreville-l'Orcher () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-Maritime Departments of France, department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy Regions of France, region in northern France.
Geography
An light industry, industr ...
's Ambroise-Croizat space, inside the Pôle Santé.
* Grigny's Ambrosie Croizat Health center, inaugurated on 13 April 2019.
Other
* In 2015, the French Post Office ( la Poste française) issued a postage stamp commemorating the funding of Social security, illustrated with Ambroise Croizat's and
Pierre Laroque Pierre Laroque (2 November 1907 in Paris – 21 January 1997 in Paris) was a French senior civil servant known as the "father of social security".
Biography
Admitted to the Conseil d'État in 1929, Pierre Laroque (1907–1997), in 1931, he entere ...
's portraits.
* A documentary movie on the History of Social security pays tribute to Ambroise Croizat: ''La Sociale'', produced by Gilles Perret, released on 9 November 2016.
References
Sources
Bibliography
* Michel Étiévent, ''Ambroise Croizat, ou l'invention sociale : suivi de lettres de prisons, 1939–1941'', Gap, La Ravoire, 1999, 184 p.
* Michel Étiévent, ''Marcel Paul, Ambroise Croizat : chemins croisés d'innovation sociale'', Éd. Gap, Challes-les-Eaux, 2008, 181 p. .
* Pierre Gastineau, " Ambroise Croizat ", in ''" Double mètre " : vie et mort d'un syndicaliste : Alfred Lemaire, 1901–1945'', Publibook, Paris, 2005, p. 173-174 .
* " Ambroise Croizat ", in le Dictionnaire des parlementaires français (1889–1940), under the direction of Jean Jolly, PUF, 1960.
* Bernard Friot and Christine Jakse, "Une autre histoire de la Sécurité sociale: Un levier de pouvoir peu à peu confisqué aux salariés",
Le Monde diplomatique
''Le Monde diplomatique'' (meaning "The Diplomatic World" in French) is a French monthly newspaper offering analysis and opinion on politics, culture, and current affairs.
The publication is owned by Le Monde diplomatique SA, a subsidiary com ...
, vol.62, n°41, décembre 2015, p. 3.
Other releases
*
Sécurité sociale en France
Sécurité (; French: ''sécurité'') (often repeated thrice, "Sécurité, sécurité, sécurité") is a procedure word used in the maritime radio service that warns the crew that the following message is important safety information. The most comm ...
* Assurance maladie en France
* Fédération des travailleurs de la métallurgie CGT