Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (french: link=no, Premier ministre français), officially the prime minister of the French Republic, is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of the Council of Ministers. The prime minister ...

during the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940 ...

. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconciliation politics during the

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

(19181939). In 1926, he received the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

along with German Foreign Minister

Gustav Stresemann Gustav Ernst Stresemann (; 10 May 1878 – 3 October 1929) was a German statesman who served as chancellor in 1923 (for 102 days) and as foreign minister from 1923 to 1929, during the Weimar Republic. His most notable achievement was the reconci ...

for the realization of the

Locarno Treaties The Locarno Treaties were seven agreements negotiated at Locarno, Switzerland, during 5 to 16 October 1925 and formally signed in London on 1 December, in which the First World War Western European Allied powers and the new states of Central an ...

, which aimed at reconciliation between France and Germany after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. To avoid another worldwide conflict, he was instrumental in the agreement known as the

Kellogg–Briand Pact The Kellogg–Briand Pact or Pact of Paris – officially the General Treaty for Renunciation of War as an Instrument of National Policy – is a 1928 international agreement on peace in which signatory states promised not to use war to ...

of 1928, as well to establish a "

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

" in 1929. However, all his efforts were compromised by the rise of nationalistic and

revanchist Revanchism (french: revanchisme, from ''revanche'', " revenge") is the political manifestation of the will to reverse territorial losses incurred by a country, often following a war or social movement. As a term, revanchism originated in 1870s F ...

ideas like

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

and

Fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy an ...

following the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

Early life

He was born in

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

Loire-Inférieure Loire-Atlantique (; br, Liger-Atlantel; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', br, Liger-Izelañ, link=no) is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population o ...

(now Loire-Atlantique) of a '' petit bourgeois'' family. He attended the Nantes Lycée, where, in 1877, he developed a close friendship with

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

. He studied law at the

Faculty of Law of Paris The Faculty of Law of Paris (french: Faculté de droit de Paris), called from the late 1950s to 1970 the Faculty of Law and Economics of Paris, is the second-oldest faculty of law in the world and one of the four and eventually five faculties ...

, and soon went into politics, associating himself with the most advanced movements, writing articles for the

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 ...

journal ''Le Peuple'', and directing the ''Lanterne'' for some time. From this he passed to the ''Petite République'', leaving it to found ''

L'Humanité ''L'Humanité'' (; ), is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organ of the French Communist Party, and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, ''L'Humanité'' would not exist." History and profile Pre-World Wa ...

'', in collaboration with

Jean Jaurès Auguste Marie Joseph Jean Léon Jaurès (3 September 185931 July 1914), commonly referred to as Jean Jaurès (; oc, Joan Jaurés ), was a French Socialist leader. Initially a Moderate Republican, he later became one of the first social dem ...

Activism

At the same time he was prominent in the movement for the formation of trade unions, and at the congress of workers at Nantes in 1894, he secured the adoption of the labor union idea against the adherents of

Jules Guesde Jules Bazile, known as Jules Guesde (; 11 November 1845 – 28 July 1922) was a French socialist journalist and politician. Guesde was the inspiration for a famous quotation by Karl Marx. Shortly before Marx died in 1883, he wrote a letter ...

. From that time, Briand was one of the leaders of the French Socialist Party. In 1902, after several unsuccessful attempts, he was elected deputy. He declared himself a strong partisan of the union of the left in what was known as the ''Bloc'', to check the reactionary deputies of the right. From the beginning of his career in the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

, Briand was occupied with the question of the

separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...

. He was appointed the reporter of the commission charged with the preparation of the 1905 law on separation, and his report at once marked him out as one of the coming leaders. He succeeded in carrying his project through with but slight modifications, and without dividing the parties upon whose support he relied. He was the principal author of the law of separation, but, not content with preparing it; he wished to apply it as well. The ministry of

Maurice Rouvier Maurice Rouvier (; 17 April 1842 – 7 June 1911) was a French statesman of the "Opportunist" faction, who served as the Prime Minister of France. He is best known for his financial policies and his unpopular policies designed to avoid a ruptur ...

was allowing disturbances during the taking of inventories of church property, a clause of the law for which Briand was not responsible. Consequently, he accepted the

portfolio Portfolio may refer to: Objects * Portfolio (briefcase), a type of briefcase Collections * Portfolio (finance), a collection of assets held by an institution or a private individual * Artist's portfolio, a sample of an artist's work or a c ...

of Public Instruction and Worship in the Sarrien ministry (1906). So far as the chamber was concerned, his success was complete. But the acceptance of a position in a bourgeois ministry led to his exclusion from the Unified Socialist Party (March 1906). As opposed to Jaurès, he contended that the Socialists should co-operate actively with the Radicals in all matters of reform, and not stand aloof to await the complete fulfillment of their ideals. He himself was atheist. He became a

freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

in the

lodge Lodge is originally a term for a relatively small building, often associated with a larger one. Lodge or The Lodge may refer to: Buildings and structures Specific * The Lodge (Australia), the official Canberra residence of the Prime Ministe ...

Le Trait d'Union in July 1887 while the lodge did not record his name in spite of his repeated requests. The lodge declared "unworthy" to him on 6 September 1889. In 1895 he joined the lodge Les Chevaliers du Travail that was established in 1893.

Prime Minister of France

Pre-war

Briand served as

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

under Clemenceau in 1908–9, before succeeding Clemenceau as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

on 24 July 1909, serving until 2 March 1911. In social policy, Briand's first ministry was notable for the passage of a bill in April 1910 for workers' and farmers' pensions. That same year, compulsory sickness and old-age insurance was introduced for 8 million rural and urban workers. However, a law court decision in 1912 that questioned the legality of compulsion "enabled a large proportion of employers and workers to evade the law." Briand again served as Minister of Justice 1912-13 under the premiership of the rightwinger

Raymond Poincaré Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré (, ; 20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1913 to 1920, and three times as Prime Minister of France. Trained in law, Poincaré was elected deputy in 1 ...

(soon to become president of the Republic), before again becoming Prime Minister for a few months from 21 January 1913 until 22 March 1913.

First World War

1914–15

At the end of August 1914, following the outbreak of the First World War, Briand again became Minister of Justice when

René Viviani Jean Raphaël Adrien René Viviani (; 8 November 18637 September 1925) was a French politician of the Third Republic, who served as Prime Minister for the first year of World War I. He was born in Sidi Bel Abbès, in French Algeria. In France ...

reconstructed his ministry. In the winter of 1914–15 Briand was one of those who pushed for an expedition to

Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

, in the hope of helping Serbia, and perhaps bringing Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Italy into the war as a pro-French bloc, which would also act as a barrier to future Russian expansion in the Balkans. He got on well with Lloyd George, who was also, contrary to military advice, keen for operations in the Balkans, and had a long talk with him on 4 February 1915. Briand was the main mover in persuading

Maurice Sarrail Maurice Paul Emmanuel Sarrail (6 April 1856 – 23 March 1929) was a French general of the First World War. Sarrail's openly socialist political connections made him a rarity amongst the Catholics, conservatives and monarchists who dominated th ...

to accept the Salonika command in August 1915. In October 1915 following an unsuccessful French offensive and the entry of Bulgaria, Briand again became Prime Minister (29 October 1915), succeeding René Viviani. He also became Foreign Minister for the first time, a post held by

Théophile Delcassé Théophile Delcassé (1 March 185222 February 1923) was a French politician who served as foreign minister from 1898 to 1905. He is best known for his hatred of Germany and efforts to secure alliances with Russia and Great Britain that became t ...

until the final weeks of the previous government. He was also pledged to "''unité de front''", not just between the military and Parliament but also closer links with the other Allies, a pledge met with "prolonged, thunderous applause" by the deputies.Greenhalgh 2005, pp. 36, 38–9 Draft proposals for Allied cooperation, prepared by

Lord Esher Viscount Esher, of Esher in the County of Surrey, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 11 November 1897 for the prominent lawyer and judge William Brett, 1st Baron Esher, upon his retirement as Master of the Rolls ...

and

Maurice Hankey Maurice Pascal Alers Hankey, 1st Baron Hankey, (1 April 1877 – 26 January 1963) was a British civil servant who gained prominence as the first Cabinet Secretary and later made the rare transition from the civil service to ministerial office. ...

were on the table by the time British Prime Minister

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

visited Paris on 17 November (mainly to discuss Greece, and only his second wartime talks with France; the first had been with Viviani in July 1915). The opening weeks of Briand's ministry required him to broker an agreement between General Gallieni, the new War Minister, and

General Joffre Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (12 January 1852 – 3 January 1931) was a French general who served as Commander-in-Chief of French forces on the Western Front from the start of World War I until the end of 1916. He is best known for regroup ...

, newly (2 December) promoted to "Commander-in-Chief of the French Armies" (''generalissimo'') over ''all'' theatres apart from North Africa.

1916

In the poisonous atmosphere after the opening of the German attack at Verdun (21 February 1916), Gallieni read an angry report at the Council of Ministers on 7 March criticising Joffre's conduct of operations over the last eighteen months and demanding ministerial control, then resigned. He was falsely suspected of wanting to launch a military takeover of the government. Briand knew that publication of the report would damage morale and might bring down the government. Gallieni was persuaded to remain in office until a replacement had been agreed. General Roques was appointed after it had been ensured that Joffre had no objections. The first formal Allied conference met in Paris on 26 March 1916 (Italy did not participate) but initially made little impact, perhaps because Briand had vetoed the British suggestion of a permanent secretariat, or perhaps because there had been three informal sets of Anglo-French talks in the last quarter of 1915, one of which, the Chantilly meeting, had already seen strategy plans drawn up. Late in March 1916 Joffre and Briand blocked the withdrawal of five British divisions from

. Briand was widely suspected of wanting to make his mistress Princess George of Greece, who was born a Bonaparte. In the spring of 1916 Briand urged Sarrail to take the offensive in the Balkans to take some of the heat off Verdun, although the British, preoccupied with the upcoming Somme offensive, declined to send further troops and Sarrail's offensive that summer was not a success. Briand also attended the conference at Saleux on 31 May 1916 about the upcoming Anglo-French offensive on the Somme, with President Poincaré (on whose train it was held),

General Foch Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Art ...

(commander, Army Group North) and the British Commander-in-Chief General Haig. The first Secret Session of the Chamber of Deputies was held in June 1916 to discuss the shortcomings of the defence at Verdun. The government won a vote of confidence but with a clause demanding "effective supervision" of the army. The Parliamentary Army Commission elected

Abel Ferry Abel Jules Édouard Ferry (26 May 1881 – 15 September 1918) was a French politician. Ferry was born in Paris, the son of Senator Charles Ferry and nephew of Jules Ferry, Abel continued the family tradition when he was elected in 1909 to re ...

as a commissioner (1 August). By October Ferry was presenting his fourth report on army railways, to Joffre's fury.Greenhalgh 2014, p. 167-8 M 137 16 Maxwell Briand Théodore Tissier

M 137 16 Maxwell Briand Théodore Tissier

Late in 1916 Roques had been sent on a fact-finding mission to Salonika after Britain, Italy and Russia had pushed for the dismissal of the theatre commander Sarrail. To Briand's and Joffre's surprise, Roques returned recommending that Sarrail be reinforced and that Sarrail no longer report to Joffre. Coming on the back of the disappointing results of the Somme campaign and the defeat of Romania, Roques' report further discredited Briand and Joffre and added to the Parliamentary Deputies' demands for a closed session.Doughty 2005, p318-20 In November Ferry presented a report on the shortage of manpower. A secret session was held on 21 November about calling up the Class of 1918 followed by another a week later. On 27 November Briand proposed that Joffre be effectively demoted to commander-in-chief in northern France, with both he and Sarrail reporting to the War Minister, although he withdrew this proposal after Joffre threatened resignation. The Closed Session began on 28 November and lasted until 7 December. Briand had little choice but to make concessions to preserve his government, and in a speech of 29 November he promised to repeal Joffre's promotion of December 1915 and in vague terms to appoint a general as technical adviser to the government. Briand survived a confidence vote by 344-160 (six months earlier he had won a confidence vote 440-80).

Reconstructed government

On 13 December Briand formed a new government, reducing the size of the Council of Ministers from 23 to 10 and replacing Roques with General Lyautey. That day his government survived a vote of confidence by 30 votes, and Joffre was appointed "general-in-chief of the French armies, technical adviser to the government, consultative member of the War Committee" (he was persuaded to accept by Briand, but soon found that he had been stripped of real power and asked to be relieved altogether on 26 December), with

Nivelle Nivelle () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department * Nivelle Offensive The Nivelle offensive (16 April – 9 May 1917) was a Franco-British operation on the Western Front ...

replacing him as commander-in-chief of the Armies of the North and Northeast. A Senate Secret Session on 21 December attacked Briand's plans for a smaller war cabinet as "yet another level of bureaucracy"; on 23 December Briand pledged that he would continue to push for a "permanent Allied bureau" to secure constant cooperation between the Allied nations. Briand's reduced War Cabinet was formed in imitation of the small executive body formed by Lloyd George, just appointed Prime Minister of Britain, but in practice Briand's often met just prior to meetings of the main Cabinet. Painlevé declined the job of War Minister as he would have preferred Petain as commander-in-chief rather than the inexperienced Nivelle. Like President Poincaré Briand had thought Petain too cautious to be suitable. Nivelle's appointment caused great friction between the British and French high commands, after Lloyd George attempted to have Haig placed under Nivelle's command at the Calais Conference in January. Briand only reluctantly agreed to attend another allied conference in London (12–13 March 1917) to resolve the matter. Briand resigned as Prime Minister on 20 March 1917 as a result of disagreements over the prospective

Nivelle Offensive The Nivelle offensive (16 April – 9 May 1917) was a Franco-British operation on the Western Front in the First World War which was named after General Robert Nivelle, the commander-in-chief of the French metropolitan armies, who led the offensi ...

, to be succeeded by

Alexandre Ribot Alexandre-Félix-Joseph Ribot (; 7 February 184213 January 1923) was a French politician, four times Prime Minister. Early career Ribot was born in Saint-Omer, Pas-de-Calais. After a brilliant academic career at the University of Paris, where h ...

1920s

Briand returned to power in 1921. He supervised the French role in the

Washington Naval Conference The Washington Naval Conference was a disarmament conference called by the United States and held in Washington, DC from November 12, 1921 to February 6, 1922. It was conducted outside the auspices of the League of Nations. It was attended by nine ...

of 1921–22. Three factors guided the French strategy and necessitated a Mediterranean focus: the French navy needed to carry a great many goods, the Mediterranean was the axis of chief interest, and a supply of oil was essential. The primary goal was to defend

French North Africa French North Africa (french: Afrique du Nord française, sometimes abbreviated to ANF) is the term often applied to the territories controlled by France in the North African Maghreb during the colonial era, namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. In ...

, and Briand made practical choices, for naval policy was a reflection of overall foreign policy. The Conference agreed on the American proposal that capital ships be limited to a ratio of 5 to 5 to 3 for the United States, Britain, and Japan, with Italy and France allocated 1.7 each. France's participation reflected its need to deal with its diminishing power and reduced human, material, and financial resources. Briand's efforts to come to an agreement over reparations with the Germans failed in the wake of German intransigence, and he was succeeded by the more bellicose

. In the wake of the Ruhr Crisis, however, Briand's more conciliatory style became more acceptable, and he returned to the

Quai d'Orsay The Quai d'Orsay ( , ) is a quay in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is part of the left bank of the Seine opposite the Place de la Concorde. The Quai becomes the Quai Anatole-France east of the Palais Bourbon, and the Quai Branly west of t ...

in 1925. He would remain foreign minister until his death in 1932. During this time, he was a member of 14 cabinets, four of which he headed himself in 1925–1926 and 1929. Briand negotiated the

Briand-Ceretti Agreement The Briand- Cerretti Agreement is a 1926 agreement whereby French diocesan bishops are nominated by the Vatican after a process involving the French Ministries of the Interior and of Foreign Affairs. See drop-down essay on "The Third Republic a ...

with the Vatican, giving the French government a role in the appointment of Catholic bishops.

Kellogg–Briand Pact

Aristide Briand received the 1926

together with

of Germany for the

(

Austen Chamberlain Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain (16 October 1863 – 16 March 1937) was a British statesman, son of Joseph Chamberlain and older half-brother of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer (twice) and was briefly ...

of the United Kingdom had received a share of the Peace Prize a year earlier for the same agreement). A 1927 proposal by Briand and United States Secretary of State

Frank B. Kellogg Frank Billings Kellogg (December 22, 1856December 21, 1937) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served in the U.S. Senate and as U.S. Secretary of State. He co-authored the Kellogg–Briand Pact, for which he was awarded the ...

for a universal pact outlawing war led the following year to the Pact of Paris, aka the

Briand plan for European federation

As foreign minister Briand formulated an original proposal for a new economic union of Europe. Described as Briand's Locarno diplomacy and as an aspect of Franco-German rapprochement, it was his answer to Germany's quick economic recovery and future political power. Briand made his proposals in a speech in favor of a European Union in the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

on 5 September 1929, and in 1930, in his
Memorandum on the Organization of a Regime of European Federal Union
for the Government of France. The idea was to provide a framework to contain France's former enemy while preserving as much of the 1919 Versailles settlement as possible. The Briand plan entailed the economic collaboration of the great industrial areas of Europe and the provision of political security to Eastern Europe against Soviet threats. The basis was economic cooperation, but his fundamental concept was political, for it was political power that would determine economic choices. The plan, under the Memorandum on the Organization of a System of European Federal Union, was in the end presented as a French initiative to the League of Nations. With the death of his principal supporter, German foreign minister

, and the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, Briand's plan was never adopted but it suggested an economic framework for developments after World War II that eventually resulted in the European Union. In evaluating his internationalism, historian Douglas Houston concludes:

Briand's internationalism is easy to deride; nothing he achieved was durable, and his aim seemed no more than old-fashioned security fired by a personal ambition he made little effort to hide. Yet no one worked harder or more imaginatively to give the new international system life. His internationalism sprang from the realization that France could not be secure until everyone else was. He may have embraced principle for reasons of ''Realpolitik'', but there is little doubt that he became convinced of the justice of his cause.

Governments

Briand's first Government, 24 July 1909 – 3 November 1910

* Aristide Briand – President of the Council and Minister of the Interior and Worship * Stéphen Pichon – Minister of Foreign Affairs * Jean Brun – Minister of War *

Georges Cochery Georges Charles Paul Cochery (20 March 1855 – 10 August 1914) was the son of the French politician Louis-Adolphe Cochery. Cochery was deputy of his father's ''département'' of the Loiret from 1885 until 1914, five times president of the Budget ...

– Minister of Finance *

– Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions *

Louis Barthou Jean Louis Barthou (; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of the Third Republic who served as Prime Minister of France for eight months in 1913. In social policy, his time as prime minister saw the introduction (in Jul ...

– Minister of Justice *

Auguste Boué de Lapeyrère Auguste may refer to: People Surname * Arsène Auguste (born 1951), Haitian footballer * Donna Auguste (born 1958), African-American businesswoman * Georges Auguste (born 1933), Haitian painter * Henri Auguste (1759–1816), Parisian gold a ...

– Minister of Marine *

Gaston Doumergue Pierre Paul Henri Gaston Doumergue (; 1 August 1863 in Aigues-Vives, Gard18 June 1937 in Aigues-Vives) was a French politician of the Third Republic. He served as President of France from 13 June 1924 to 13 June 1931. Biography Doumergue ca ...

– Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts *

Joseph Ruau Joseph Ruau (5 June 1865 – 29 September 1923) was a French lawyer and radical politician. He was deputy for Haute-Garonne from 1897 to 1914, and was Minister of Agriculture from 24 February 1905 to 2 November 1910. He was known for promoting agr ...

– Minister of Agriculture *

Georges Trouillot Georges Marie Denis Gabriel Trouillot (7 May 1851 – 20 November 1916) was a French Radical politician. He played a central role in developing the law of 1901 that governed associations such as agricultural cooperative. He was Minister of the Co ...

– Minister of Colonies *

Alexandre Millerand Alexandre Millerand (; – ) was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 20 January to 23 September 1920 and President of France from 23 September 1920 to 11 June 1924. His participation in Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet at the s ...

– Minister of Public Works, Posts, and Telegraphs * Jean Dupuy – Minister of Commerce and Industry

Briand's second Government, 3 November 1910 – 2 March 1911

* Aristide Briand – President of the Council and Minister of the Interior and Worship * Stéphen Pichon – Minister of Foreign Affairs * Jean Brun – Minister of War * Louis Lucien Klotz – Minister of Finance *

Louis Lafferre Louis Lafferre (10 May 1861 – 28 February 1929) was a French politician. He belonged to the Radical Party. Lafferre was born in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and began his political career as a local councillor in Narbonne Narbonne (, als ...

– Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions * Théodore Girard – Minister of Justice *

– Minister of Marine *

Maurice Faure Maurice Faure (2 January 1922 – 6 March 2014) was a member of the French Resistance and a minister in several French governments. He was born in Azerat, Dordogne. He was a deputy in the French parliament from 1951 to 1983 and a Senator from ...

– Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts * Maurice Raynaud – Minister of Agriculture * Jean Morel – Minister of Colonies *

Louis Puech Louis Puech (1 May 1851, in Gavernac, Bozouls, Aveyron – 15 July 1947, in Aubignac, Aveyron) was a député of the French Third Republic and Minister of Public Works in the second government of Aristide Briand from 3 November 1910 to 24 Feb ...

– Minister of Public Works, Posts, and Telegraphs * Jean Dupuy – Minister of Commerce and Industry Changes * 23 February 1911 – Briand succeeds Brun as interim Minister of War.

Briand's third and fourth Governments, 21 January – 22 March 1913

* Aristide Briand – President of the Council and Minister of the Interior * Charles Jonnart – Minister of Foreign Affairs *

Eugène Étienne Eugène Etienne (15 December 1844 – 13 May 1921) was a French politician who was a Deputy from 1881 to 1919, Minister of War in 1913, and a Senator from 1920 until his death. Life Etienne was born in Oran, French Algeria. He was employed a ...

– Minister of War * Louis Lucien Klotz – Minister of Finance *

René Besnard René Henry Besnard (12 April 1879 – 12 March 1952) was a French politician who was a deputy for Indre-et-Loire from 1906 to 1919 and senator from 1920 to 1941. He was briefly Minister of the Colonies and then Minister of Labor and Social Welf ...

– Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions *

– Minister of Justice * Pierre Baudin – Minister of Marine *

Théodore Steeg Théodore Steeg () (19 December 1868 – 19 December 1950) was a lawyer and professor of philosophy who became Premier of the French Third Republic. Steeg entered French politics in 1904 as a radical socialist, although his views were generally m ...

– Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts *

Fernand David Fernand David (18 October 1869, Annemasse, Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè d'Amont'' or ''Hiôta-Savouè''; en, Upper Savoy) or '; it, Alta Savoia. is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France, b ...

– Minister of Agriculture * Jean Morel – Minister of Colonies * Jean Dupuy – Minister of Public Works, Posts, and Telegraphs *

Gabriel Guist'hau Henri Gabriel Guist'hau (15 September 1863, Saint-Pierre, Réunion – 27 November 1931, Nantes, France) was a French politician. Guist'hau left Réunion for Nantes to study law there, and was elected to be mayor of Nantes in 1908. He wen ...

– Minister of Commerce and Industry

Briand's fifth Government, 29 October 1915 – 12 December 1916

* Aristide Briand – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs * Joseph Galliéni – Minister of War *

Louis Malvy Louis-Jean Malvy (1 December 1875 – 10 June 1949) was the Interior Minister of France in 1914. Biography Louis-Jean Malvy was born on 1 December 1875 in Figeac. Career Malvy was a member of the Radical Party and served in the Chamber of Depu ...

– Minister of the Interior *

– Minister of Finance * Albert Métin – Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions *

– Minister of Justice * Lucien Lacaze – Minister of Marine *

Paul Painlevé Paul Painlevé (; 5 December 1863 – 29 October 1933) was a French mathematician and statesman. He served twice as Prime Minister of the Third Republic: 12 September – 13 November 1917 and 17 April – 22 November 1925. His entry into politic ...

– Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts *

Jules Méline Félix Jules Méline (; 20 May 183821 December 1925) was a French statesman, Prime Minister of France from 1896 to 1898. Biography Méline was born at Remiremont. Having taken up law as his profession, he was chosen a deputy in 1872, and in 1 ...

– Minister of Agriculture *

– Minister of Colonies *

Marcel Sembat Marcel Sembat (, 19 October 1862 – 5 September 1922) was a French Socialist politician. He served as a member of the National Assembly of France from 1893 to 1922, and as Minister of Public Works from August 26, 1914, to December 12, 1916. B ...

– Minister of Public Works *

Étienne Clémentel Étienne Clémentel (11 January 1864 – 25 December 1936) was a French politician. He served as a member of the National Assembly of France from 1900 to 1919 and as French Senator from 1920 to 1936. He also served as Minister of Colonies from 2 ...

– Minister of Commerce, Industry, Posts, and Telegraphs *

Léon Bourgeois Léon Victor Auguste Bourgeois (; 21 May 185129 September 1925) was a French statesman. His ideas influenced the Radical Party regarding a wide range of issues. He promoted progressive taxation such as progressive income taxes and social insuran ...

– Minister of State *

Denys Cochin Baron Denys Marie Pierre Augustin Cochin (1 September 1851 in Paris – 24 March 1922 in Paris) was a French writer and Catholic right-wing politician. Denys Cochin was the son of Pierre-Suzanne-Augustin Cochin, also a politician and writer. ...

– Minister of State *

Émile Combes Émile Justin Louis Combes (; 6 September 183525 May 1921) was a French statesman and freemason who led the Bloc des gauches's cabinet from June 1902 to January 1905. Career Émile Combes was born in Roquecourbe, Tarn. He studied for the pri ...

– Minister of State *

Charles de Freycinet Charles Louis de Saulces de Freycinet (; 14 November 1828 – 14 May 1923) was a French statesman and four times Prime Minister during the Third Republic. He also served an important term as Minister of War (1888–1893). He belonged to the Opp ...

– Minister of State *

– Minister of State Changes * 15 November 1915 –

becomes Minister of Inventions for the National Defense in addition to being Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts. * 16 March 1916 –

Pierre Auguste Roques Pierre Auguste Roques (28 December 1856 – 26 February 1920) was a French general and creator of the French air force. Biography Born to a modest family in Marseillan, Hérault, his lively intelligence earned him a study grant that allowed hi ...

succeeds Galliéni as Minister of War

Briand's sixth Government, 12 December 1916 – 20 March 1917

* Aristide Briand – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs *

Hubert Lyautey Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey (17 November 1854 – 27 July 1934) was a French Army general and colonial administrator. After serving in Indochina and Madagascar, he became the first French Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925. Early in ...

– Minister of War * Albert Thomas – Minister of Armaments and War Manufacturing *

– Minister of the Interior *

– Minister of Finance *

– Minister of Commerce, Industry, Labour, Social Security Provisions, Agriculture, Posts, and Telegraphs *

– Minister of Justice, Public Instruction, and Fine Arts * Lucien Lacaze – Minister of Marine *

Édouard Herriot Édouard Marie Herriot (; 5 July 1872 – 26 March 1957) was a French Radical politician of the Third Republic who served three times as Prime Minister (1924–1925; 1926; 1932) and twice as President of the Chamber of Deputies. He led the ...

– Minister of Supply, Public Works, and Transport *

– Minister of Colonies Changes * 15 March 1917 – Lucien Lacaze succeeds Lyautey as interim Minister of War.

Briand's seventh Government, 16 January 1921 – 15 January 1922

* Aristide Briand – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs *

– Minister of War * Pierre Marraud – Minister of the Interior *

Paul Doumer Joseph Athanase Doumer, commonly known as Paul Doumer (; 22 March 18577 May 1932), was the President of France from 13 June 1931 until his assassination on 7 May 1932. Biography Joseph Athanase Doumer was born in Aurillac, in the Cantal ''dépar ...

– Minister of Finance * Charles Daniel-Vincent – Minister of Labour *

Laurent Bonnevay Laurent Bonnevay (28 July 1870, Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d'Or, Rhône – 28 May 1957) was a French centrist lawyer and politician during the Third and Fourth Republics who was a member first of the Republican Federation and then of the Democratic R ...

– Minister of Justice *

– Minister of Marine *

Léon Bérard Léon Bérard (6 January 1876, Sauveterre-de-Béarn – 24 February 1960 in Saint-Étienne) was a French politician and lawyer. Bérard was Minister of Public Instruction in 1919 and from 1921 to 1924, and Minister of Justice from 1931 to 1932 ...

– Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts *

André Maginot André Maginot (; 17 February 1877 – 7 January 1932) was a French civil servant, soldier, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his advocacy of the string of forts known as the Maginot Line. Early years, to World War I Maginot was ...

– Minister of War Pensions, Grants, and Allowances * Edmond Lefebvre du Prey – Minister of Agriculture *

Albert Sarraut Albert-Pierre Sarraut (; 28 July 1872 – 26 November 1962) was a French Radical politician, twice Prime Minister during the Third Republic. Biography Sarraut was born on 28 July 1872 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France. On 14 March 1907 Sarraut ...

– Minister of Colonies *

Yves Le Trocquer Yves Marie François Le Trocquer ( 4 October 1877 – 21 February 1938) was a French civil engineer, administrator and politician. After a career in public works projects he became a technical assistant to several government ministers. He administe ...

– Minister of Public Works * Georges Leredu – Minister of Hygiene, Welfare Work, and Social Security Provisions * Lucien Dior – Minister of Commerce and Industry *

Louis Loucheur Louis Loucheur (12 August 1872 in Roubaix, Nord – 22 November 1931 in Paris) was a French politician in the Third Republic, at first a member of the conservative Republican Federation, then of the Democratic Republican Alliance and of the I ...

– Minister of Liberated Regions

Briand's eighth Government, 28 November 1925 – 9 March 1926

* Aristide Briand – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs *

– Minister of War * Camille Chautemps – Minister of the Interior *

– Minister of Finance * Antoine Durafour – Minister of Labour, Hygiene, Welfare Work, and Social Security Provisions *

René Renoult René Renoult (29 August 1867 in Paris – 30 April 1946 in Paris) was a French Minister and lawyer.Georges Leygues – Minister of Marine *

Édouard Daladier Édouard Daladier (; 18 June 1884 – 10 October 1970) was a French Radical-Socialist (centre-left) politician, and the Prime Minister of France who signed the Munich Agreement before the outbreak of World War II. Daladier was born in Carpe ...

– Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts *

Paul Jourdain Paul Léon Jourdain (28 October 1878 – 26 March 1948) was a French industrialist and politician who was a deputy from 1919 to 1927 and a senator from 1927 to 1944. He was Minister of Labor in 1919–21 and for a brief period in 1924. He was Min ...

– Minister of Pensions *

Jean Durand Jean Durand (1882–1946) was a French screenwriter and film director of the silent era.Rège p.349 He was extremely prolific, working on well over two hundred films. He was married to the actress Berthe Dagmar. Selected filmography * ''Tarnishe ...

– Minister of Agriculture * Léon Perrier – Minister of Colonies *

Anatole de Monzie Anatole de Monzie (22 November 1876, Bazas, Gironde – 11 January 1947, Paris) was a French administrator, encyclopaedist ('' Encyclopédie française''), political figure and scholar. His father was a tax collector in Bazas, Gironde whe ...

– Minister of Public Works * Charles Daniel-Vincent – Minister of Commerce and Industry Changes * 16 December 1925 –

succeeds Loucheur as Minister of Finance.

Briand's ninth Government, 9 March – 23 June 1926

* Aristide Briand – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs *

– Minister of War *

– Minister of the Interior *

Raoul Péret Raoul Adolphe Péret (29 November 1870 – 22 July 1942) was a French lawyer and politician. Biography Raoul Péret was born in Châtellerault (Vienne), son of a magistrate. He followed his father into the law, becoming an advocate at the ...

– Minister of Finance * Antoine Durafour – Minister of Labour, Hygiene, Welfare Work, and Social Security Provisions *

Pierre Laval Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. During the Third Republic, he served as Prime Minister of France from 27 January 1931 to 20 February 1932 and 7 June 1935 to 24 January 1936. He again occ ...

– Minister of Justice * Georges Leygues – Minister of Marine *

Lucien Lamoureux Lucien Lamoureux, (August 3, 1920 – July 16, 1998) was a Canadian politician and Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada from 1966 to 1974. He is the second longest-serving occupant of that office. After graduating with a law degree f ...

– Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts *

– Minister of Pensions *

– Minister of Agriculture * Léon Perrier – Minister of Colonies *

– Minister of Public Works * Charles Daniel-Vincent – Minister of Commerce and Industry Changes * 10 April 1926 –

succeeds Malvy as Minister of the Interior. François Binet succeeds Durand as Minister of Agriculture.

Briand's tenth Government, 23 June – 19 July 1926

* Aristide Briand – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs *

Adolphe Guillaumat Marie Louis Adolphe Guillaumat (4 January 1863 – 18 May 1940) was a French Army general during World War I. Early years Adolphe Guillaumat was born in Bourgneuf, Charente-Maritime. He graduated first from his class of 1884 at the Saint-Cyr m ...

– Minister of War *

– Minister of the Interior *

Joseph Caillaux Joseph-Marie–Auguste Caillaux (; 30 March 1863 Le Mans – 22 November 1944 Mamers) was a French politician of the Third Republic. He was a leader of the French Radical Party and Minister of Finance, but his progressive views in opposition ...

– Minister of Finance * Antoine Durafour – Minister of Labour, Hygiene, Welfare Work, and Social Security Provisions *

– Minister of Justice * Georges Leygues – Minister of Marine * Bertrand Nogaro – Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts *

– Minister of Pensions * François Binet – Minister of Agriculture * Léon Perrier – Minister of Colonies * Charles Daniel-Vincent – Minister of Public Works *

Fernand Chapsal Fernand Chapsal (10 March 1862 – 10 February 1939) was a French lawyer, administrator and politician who was Minister of Commerce in 1926 and in 1937–38, and Minister of Agriculture in 1938. Early years Fernand Chapsal was born on 10 March 18 ...

– Minister of Commerce and Industry

Briand's eleventh Government, 29 July – 3 November 1929

* Aristide Briand – President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs *

–

Minister of War A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

André Tardieu André Pierre Gabriel Amédée Tardieu (; 22 September 1876 – 15 September 1945) was three times Prime Minister of France (3 November 1929 – 17 February 1930; 2 March – 4 December 1930; 20 February – 10 May 1932) and a dominant figure of ...

–

Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

* Henry Chéron –

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

– Minister of Labour, Hygiene, Welfare Work, and Social Security Provisions *

–

* Georges Leygues – Minister of Marine *

Laurent Eynac Laurent Eynac (4 October 1886 – 16 December 1970) was a French politician who was appointed Minister of Transportation (France), Minister of Transportation on 7 June 1935 until 24 January 1936. He was born in Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille, Haute-Lo ...

– Minister of Air * Pierre Marraud – Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts * Louis Antériou – Minister of Pensions *

Jean Hennessy Jean Patrick Hennessy (26 April 1874 – 4 November 1944) was a French politician. Hennessy was born at Cherves-Richemont in the Charente département, son of Maurice Hennessy and his wife Jeanne, née Foussat. His family, of Irish origin, w ...

–

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

– Minister of Colonies * Pierre Forgeot –

Minister of Public Works This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

* Georges Bonnefous – Minister of Commerce and Industry

Notes

References

* * * * * * * *

Georges Suarez Georges Suarez (1890–1944) was a French writer, essayist and journalist. Initially a pacifist, then a collaborator (he had been editor of ''Aujourd'hui'', a French newspaper controlled by the Third Reich after the resignation of the writer H ...

's multi-volume biography of Briand (1938–52) is of particular value to historians as it cites documents lost in 1940.Greenhalgh 2005, p.288

External links

*
Timeline for the 150th anniversary of Aristide Briand
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Briand, Aristide 1862 births 1932 deaths Politicians from Nantes French Socialist Party (1902) politicians Republican-Socialist Party politicians French atheists Prime Ministers of France French Foreign Ministers French interior ministers French Ministers of Justice French Ministers of War Members of the 8th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 9th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 10th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 11th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 12th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 13th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 14th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic 20th-century French diplomats French Freemasons French people of World War I French Nobel laureates Nobel Peace Prize laureates