Félix Gouin (; 4 October 1884 – 25 October 1977) was a French Socialist politician who was a member of the

French Section of the Workers' International 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 foun ...

(SFIO).

Personal life

Félix Gouin was born in Peypin, Bouches-du-Rhône, the son of school teachers. He studied law in

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille ...

. In 1940 he was among the minority of parliamentarians refusing to grant full powers to Marshal

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of Worl ...

. During the war, he was part of the central committee which reconstituted the Human Rights League and also co-founded the Brutus Network, a Socialist

Resistance group A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...

. In 1946, he then succeeded

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Governm ...

as head of the French Provisional Government. Gouin's tenure was arguably most notable for seeing the enactment of France's first ever compulsory, amply funded retirement and worker's compensation laws. In addition, both the 40-hour law and overtime pay were re-established, while the comites d'entreprise (works councils) were extended to firms with 50 workers. In April 1946, a statute was adopted by the French Parliament that abolished the colonial legal status of France's four oldest colonies: Reunion, Guyane, Martinique, and Guadeloupe. Gouin's time in office also witnessed a significant extension of the role of the state in the workings of the French economy, with electricity, gas, coal, and the nine main insurance groups nationalized.

Honours and awards

* Grand Croix of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

* Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria

Government (26 January – 24 June 1946)

*Félix Gouin – Chairman of the Provisional Government * Francisque Gay – Vice Chairman of the Provisional Government * Maurice Thorez – Vice Chairman of the Provisional Government *

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 ...

– Minister of Foreign Affairs * Edmond Michelet – Minister of Armies *

André Le Troquer André Le Troquer (27 October 1884, in Paris – 11 November 1963) was a French politician and socialist lawyer. He served as president of the National Assembly from 12 January 1954 to 10 January 1955, and a second time from 24 January 1956 to ...

– Minister of the Interior * André Philip – Minister of Finance and National Economy *

Marcel Paul Marcel Paul (12 July 1900, Paris — 11 November 1982) was a French trade unionist and communist politician. He was also a Nazi concentration camp survivor and later served as a member of the French parliament. Biography Marcel Paul was a ...

– Minister of Industrial Production *

Ambroise Croizat Ambroise Croizat (28 January 1901 – 11 February 1951) was a French syndicalist and communist politician. As the minister of Labour and of Social security, he founded the French Social security system (or social safety net) and the retirement sy ...

– Minister of Labour and Social Security *

Pierre-Henri Teitgen Pierre-Henri Teitgen (29 May 1908 – 6 April 1997) was a French lawyer, professor and politician.Johnson, Douglas (9 April 1997) ''The Independent''. Retrieved 21 January 2016 Teitgen was born in Rennes, Brittany. Taken POW in 1940, he playe ...

– Minister of Justice *

Marcel Edmond Naegelen Marcel-Edmond Naegelen (17 January 1892, Belfort – 15 April 1978, Paris) was a French politician. He represented the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) in the Constituent Assembly elected in 1945, in the Constituent Assembly e ...

– Minister of National Education *

Laurent Casanova Laurent Casanova (9 October 1906 — 20 March 1972) was a French politician and resistance fighter. He was a Communist deputy for Seine-et-Marne from 1945 to 1958 and Minister of Veterans and War Victims in 1946. Biography Political career Bor ...

– Minister of Veterans and War Victims *

François Tanguy-Prigent François Marie Tanguy Prigent (11 October 1909 – 20 January 1970) was a French Socialist politician who became a resistance fighter during World War II (1939–45). He was Minister of Agriculture from September 1944 to October 1947 and was Min ...

– Minister of Agriculture *

Henri Longchambon Henri Longchambon (27 July 1896 in Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme – 20 March 1969 in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre) was a French politician and scientist. Early life Henri Longchambon was born on 27 July 1896 in Clermont-Ferrand, France. His father, who ...

– Minister of Supply *

Marius Moutet Marius Moutet (19 April 1876 – 29 October 1968) was a French Socialist diplomat and colonial adviser. An expert in colonial issues, he served as Minister of the Colonies for four terms in the 1930s and 1940s and was president of the Gener ...

– Minister of Overseas France *

Jules Moch Jules Salvador Moch (15 March 1893, in Paris – 1 August 1985, in Cabris, Alpes-Maritimes) was a French politician. Biography Moch was born into a renowned French Jewish military family, the son of Captain Gaston Moch and Rébecca Alice ...

– Minister of Public Works and Transport * Robert Prigent – Minister of Public Health and Population *

François Billoux François Billoux (21 May 1903 – 14 January 1978) was a French communist politician. Biography Billoux was born in Saint-Romain-la-Motte. He was a member of the Central Committee of the French Communist Party (PCF) from 1926, and a member ...

– Minister of Reconstruction and Town Planning * Jean Letourneau – Minister of Posts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gouin, Felix 1884 births 1977 deaths 20th-century heads of state of France 20th-century Princes of Andorra People from Bouches-du-Rhône Politicians from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur French Section of the Workers' International politicians Heads of state of France Princes of Andorra Government ministers of France Members of the 13th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 14th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 15th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the 16th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1945) Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1946) Presidents of the National Assembly (France) Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic French military personnel of World War I Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Grand Decoration with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria