Joseph-Jules Brévié (12 March 1880 – 28 July 1964) was a French colonial administrator who became governor-general of
French West Africa from 1930 to 1936, and then governor-general of
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
from 1937 to 1939. He promoted liberal and humanistic policies, and thought it important to have deep understanding of the local people and respect for their civilization. He saw the role of the administration as being the economic and human development of the people.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
(1939–1945) he was
Minister of Overseas France and the Colonies from April 1942 to March 1943.
As a result of his participation in the
Vichy government
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
he was deprived of his rank and pension after the war.
Life
Early years (1880–1930)
Joseph-Jules Brévié was born on 12 March 1880 in
Bagnères-de-Luchon
Bagnères-de-Luchon (; oc, Banhèras de Luishon), also referred to as just Luchon, is a commune and spa town in the Haute-Garonne department in the Occitanie region of south-western France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Lucho ...
, Haute-Garonne.
He graduated from the École coloniale (Colonial School) and was appointed a trainee administrator in 1902.
He served in the Finance department of the government general at
Dakar
Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...
from January to April 1903.
Brévié was involved in the occupation and organization of the colony of
Upper Senegal and Niger
Upper Senegal and Niger () was a colony in French West Africa, created on 21 October 1904 from colonial Senegambia and Niger by the decree "For the Reorganisation of the general government of French West Africa".
At its creation, the "Colony o ...
.
He served in
Bamako
Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on the Niger Rive ...
,
Niafunké
Niafunké is a small town on the Niger River in central Mali. The town is the administrative center ('' chef-lieu'') of the commune of Soboundou in the Niafunké Cercle of the Tombouctou Region
Tombouctou Region ( Bambara: ߕߎߡߎߕߎ ߘ ...
and
Bougouni
Bougouni is a commune and city in Mali, the administrative center of Bougouni Cercle, which is in turn found in the administrative region of Sikasso. Bougouni is located 170 km south of Bamako and 210 km west of the city of Sikasso ...
in 1903–1906, 1907–1909 and 1910–1912.
In 1904 Brévié discovered a site near
Tondidarou in what is now
Mali
Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mal ...
that contained a remarkable group of phalliform stone monuments.
![Monolithe-Mali](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Monolithe-Mali.jpg)
Brévié served in
Guinea from 1913 to 1919.
In November 1915 there was a revolt in the
Black Volta bend against the French.
Brévié arrived at the end of the month to review the situation.
He was present at the battle of
Yankasso on 23 December 1915 in which the French were checked.
After a series of engagements, most of
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to ...
was at peace by the end of July 1916.
In 1915 Brévié was visiting the village of
Massantola in the
Beledougou region of Mali when he heard a woman singing a lamentation she had composed in the
Bamana language about her son, who had been killed in a rebellion against the French.
In 1918 Brévié published the original and a translation with notes and commentary in Dakar as ''A propos d'une chanson bambara'' (''About a Bambara Song'').
He explained that the rebellion had been led by two local chiefs after the imposition of direct rule by the French, which had decreased their power.
After their defeat, they had retreated to a fort. The French lost many men before forcing their way in.
One chief had killed himself and his followers while the other had escaped in the hope of fighting again.
Brévié explained that the local people saw the affairs as a tragedy while the French saw it as a victory.
After
World War I
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 ...
(1914–18) Brévié was in charge of the economy in Guinea.
In 1920 he joined the Office of Political Affairs in Dakar.
He served in
Niger
)
, official_languages =
, languages_type = National languages[Maurice Delafosse
Maurice Delafosse (20 December 1870 – 13 November 1926) was a French ethnographer and colonial official who also worked in the field of the languages of Africa. In a review of his daughter's biography of him he was described as "one of the most o ...](_blank)
in his hostility to Islam as a disruptive force and in support for traditional authority, a position he explained in his 1923 book ''L'Islamisme contre 'Naturisme.
Governor of French West Africa (1930–1936)
Brévié was governor-general of
French West Africa (Afrique occidentale française, AOF) from 15 October 1930 to 27 September 1936.
As governor of AOF, he promoted scientific and humanist administrative policies.
He felt that a successful native policy required detailed understanding of the local people.
He saw the value of indigenous religious practices when compared to the imported Islamic religion.
He believed that French colonial policy should try to preserve the essentially collectivist character of African civilizations.
As soon as he took office Brévié announced that the phase of exploration and conquest was ended, and a new phase was starting in which economic and human development would be the main concerns.
He told the colonial governors, "it is not in offices and through intermediaries that we exercise our control over the indigenous milieu ... it is by making ourselves seen and heard, by tirelessly circulating ... always in movement ... constant, thoughtful and always attentive. ... It is not sufficient to be strong and just; we must also know how to bring, in our relations with natives, untiring kindness, concern at all times, and well-informed indulgence."
In 1935 Brévié sent a circular to the West African administrators asking them to collect oral material, verbal art, since that would help them better understand the people of the colonies.
Brévié wrote, "colonization is becoming a question of method, of calculation, or predictions and, we should say, of science, It remains without a doubt and first of all a political and psychological art, but one that must be guided and clarified by exact scientific data.".
Brévié wanted a methodical research program into colonial history and African culture and lobbied for an official scientific institute to undertake geographical, ethnographic and historical research.
He wrote that "colonization needs scholars, impartial and disinterested researchers with broad vision, outside of the urgency and fire of action.
After much planning and preparation the
Institut Français d'Afrique Noire (French Institute of Black Africa) was established in 1938 in Dakar.
Brévié took office at the start of the
Great Depression and a slump in the local economy.
He partly blamed colonial capitalists for the problems and obtained large loans from the French government to support African producers. However, by 1932 the value of export crops was dropping despite increased yields, and Africans were starting to return to food crops.
Brévié responded by measures such as reducing rail tariffs, subsidizing the movement of laborers in Senegal, creating foods banks and programs to increase agricultural productivity.
An inquiry found that the results did not justify the costs.
Brévié promoted public works, health and education in the belief that the colonial subjects must see "proof that the whole colonial enterprise works to make him happier."
He was concerned that the drop in living standards would cause the people to lose confidence in French rule and to be vulnerable to communist propaganda.
The status of people of mixed blood was an issue.
In 1934 Brévié wrote to the governor-general of
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
asking him for information on "what has been done in Indochina to assist and educate children of mixed blood ... any information you are willing to share will serve as an inspiration."
In 1935 Brévié issued a circular of the status of African Christians.
He said that the moral development of the "natives" would benefit from conversion to Christianity, and they must be give freedom to convert.
However, a minor could not be baptized without the consent of the head of the family.
Christian Africans must not become marginalized.
The legal status of the convert was awkward.
They could not be judged under traditional local law, which they had rejected, nor under European law since they were not citizens.
Brévié proposed a compromise law that would reconcile Catholic principles with local customs.
Governor of French Indochina (1936–1939)
Brévié was appointed governor-general of
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
in 1936 by the
Popular Front
A popular front is "any coalition of working-class and middle-class parties", including liberal and social democratic ones, "united for the defense of democratic forms" against "a presumed Fascist assault".
More generally, it is "a coalition ...
government led by
Léon Blum.
He replaced René Robin as governor general.
While Brévié was being received in a ceremony at the landing stage in
Saigon in January 1937 the colonial police were engaged nearby in a violent clash with several thousand communist workers from Saigon and the vicinity.
When Brévié arrived in
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
there was a ban on processions and banners.
Brévié was liberal-minded, and tried to defuse an extremely tense political situation by making concessions such as granting amnesties to political prisoners, giving greater freedom to the press and removing restrictions on nationalist political parties.
Brévié, a socialist, made concessions to the trade unions in Saigon.
In late August 1937 there were floods that ruined the rice harvest in
Cochinchina
Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; vi, Đàng Trong (17th century - 18th century, Việt Nam (1802-1831), Đại Nam (1831-1862), Nam Kỳ (1862-1945); km, កូសាំងស៊ីន, Kosăngsin; french: Cochinchine; ) is a historical exony ...
and
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
.
China contributed $50,000 Shanghai dollars for relief, which Brévié called "a gesture of great humanity."
Brévié's administration stepped up public works projects and took measures to provide rice for replanting and to build up seed stocks.
The motive in part was to stave off anti-colonial discontent.
In 1937 Brévié spoke at the inauguration of the
Do Luong barrage in
Nghệ An Province, which was also attended by the emperor
Bảo Đại
Bảo Đại (, vi-hantu, , lit. "keeper of greatness", 22 October 191331 July 1997), born Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy (), was the 13th and final emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of Vietnam. From 1926 to 1945, he was em ...
.
He noted that the barrage enabled irrigation in a "particularly disadvantaged" area that had been the "theater of serious and prolonged troubles in 1930."
In 1938 Brévié announced plans to build the capacity to irrigate in the
Red River Delta
The Red River Delta or Hong River Delta ( vi, Châu thổ sông Hồng) is the flat low-lying plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries merging with the Thái Bình River in northern Vietnam. ''Hồng'' (紅) is a Sino-Vietnamese word ...
to boost rice production.
The plan would use modern technology to create food security and would maintain political control.
Missionaries found that Brévié treated them sympathetically.
In 1938 Brévié called a meeting on the ''
métis'' question attended by the head of the military, the heads of the departments of schools, law, health, welfare and economics, and the president of the Société d'assistance aux enfants franco-indochinois.
The group decided to expand the framework that charities had established, to increase their budgets and provide administrative support. Efforts would be made to find children of mixed blood, who would be accommodated by the charities, or given to nuns to raise until they were 5 years old, particularly to the
Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres
The Congregation of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres (SPC) is a Roman Catholic religious apostolic missionary congregation of pontifical right for teaching, nursing, visiting the poor and taking care of orphans, the old and infirm, and the me ...
.
The Jules Brévié Federation was founded in July 1939.
The Federation distributed financing and directed efforts to handle issues concerning the ''métis''.
It coordinated charities, both secular and religious, that provided "education and placement of children of mixed Franco-Indochinese blood."
The hill station of
Da Lat
Da Lat (also written as Dalat, vi, Đà Lạt; ), is the capital of Lâm Đồng Province and the largest city of the Central Highlands region in Vietnam. The city is located above sea level on the Langbian Plateau. Da Lat is one of the mo ...
had boarding schools that served all of Vietnam.
It had been seen as a possible center of government that would be hygienic and segregated between Europeans and Vietnamese.
However, the proliferation of the Vietnamese elite in the town made it increasingly impracticable to practice segregation.
When Brévié visited Da Lat he told a racially mixed set of students at the
Lycée Yersin on 12 July 1938,
Brévié came into conflict with Admiral Victor Petit, who commanded the navy in Indochina, over occupation of the
Paracel Islands
The Paracel Islands, also known as the Xisha Islands () and the Hoang Sa Archipelago ( vi, Quần đảo Hoàng Sa, lit=Yellow Sand Archipelago), are a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea.
The archipelago includes about 130 small coral ...
.
The islands would provide protection to the peninsula, but the navy refused to occupy them.
Brévié had to buy some old merchant vessels for the task.
In 1939 Brévié's administration defined the "Brévié Line", which defined the border between the waters of Cambodia and Cochin China.
This was the subject of post-colonial disputes between Vietnam and Cambodia.
The reform program he instituted came to a halt when the Popular Front left office in France, followed by the start of World War II.
Brévié was succeeded by
Georges Catroux (1877–1969) in August 1939.
Brévié wrote the prefaces to two charming books by Tran Van Tung, ''Sourvenirs d'un enfant de campagne'' (1939) and ''Rêves d'un campagnard annamite'' (1940).
Later career (1939–1964)
Brévié was retired by decree on 13 March 1940.
In 1941 he chaired the group of colonial professionals while serving as a member of the constitutional committee of the National Council.
He was elected a member of the Academy of Colonial Sciences on 19 December 1941.
The
Vichy government
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
appointed him
Minister of Overseas France and the Colonies when
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 ...
became prime minister in April 1942.
He held office from 18 April 1942 to 26 March 1943, replacing
Charles Platon
René-Charles Platon (19 September 1886 – 28 August 1944) was a French admiral who was responsible for the Colonial Ministry under the Vichy government.
He was a passionate supporter of the ''Révolution nationale'' (National Revolution) of Vich ...
.
As minister he set up the Colonial Scientific Research Office to further develop his concept of scientific colonization.
The former minister
Henry Lémery proposed to Laval in August 1942 that the
French West Indies should have a ''Conseil Local'' and that
Guadeloupe and
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...
should be made standard departments of France.
Laval and Brévié accepted the first proposal but rejected the second, creating an administrative anomaly.
Brévié was stripped of his honorary rank of governor-general of colonies in January 1945.
In March 1945 he was permanently deprived of his pension and of the right to wear any French or foreign decoration.
Jules Brévié died at the age of 84 on 28 July 1964 in the village of Pierrefitte near
Talizat, Cantal.
As of 2012 a street in the administrative quarter of
Niamey
Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. Niamey lies on the Niger River, primarily situated on the east bank. Niamey's population was counted as 1,026,848 as of the 2012 census. As of 2017, population projections show the capital dis ...
still bore his name.
Publications
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brevie, Jules
1880 births
1964 deaths
Ambassadors of France to Hungary
Colonial Governors of French Niger
French Ministers of Overseas France
Governors of French West Africa
Governors-General of French Indochina