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 July 1913) of allowances to families with children.
In 1917 and in 1934, Barthou also served as
Minister of Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
.
Early life
Louis Barthou was born on 25 August 1862 in
Oloron-Sainte-Marie
Oloron-Sainte-Marie (; oc, Auloron e Senta Maria; eu, Oloroe-Donamaria) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Aquitaine), southwestern France.
History
The town was founded by the ...
, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France.
Career
Barthou served as a
deputy from his home constituency and was an authority on
trade-union history and law.
He served 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 i ...
from 22 March 1913 to 9 December 1913. In social policy, Barthou's time as prime minister saw the passage of a law in June 1913 aimed at safeguarding women workers before and after childbirth.
![Piłsudski Barthou](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Pi%C5%82sudski_Barthou.jpg)
He also held ministerial office on 13 other occasions. He served as
Foreign Minister in 1917 and 1934. He was the primary figure behind the
Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance
The Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance was a bilateral treaty between France and the Soviet Union with the aim of enveloping Nazi Germany in 1935 to reduce the threat from Central Europe. It was pursued by Maxim Litvinov, the Soviet forei ...
of 1935, but it was signed by his successor,
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 ...
. As a national
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 ...
hero and a recognized author, Barthou was elected to the
Académie française at the end of that war.
In 1934 he tried to create an
Eastern Pact
{{distinguish, Easter Pact
The Eastern Pact was a proposed mutual-aid treaty, intended to bring France, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania together in opposition to Nazi Germany.
The idea of the Easte ...
, which would have included Germany (in some proposals) the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
,
Czechoslovakia
, rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי,
, common_name = Czechoslovakia
, life_span = 1918–19391945–1992
, p1 = Austria-Hungary
, image_p1 ...
and the
Baltic states on the basis of guarantees - of the European borders of the Soviet Union by France, and of the eastern borders of
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
by the Soviet Union. He succeeded in obtaining the entry of the Soviet Union into 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 ...
in September 1934. In response to the
withdrawal of Nazi Germany from the League in 1933, he began a program of rearmament, which focused initially on the
Navy and the
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
.
Barthou was a lover of the arts, and in power he worked with leaders of the arts to publicize their fields. He felt that world-class leadership in the arts made Paris a mecca for tourists and collectors, and enhanced the nation's stature worldwide as the exemplar of truth and beauty. In turn, the arts community honoured Barthou by dubbing him the "minister of poets".
Death
As Foreign Minister, Barthou met King
Alexander I of Yugoslavia
Alexander I ( sr-Cyrl, Александар I Карађорђевић, Aleksandar I Karađorđević, ) ( – 9 October 1934), also known as Alexander the Unifier, was the prince regent of the Kingdom of Serbia from 1914 and later the King of Yu ...
during his state visit to
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
in October 1934. On 9 October, King Alexander was assassinated by
Velicko Kerin, a
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
n far-right nationalist terrorist wielding a
handgun.
Another bullet struck Barthou in the arm, passing through and fatally severing an artery. He died of blood-loss less than an hour later. The assassination had been planned in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
by
Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelić (; 14 July 1889 – 28 December 1959) was a Croatian politician who founded and headed the fascist ultranationalist organization known as the Ustaše in 1929 and served as dictator of the Independent State of Croatia ( hr, l ...
, head of the Croatian
Ustaše
The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionary Move ...
, in August 1934. Pavelić was assisted by Georg Percevic, a former
Austro-Hungarian Armed Forces officer. France unsuccessfully requested the extradition of Percevic and Pavelić. This assassination ended the careers of the
Bouches-du-Rhone prefect, , and of the director of the
Surete Nationale
The National Police (french: Police nationale), formerly known as the , is one of two national police forces of France, the other being the National Gendarmerie. The National Police is the country's main civil law enforcement agency, with primar ...
,
Jean Berthoin.
A ballistic report on the bullets found in the car was made in 1935, but its results were not made available to the public until 1974. The report revealed that Barthou had been hit by an
8 mm Modèle 1892 revolver
The Model 1892 revolver (also known as the "Lebel revolver" and the "St. Etienne 8mm") is a French service revolver produced by Manufacture d'armes de Saint-Étienne as a replacement for the MAS 1873 revolver. It was the standard issue sidearm f ...
round, commonly used in weapons carried by French police.
Thus Barthou was killed during the frantic police response, rather than by the assassin.
Legacy
The deaths of Barthou and the King led to the
Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Terrorism concluded at Geneva by the League of Nations on 16 November 1937. The Convention was signed by 25 nations, ratified only by India.
Barthou was granted a state funeral four days after his demise.
Ministries
Barthou's ministry, 22 March 1913 – 9 December 1913
* Louis Barthou – President of the Council and Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts
*
Stéphen Pichon – 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 the Interior
*
Charles Dumont – Minister of Finance
*
Henry Chéron – Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions
*
Antony Ratier Antony may refer to:
* Antony (name), a masculine given name and a surname
* Antony, Belarus, a village in the Hrodna Voblast of Belarus
* Antony, Cornwall, a village in Cornwall, United Kingdom
** Antony House, Cornwall, United Kingdom
* Antony, ...
– Minister of Justice
*
Pierre Baudin – Minister of Marine
*
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 Agriculture
*
Jean Morel – Minister of Colonies
*
Joseph Thierry
Joseph Marie Philippe Thierry (2 March 1857 – 22 September 1918) was a French lawyer and politician.
He was deputy for Bouches-du-Rhône from 1898 to 1918.
He was Minister of Public Works in 1913 and Minister of Finance in 1917.
As Minister of F ...
– Minister of Public Works
*
Alfred Massé
Alfred Massé (2 June 1870 – 28 December 1951) was a French lawyer, journalist and politician who was twice Minister of Commerce and Industry shortly before World War I (1914–18).
Early years
Alfred Louis François Pierre Massé was born on ...
– Minister of Commerce, Industry, Posts, and Telegraphs
References
Further reading
* Atkin, Nicholas. "Power and Pleasure. Louis Barthou and the Third French Republic." ''Journal of European Studies'' 23.91 (1993): 357-359.
* Buffotot, Patrice. "The French high command and the Franco‐Soviet alliance 1933–1939." ''Journal of Strategic Studies'' 5.4 (1982): 546-559.
* French, G. "Louis Barthou and the German Question: 1934." ''Report of the Annual Meeting''. Vol. 43. No. 1. 1964
online* Rife, John Merle. "The political career of Louis Barthou" (PhD. Diss. The Ohio State University, 1964
online
* Roberts, Allen. ''The turning point: the assassination of Louis Barthou and King Alexander I of Yugoslavia'' (1970).
* Schuman, Frederick L. ''Europe On The Eve 1933-1939'' (1939) pp 94–10
online* Young, Robert J. '' Power and Pleasure: Louis Barthou and the Third French Republic'' (1991)
* Young, Robert J. "Cultural Politics and the Politics of Culture: The Case of Louis Barthou," ''French Historical Studies'' (Fall 1991) 17#2 pp. 343–35
online* Young, Robert J. "A Talent for All Seasons: The Life and Times of Louis Barthou." ''Queen's Quarterly'' 98.4 (1991): 846-64; online.
External links
*
"''The King is Dead, Long Live the Balkans!'' Watching the Marseilles Murders of 1934" The Watson Institute*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barthou, Louis
1862 births
1934 deaths
People from Oloron-Sainte-Marie
Politicians from Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Democratic Republican Alliance politicians
Prime Ministers of France
French Foreign Ministers
Transport ministers of France
French Ministers of Public Works, Posts and Telegraphs
French interior ministers
French Ministers of War
Members of the 5th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
Members of the 6th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
Members of the 7th Chamber of Deputies of the French Third Republic
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
French Senators of the Third Republic
Senators of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Members of the Académie Française
1934 murders in France
Assassinated French politicians
Filmed assassinations
Deaths by firearm in France
People murdered in France
Terrorism deaths in France
Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery
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