Raymond Octave Joseph Barre (; 12 April 192425 August 2007) was a French centre-right politician and economist. He was a

Vice President of the European Commission A Vice-President of the European Commission is a member of the European Commission who leads the commission's work in particular focus areas in which multiple European Commissioners participate. Currently, the European Commission has a total of ...

and Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs under three presidents ( Rey, Malfatti and Mansholt) and later 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 is not ...

under

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...

from 1976 until 1981. As a candidate for the presidency in 1988, he came in third and was eliminated in the first round. He was born in Saint-Denis, in the French island of

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

, then still a colony (it became an

overseas department The overseas departments and regions of France (french: départements et régions d'outre-mer, ; ''DROM'') are departments of France that are outside metropolitan France, the European part of France. They have exactly the same status as mainlan ...

in 1946).

Career

Professional life

After his education, Raymond Barre was professor of economics at the ''

Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , accreditation ...

(Sciences Po)'' as well as ''

École Centrale Paris École Centrale Paris (ECP; also known as École Centrale or Centrale) was a French grande école in engineering and science. It was also known by its official name ''École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures''. In 2015, École Centrale Paris mer ...

''. From 1959 to 1962, he was director of

Jean-Marcel Jeanneney Jean-Marcel Jeanneney (13 November 1910 – 17 September 2010) was minister in various French governments in the 1950s and 1960s, and France's first ambassador to Algeria in the immediate aftermath of the Algerian War. Born in Paris, he ha ...

's staff, in the ministry of Industry and Trade. Then, in 1967, President

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 Government ...

chose him as

Vice-President of the European Commission A Vice-President of the European Commission is a member of the European Commission who leads the commission's work in particular focus areas in which multiple European Commissioners participate. Currently, the European Commission has a total of ...

for Economic & Financial Affairs. He stayed in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

until January 1973, serving in the Rey, Malfatti and

Mansholt Commission The Mansholt Commission is the European Commission that held office from 22 March 1972 to 5 January 1973. Its President was Sicco Mansholt. Work It was the successor to the Malfatti Commission and was succeeded by the Ortoli Commission. It ov ...

s. Having come back to France, he joined the cabinet as minister of the External Trade in January 1976.

Premiership

Seven months later, while mostly unknown at that time, President Giscard d'Estaing appointed him

and Minister of Economy and Finance. He presented him to the French people as "the best economist in France" (french: link=no, meilleur économiste de France). Under the Fifth Republic, he was the only person to hold these two offices at the same time. He left the ministry of Economy and Finance in 1978, but stayed as Prime minister until the defeat of Giscard d'Estaing at the 1981 presidential election. At the head of the cabinet, he was faced with the conflict which divided the parliamentary majority between the "Giscardians" and the neo-Gaullist

Rally for the Republic The Rally for the Republic (french: Rassemblement pour la République ; RPR ), was a Gaullist and conservative political party in France. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic (UDR), it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 a ...

(RPR) led by his predecessor

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...

. The right majority unexpectedly won the 1978 legislative election. Barre was primarily confronted with an economic crisis. He advocated numerous complex, strict policies ("Barre Plans"). The first Barre plan emerged on 22 September 1976, with a priority to stop inflation. It included a 3-month price freeze; a reduction in the value added tax; wage controls; salary controls; a reduction of the growth in the money supply; and increases in the income tax, automobile taxes, luxury taxes and bank rates. There were measures to restore the trade balance, and support the growth of the economy and employment. Oil imports, whose price had shot up, were limited. There was special aid to exports, and an action fund was set up to aid industries. There was increased financial aid to farmers, who were suffering from a drought, and for social security. The package was not very popular, but was pursued with vigor. In the face of trade union opposition, he did not use diplomatic language. Instead he mocked "the bearers of banners" (french: link=no, les porteurs de pancartes) and he exhorted "instead of grousing, you should work hard".

Post-premiership

After his departure from the head of the cabinet, he was elected deputy of

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

''département'' under the label of the

Union for French Democracy The Union for French Democracy (french: Union pour la démocratie française, UDF) was a centre to centre-right political party in France. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to c ...

(UDF), although he never formally joined the party. He held his parliamentary seat until 2002. In the 1980s, he competed for the leadership of the right against Chirac. Believing that the "

cohabitation Cohabitation is an arrangement where people who are not married, usually couples, live together. They are often involved in a romantic or sexually intimate relationship on a long-term or permanent basis. Such arrangements have become increas ...

" was incompatible with the " Fifth Republic", he let Chirac take the lead of the cabinet after the 1986 legislative election. He ran as UDF candidate for president in the 1988 election, but some components of his party supported covertly the other right-wing candidate, the Neo-Gaullist Prime Minister

. In this, in spite of positive polls at the beginning of the campaign, he came the third behind the two protagonists of the "cohabitation": the Socialist President

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

and

. For the second round, he called his voters to transfer to the RPR candidate, who was finally defeated. After the failure of his presidential candidacy, he focused on his local tenures, in

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 ...

. In 1995, the RPR Mayor of Lyon

Michel Noir Michel Noir (born 19 May 1944) is a French politician. Political career Governmental functions Minister of Foreign Trade : 1986-1988 Electoral mandates ''National Assembly of France'' Member of the National Assembly for Rhône : 1978-198 ...

could not compete for another term in due to a judicial indictment, and consequently, Barre was the conservative candidate to the mayoralty. He was elected but he did not run for a second term in 2001. One year later, he finished his last parliamentary term in the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

and retired from politics. Raymond Barre was probably the only French politician to have reached such high levels of responsibilities without having ever been an official member or leader of any political party. He always kept some distance with what he considered to be the political " microcosm". Raymond Barre died on 25 August 2007 at age 83 at the

Val-de-Grâce The (' or ') was a military hospital located at in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was closed as a hospital in 2016. History The church of the was built by order of Queen Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII. After the birth of h ...

military hospital in Paris, where he was being treated for heart problems since his transfer from a hospital in

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

on 11 April 2007.

Political career

Governmental functions Prime minister : 1976–1981. Minister of Economy and Finance : 1976–1978. Minister of Foreign Trade : January–August 1976. Electoral mandates ''National Assembly of France'' Member of the

National Assembly of France The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

for

Rhône (department) Rhône (; frp, Rôno) is a department of east-central France, in the central-southeastern Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Named after the river Rhône, its prefecture is Lyon. Its sole subprefecture is Villefranche-sur-Saône. In 2019, it had a ...

: 1981–2002. Elected in 1981, reelected in 1986, 1988, 1993, 1997. ''Municipal Council'' Mayor of

: 1995–2001. Municipal councillor of

: 1995–2001. ''Urban community Council'' President of the

Urban Community of Lyon The Urban Community of Lyon (french: Urban communities in France, Communauté urbaine de Lyon), also known as Grand Lyon (i.e. "Greater Lyon") or by its former acronym COURLY, is the former intercommunality, intercommunal structure gathering the ci ...

: 1995–2001. Member of the

: 1995–2001. Bilderberg Conference participant 1983

Allegations of antisemitism

On several occasions, Raymond Barre made remarks that were interpreted as antisemitic, or at least supportive of

antisemitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

. In 1980, when he was prime minister, a bombing was attempted against the

Union Libérale Israélite de France The Union Libérale Israélite de France (ULIF), commonly referred to as the rue Copernic synagogue, is a Liberal Jewish synagogue, located in Paris, France. Inaugurated on the first of December 1907, it is the oldest Reform synagogue in Franc ...

, a synagogue in the rue Copernic, Paris; however the bomb detonated in the street when the Jews attending

shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

were inside the synagogue, and not when they were out; but as a result some non-Jewish bystanders were killed. Raymond Barre then famously denounced: :"A hateful attack which wanted to strike at the Jews who were in that synagogue, and which struck innocent French people who were crossing the street." In 2007, Barre argued on a radio show that "the Jewish lobby" had orchestrated criticism regarding his 1980 remarks. On this same show, Barre defended the collaborationist

Maurice Papon Maurice Papon (; 3 September 1910 – 17 February 2007) was a French civil servant who led the police in major prefectures from the 1930s to the 1960s, before he became a Gaullist politician. When he was secretary general for the police in Bo ...

at his trial, describing him as "a scapegoat." Barre was criticized for these remarks.

Governments

Barre's First Government, 25 August 1976 – 30 March 1977

*Raymond Barre –

and Minister of Economy and Finance * Louis de Guiringaud –

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 cou ...

Yvon Bourges Yvon may refer to: * Yvon (given name), a masculine given name * Yvon (surname), a surname See also * Chapelle-Yvon * Evon * Ivon * Jaille-Yvon * Pierre-Yvon * Yvan Yvan is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jacques-Yvan Mor ...

–

Minister of Defense 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 ...

Michel Poniatowski Michel Poniatowski (16 May 1922 – 15 January 2002) was a French politician, member of a legitimized line of Poland's princely Poniatowski family. He was a founder of the Independent Republicans and a part of the administration for President ...

–

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 ...

Michel d'Ornano Michel d'Ornano (12 July 1924 – 8 March 1991) was a French politician. A descendant of both Marie Walewska and Philippe Antoine d'Ornano, he began his political career as mayor of Deauville in 1962. He served as president of the Genera ...

– Minister of Industry and Research * Christian Beullac – Minister of Labour *

Olivier Guichard Olivier Guichard (; 27 July 1920 – 20 January 2004) was a French politician. He was born in Néac and joined the French Army in 1944 and served until the end of World War II, during which, he earned the Médaille militaire and the Croix de g ...

–

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 v ...

René Haby René Haby (9 October 1919, in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe – 6 February 2003) was a French politician. He had been a prisoner of war during World War II. He was a member of the Union for French Democracy The Union for French Democracy (french: Union ...

– Minister of Education *

Christian Bonnet Christian Bonnet (14 June 1921 – 7 April 2020) was a French politician. Biography Christian was the oldest son of Pierre Bonnet and Suzanne Delebecque. He had two younger brothers: Didier and Jean-Claude. His grandfather, Charles Bonnet, marrie ...

– Minister of Agriculture *

Jean-Pierre Fourcade Jean-Pierre Fourcade (born 18 October 1929 in Marmande, Lot-et-Garonne) is a French politician and a member of the Senate of France. He represents the Hauts-de-Seine department and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement The Union ...

– Minister of Equipment *

Robert Boulin Robert Boulin (20 July 1920 – 30 October 1979) was a French politician who served as Minister of Labour in the French Cabinet and was at the centre of a major real-estate scandal that ended only with his death in mysterious circumstances. At t ...

– Minister of Relations with Parliament *

Simone Veil Simone Veil (; ; 13 July 1927 – 30 June 2017) was a French magistrate and politician who served as Health Minister in several governments and was President of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1982, the first woman to hold that office. A ...

– Minister of Health *

Robert Galley Robert Galley (11 January 1921 – 8 June 2012) was a French politician and member of the Free French Forces during World War II, for which he received the Ordre de la Libération. The son of a doctor, Galley was born in Paris on January 11, 19 ...

– Minister of Cooperation * Pierre Brousse – Minister of Commerce and Craft Industry * André Rossi – Minister of External Commerce *

Vincent Ansquer Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

– Minister of Quality of Life *

Jean Lecanuet Jean Adrien François Lecanuet (4 March 1920 – 22 February 1993) was a French centrist politician. Biography Lecanuet was born to a family of modest means in Neuilly-sur-Seine, and gravitated towards philosophy studies. He received his di ...

– Minister of Planning

Barre's Second Government, 30 March 1977 – 5 April 1978

*Raymond Barre – Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance * Louis de Guiringaud – Minister of Foreign Affairs *

– Minister of Defense *

– Minister of the Interior *

René Monory René Monory (6 June 1923 – 11 April 2009) was a French centre-right Gaullist politician. Biography René Monory was born in Loudun and began his career as the owner of a garage. He was the founder of the Poitiers Futuroscope. Monory firs ...

– Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Craft Industry * Christian Beullac – Minister of Labour *

Alain Peyrefitte Alain Peyrefitte (; 26 August 1925 – 27 November 1999) was a French scholar and politician. He was a confidant of Charles de Gaulle and had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland. Peyrefitte is remembered ...

– Minister of Justice *

– Minister of Education *

– Minister of Culture and Environment *

Pierre Méhaignerie Pierre Méhaignerie (born 4 May 1939) is a French politician. He is a former deputy of the Ille-et-Vilaine's 5th constituency and the former mayor of Vitré (re-elected in March 2008). He was elected in 1973 to the French parliament ...

– Minister of Agriculture *

– Minister of Equipment and Regional Planning *

– Minister of Health and Social Security *

– Minister of Cooperation * André Rossi – Minister of External Commerce Changes *26 September 1977 – Fernand Icart succeeds Fourcade as Minister of Equipment and Regional Planning.

Barre's Third Government, 5 April 1978 – 21 May 1981

*Raymond Barre – Prime Minister * Louis de Guiringaud – Minister of Foreign Affairs *

– Minister of Defense *

– Minister of the Interior *

– Minister of Economy *

– Minister of Budget *

André Giraud André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries. It is a variation ...

– Minister of Industry *

– Minister of Labour and Participation *

– Minister of Justice * Christian Beullac – Minister of Education * Alice Saunier-Seïté – Minister of Universities *

Jean-Philippe Lecat Jean-Philippe Lecat (29 July 1935 – 26 March 2011) was a French politician. He graduated from the École nationale d'administration in 1963. Between 1968 and 1978, he was a member of the Union of Democrats for the Republic and between 197 ...

– Minister of Culture and Communication *

– Minister of Agriculture *

– Minister of Environment and Quality of Life * Jean-Pierre Soisson – Minister of Youth, Sports, and Leisure * Fernand Icart – Minister of Equipment and Regional Planning *

Joël Le Theule Joël Le Theule (; 22 March 1930 – 14 December 1980) was a French politician. Early life Joël Le Theule was born on March 22, 1930, in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, France. Career Le Theule joined the Union for the New Republic and later the Rally for ...

– Minister of Transport *

– Minister of Health and Family *

– Minister of Cooperation *

Jacques Barrot Jacques Barrot (3 February 1937 – 3 December 2014) was a French politician, who served as European Commissioner for Justice between 2008 and 2010, after having spent four years serving as Commissioner for Transport (2004–2008) and Commissi ...

– Minister of Commerce and Craft Industry *

Jean-François Deniau Jean-François Deniau (31 October 1928 – 24 January 2007) was a French politician, diplomat, essayist and novelist. Until 1998, he was a member of the Union for French Democracy (UDF). Biography Minister and diplomat In 1958, he became th ...

– Minister of External Commerce Changes *29 November 1978 – Jean François-Poncet succeeds Guiringaud as Minister of Foreign Affairs. *4 July 1979 –

succeeds Veil as Minister of Health and Social Security.

Maurice Charretier Maurice may refer to: People *Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr *Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...

succeeds Barrot as Minister of Commerce and Craft Industry. *29 October 1979 –

Jean Mattéoli Jean Mattéoli (December 20, 1922 in Montchanin, Saône-et-Loire – January 27, 2008 in Paris) was a French politician. He was the Minister of Social Affairs during the Raymond Barre administration from 1979 to 1981 and also served as president ...

succeeds Boulin as Minister of Labour and Participation. *2 October 1980 –

succeeds Bourges as Minister of Defense. Daniel Hoeffel succeeds Le Theule as Minister of Transport.

Michel Cointat Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

succeeds Deniau as Minister of External Commerce. *22 December 1980 –

succeeds Le Theule (d.14 December) as Minister of Defense. *4 March 1981 –

succeeds Lecat as Minister of Culture. No one succeeds Lecat as Minister of Communication.

Retirement

Barre retired from active politics in June 2002. He was being treated at a hospital for a heart condition since April 2007 when he died on 25 August 2007. He was survived by his wife and two sons.

Works

* ''La Période dans l'analyse économique – une approche à l'étude du temps'', SEDEIS, 1950 * ''Économie politique'', Paris, Presses universitaires de France, Thémis économie, 1959 * ''Le Développement économique : analyse et politique'', 1958 * ''Une politique pour l'avenir'', Plon, 1981 * ''La Désinflation'', Paris, Que sais-je ?, 1983 * ''Un plan pour l'Europe – la Communauté européenne, problèmes et perspectives'', Presses universitaires de Nancy, 1984 * ''Réflexions pour demain'', 1984, Pluriel * ''Au tournant du siècle'', Plon, 1988 * ''Questions de confiance – Entretiens avec

Jean-Marie Colombani Jean-Marie Colombani (born 7 July 1948 in Dakar, Senegal) is a French journalist, and was the editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper ''Le Monde'' from 1994 until 2007. Biography Educated at Panthéon-Assas University and Science-Po, he is the ...

'',

Flammarion Flammarion may refer to: * Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), French astronomer and author * Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer, wife of Camille Flammarion * Flammarion engraving by unknown artist; appeared in a book by C ...

, 1988 * ''Entretiens'', collectif, 2001 * ''L'Expérience du pouvoir'', conversations avec

Jean Bothorel Jean Bothorel (12 May 1940) is a French journalist and the author of many books. He is a former editor at ''Le Figaro''. He was the 1993 winner of the Prix Goncourt de la Biographie. Career Bothorel is a journalist. He first worked for ''L'Expans ...

Fayard Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre. In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayard ...

, 2007 ..

Career

Professional life

Premiership

Post-premiership

Political career

Allegations of antisemitism

Governments

Barre's First Government, 25 August 1976 – 30 March 1977

Barre's Second Government, 30 March 1977 – 5 April 1978

Barre's Third Government, 5 April 1978 – 21 May 1981

Retirement

Works

References

Further reading