Pierre Eugène Bérégovoy (; 23 December 1925 – 1 May 1993) was a French politician who served as

Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (), officially the prime minister of the French Republic (''Premier ministre de la République française''), is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of its Council of Ministers. The prime ...

under President

François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...

from 2 April 1992 to 29 March 1993. He was a member of the Socialist Party and Member of Parliament for Nièvre's 1st constituency.

Early career

Pierre Bérégovoy was born in Déville-lès-Rouen to a French mother and a Ukrainian father (original family name ''Береговий'' in Ukrainian or ''Береговой'' in Russian) who had left the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

after the

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

. He started his professional life at the age of 16 as a qualified metal worker. He got involved in politics following his activities in the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

– while working at

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A member of the socialist

SFIO The C programming language provides many standard library functions for file input and output. These functions make up the bulk of the C standard library header . The functionality descends from a "portable I/O package" written by Mike Lesk at ...

and of the trade unions confederation Workers Force, he joined the staff of the Minister of Public Works and Transport,

Christian Pineau Christian Pineau (; 14 October 1904 – 5 April 1995) was a noted French Resistance fighter, who later served an important term as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1956 through 1958. Life and career Pineau was born in 1904 in Chaumont-en-Bass ...

, as adviser for relations with the trade unions in 1949. One year later, he became a technical agent at '' Gaz de France''. In 1959, he left the SFIO and participated in the foundation of the dissident Unified Socialist Party (PSU). He became an adviser of Pierre Mendès-France. In 1967, with Alain Savary, he created the pro-Mendès-France Union of Clubs for the Renewal of the Left. This group joined the renewed Socialist Party (PS) in 1969. He joined the executive group of the party behind

, and participated notably in the negotiations of the ''

Common Program The Common Program was the primary general policy document passed by the First plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Septembe ...

'' of the Union of the Left. In 1981, following Mitterrand's election as

President of France The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the po ...

, he was chosen as Secretary General of the Presidency. One year later, he joined the cabinet as Minister of Social affairs. He was among the Socialist politicians who advised President Mitterrand to leave the

European Monetary System The European Monetary System (EMS) was a multilateral adjustable exchange rate agreement in which most of the nations of the European Economic Community (EEC) linked their currencies to prevent large fluctuations in relative value. It was initi ...

in order to continue Socialist economic policy. But in March 1983, Mitterrand listened to his Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy and ratified the change of economic policy. Bérégovoy became Minister of the Economy and Finance, from 1984 to the 1986 Socialist electoral defeat. Elected mayor of

Nevers Nevers ( , ; , later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is a city and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the pr ...

in 1983, and deputy of

Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.1988 presidential campaign. After his re-election, at the time of each cabinet reshuffle, his name was mentioned as a possible prime minister. In the end, he returned to the Ministry of the Economy and Finance. In this function, he symbolized the adaptation of French socialism to the market economy and struck up hearty relations with employer representatives. After the 1992 regional elections, which were a disaster for the PS, he was finally appointed

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

and formed a new

minority government A minority government, minority cabinet, minority administration, or a minority parliament is a government and cabinet formed in a parliamentary system when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in ...

. He promised to fight unemployment, economic decline and corruption. During his inaugural speech in the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...

, he claimed he knew the names of politicians from the right-wing opposition implicated in corruption scandals, causing a great hue and cry. Bérégovoy forced Bernard Tapie, his Minister of Urban Affairs, to resign in May 1992 after his indictment by the French justice. He thus created the misnamed " Balladur jurisprudence". In social policy, a number of reforms were carried out. In November 1992 a law was passed that inserted a (arguably narrow) definition of sexual harassment into the labour code and empowered the labour inspectorate and workplace committees to enforce it. In May 1992, increased aid was provided to farmers, mainly comprising reductions in the agricultural land tax and increased grants for young farmers. In June 1992, the French parliament passed a bill which required mayors to encourage social mixing in public housing. A law of 12 July 1992 was aimed at enhancing both the status of child-minders and "the quality of day care for children in a family environment," and a law of 29 July 1992 improved entitlement to medical assistance. The Sapin law of January 1993 sought to prevent corruption and encourage transparency "in economic activities and public procedures," and a law of January 1993 established "the principle of joint parental authority in the legitimate family, even if a divorce occurs." In addition, the coverage of housing benefits was extended in 1993. After nearly a year as

, Bérégovoy led the Socialist Party into the electoral collapse of the March 1993 parliamentary elections: the governing party, which previously held 260 seats (29 short from an overall majority), was reduced to only 53 seats, thus constituting the worst electoral defeat in the French left's history and one of the worst ever suffered by a governing party in French history. He resigned as PM on 29 March 1993.

Political career

Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic: 1981–1982. Governmental functions Prime Minister: 1992–1993. Minister of Economy and Finances: 1984–1986 / 1988–1992. Minister of Social Affairs: 1982–1984. Electoral mandates ''National Assembly of France'' Member of the

National Assembly of France The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...

for

Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Nièvre Nièvre () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, central-east France. Named after the river Nièvre, it had a population of 204,452 in 2019.Nevers Nevers ( , ; , later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is a city and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Nièvre Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in central France. It was the pr ...

: 1983–1993 (Died in May 1993). Reelected in 1989. Municipal councillor of

: 1983–1993 (Died in May 1993). Reelected in 1989.

Death

Bérégovoy killed himself with a gunshot on 1 May 1993. Friends said he had been depressed ever since he lost the March legislative election in which his Socialist Party won only 67 out of 577 parliamentary seats. Bérégovoy was also being investigated concerning a one-million-franc interest-free loan he received from businessman and close friend, Roger-Patrice Pelat. Pelat had died of a heart attack on 7 March 1989, shortly after being found guilty in the Péchiney-Triangle affair. At Bérégovoy's funeral, held at Nevers in an atmosphere of tension and shock,

stated that media pressure in connection with the Pelat scandal was responsible for Bérégovoy's suicide. Targeting the press, he said Bérégovoy's "honour was thrown to the dogs", crediting him with "the grandeur of someone who chooses his destiny."

Bérégovoy's ministry, 2 April 1992 – 29 March 1993

* Pierre Bérégovoy – Prime Minister * Roland Dumas – Minister of Foreign Affairs * Pierre Joxe – Minister of Defense * Paul Quilès – Minister of the Interior and Public Security * Michel Sapin – Minister of Economy, Finance, and Privatization *

Michel Charasse Michel Charasse (8 July 1941 – 21 February 2020) was a member of the French Senate. He represented the Puy-de-Dôme department, and was a member of the Socialist Party. On 24 February 2010, French President Nicolas Sarkozy Nicol ...

– Minister of Budget * Dominique Strauss-Kahn – Minister of Industry and External Commerce *

Martine Aubry Martine Louise Marie Aubry (; née Delors; born 8 August 1950) is a French politician. She was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (''Parti Socialiste'', or PS) from November 2008 to April 2012, and has been the Mayor (France), M ...

– Minister of Labour, Employment, and Vocational Training * Michel Vauzelle – Minister of Justice * Jack Lang – Minister of National Education and Culture *

Louis Mermaz Louis Mermaz (20 August 1931 – 15 August 2024) was a French politician. Life and career Mermaz became an ally of François Mitterrand in the late 1950s and in 1971 became a member of Mitterrand's staff in the French Socialist Party. In 1967, ...

– Minister of Agriculture and Forests *

Ségolène Royal Ségolène Royal (; born Marie-Ségolène Royal; 22 September 1953) is a French politician who took part in the 2007 French presidential election, losing to Nicolas Sarkozy in the second round. She was the first woman in France's history to r ...

– Minister of Environment * Frédérique Bredin – Minister of Youth and Sports * Louis Le Pensec – Minister of Overseas Departments and Territories * Jean-Louis Bianco – Minister of Transport, Housing, and Equipment * Louis Mermaz – Minister of Relations with Parliament * Bernard Kouchner – Minister of Health and Humanitarian Action * Émile Zuccarelli – Minister of Posts and Telecommunications * Michel Delebarre – Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Reform * François Loncle – Minister of City, Minister of Planning * Bernard Tapie – Minister of City * Hubert Curien – Minister of Research and Space * René Teulade – Minister of Social Affairs and Integration Changes * 23 May 1992 – Bernard Tapie leaves the ministry and the office of Minister of City is abolished * 2 October 1992 – Martin Malvy succeeds Charasse as Minister of Budget. Jean-Pierre Soisson succeeds Mermaz as Minister of Agriculture, becoming also Minister of Rural Development * 26 December 1992 – The office of Minister of City is re-established, with Bernard Tapie again as Minister * 9 March 1993 – Pierre Joxe leaves the ministry of Defence and was succeeded by Pierre Bérégovoy (who remains also Prime minister)

References

External links

Association Pierre Bérégovoy
in French only {{DEFAULTSORT:Beregovoy, Pierre 1925 births 1993 deaths People from Déville-lès-Rouen French people of Ukrainian descent Politicians from Normandy French Section of the Workers' International politicians Unified Socialist Party (France) politicians Socialist Party (France) politicians Prime ministers of France Budget ministers of France Finance ministers of France Deputies of the 8th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 9th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 10th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic French Resistance members Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite 1993 suicides French politicians who died by suicide Suicides by firearm in France