Édouard Daladier

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French politician Édouard Daladier

Édouard Daladier (18 June 1884 - 10 October 1970) was a French Radical-Socialist politician, and Prime Minister of France at the start of the Second World War.

1 Career
2 Daladier's First Government, 31 January - 26 October 1933
3 Daladier's Second Ministry, 30 January - 9 February 1934
4 Daladier's Third Ministry, 10 April 1938 - 21 March 1940
5 See also

[edit] Career

He was born in Carpentras. A government minister in various posts during the coalition governments between 1924 and 1928, he was instrumental in the Radical-Socialist Party's break with the socialist SFIO in 1926 (the first Cartel des gauches - "Left-wing Coalition"), and with the conservative Raymond Poincaré in November 1928.

Daladier became a leading member of the Radicals. He first became Prime Minister during 1933, and then again in 1934 for a few weeks when the Stavisky Affair led to far right 6 February 1934 riots and the second Cartel des gauches ' fall from power.

Daladier became Minister of War for the Popular Front coalition in 1936, and became Prime Minister again on 10 April 1938 after the fall of the Popular Front.

His term in power saw the Munich Agreement, when France backed out of its obligations to defend Czechoslovakia against Nazi Germany. He was pushed into negotiating by Britain's Neville Chamberlain, without which war would have been impossible. On his return to Paris, Daladier, who was expecting a hostile crowd, was acclaimed. He then told his aid, Alexis Léger: "Ah, les cons (the fools) !"»^[1].

When the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed, Daladier responded to the public outcry by outlawing the French Communist Party, which had refused to condemn Joseph Stalin's actions. In 1939, after the German invasion of Poland he was reluctant to go to war, but did so on 3 September 1939 - inaugurating the Phony War.

In March 1940 he resigned as Prime Minister in France, due to his failure to aid Finland's defense during the Winter War, and was replaced with Paul Reynaud. His antipathy to Paul Reynaud prevented Reynaud from replacing the aged Maurice Gamelin as Supreme Commander of all French armed forces. As a result, both Reynaud and Gamelin resigned on 9 May 1940, the day before the Germans began their invasion campaign on 10 May. Daladier fled with other members of the government to Morocco, under the impression that the government would continue in North Africa, but was arrested and tried for treason by the Vichy government during the "Riom Trial". He was kept in prison from 1940 to 1943, after which he was handed out to the Germans and deported to Buchenwald concentration camp until the end of World War II.

After the conflict ended, Daladier was a member of the Chamber of Deputies, and an opponent of Charles de Gaulle. He was also Lord Mayor of Avignon from 1953 until 1958. He died in Paris and is buried in the famous cemetery of Père-Lachaise.

[edit] Daladier's First Government, 31 January - 26 October 1933

Édouard Daladier - President of the Council and Minister of War
Eugène Penancier - Vice President of the Council and Minister of Justice
Joseph Paul-Boncour - Minister of Foreign Affairs
Camille Chautemps - Minister of the Interior
Georges Bonnet - Minister of Finance
Lucien Lamoureux - Minister of Budget
François Albert - Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions
Georges Leygues - Minister of Marine
Eugène Frot - Minister of Merchant Marine
Pierre Cot - Minister of Air
Anatole de Monzie - Minister of National Education
Edmond Miellet - Minister of Pensions
Henri Queuille - Minister of Agriculture
Albert Sarraut - Minister of Colonies
Joseph Paganon - Minister of Public Works
Charles Daniélou - Minister of Public Health
Laurent Eynac - Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones
Louis Serre - Minister of Commerce and Industry

Changes

6 September 1933 - Albert Sarraut succeeds Leygues (d. 2 September) as Minister of Marine. Albert Dalimier succeeds Sarraut as Minister of Colonies.

[edit] Daladier's Second Ministry, 30 January - 9 February 1934

Édouard Daladier - President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Eugène Penancier - Vice President of the Council and Minister of Justice
Jean Fabry - Minister of National Defense and War
Eugène Frot - Minister of the Interior
François Piétri - Minister of Finance
Jean Valadier - Minister of Labour and Social Security Provisions
Louis de Chappedelaine - Minister of Military Marine
Guy La Chambre - Minister of Merchant Marine
Pierre Cot - Minister of Air
Aimé Berthod - Minister of National Education
Hippolyte Ducos - Minister of Pensions
Henri Queuille - Minister of Agriculture
Henry de Jouvenel - Minister of Overseas France
Joseph Paganon - Minister of Public Works
Émile Lisbonne - Minister of Public Health
Paul Bernier - Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones
Jean Mistler - Minister of Commerce and Industry

Changes

4 February 1934 - Joseph Paul-Boncour succeeds Fabry as Minister of National Defense and War. Paul Marchandeau succeeds Piétri as Minister of Finance.

[edit] Daladier's Third Ministry, 10 April 1938 - 21 March 1940

Édouard Daladier - President of the Council and Minister of National Defense and War
Camille Chautemps - Vice President of the Council
Georges Bonnet - Minister of Foreign Affairs
Albert Sarraut - Minister of the Interior
Paul Marchandeau - Minister of Finance
Raymond Patenôtre - Minister of National Economy
Paul Ramadier - Minister of Labour
Paul Reynaud - Minister of Justice
César Campinchi - Minister of Military Marine
Louis de Chappedelaine - Minister of Merchant Marine
Guy La Chambre - Minister of Air
Jean Zay - Minister of National Education
Auguste Champetier de Ribes - Minister of Veterans and Pensioners
Henri Queuille - Minister of Agriculture
Georges Mandel - Minister of Colonies
Ludovic-Oscar Frossard - Minister of Public Works
Marc Rucart - Minister of Public Health
Alfred Jules-Julien - Minister of Posts, Telegraphs, and Telephones
Fernand Gentin - Minister of Commerce

Changes

23 August 1938 - Charles Pomaret succeeds Ramadier as Minister of Labour. Anatole de Monzie succeeds Frossard as Minister of Public Works.
1 November 1938 - Paul Reynaud succeeds Paul Marchandeau as Minister of Finance. Marchandeau succeeds Reynaud as Minister of Justice.
13 September 1939 - Georges Bonnet succeeds Marchandeau as Minister of Justice. Daladier succeeds Bonnet as Minister of Foreign Affairs, remaining also Minister of National Defense and War. Raymond Patenôtre leaves the Cabinet and the Position of Minister of National Economy is abolished. Alphonse Rio succeeds Chappedelaine as Minister of Merchant Marine. Yvon Delbos succeeds Zay as Minister of National Education. René Besse succeeds Champetier as Minister of Veterans and Pensioners. Raoul Dautry enters the Cabinet as Minister of Armaments. Georges Pernot enters the Cabinet as Minister of Blockade.

Preceded by Jean Fabry	Minister of Colonies 1924–1925	Succeeded by Orly André-Hesse
Preceded by Paul Painlevé	Minister of War 1925	Succeeded by Paul Painlevé
Preceded by Yvon Delbos	Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts 1925–1926	Succeeded by Lucien Lamoureux
Preceded by Bertrand Nogaro	Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts 1926	Succeeded by Édouard Herriot
Preceded by Georges Pernot	Minister of Public Works 1930	Succeeded by Georges Pernot
Preceded by Georges Pernot	Minister of Public Works 1930–1931	Succeeded by Maurice Deligne
Preceded by Charles Guernier	Minister of Public Works 1932	Succeeded by Georges Bonnet
Preceded by Joseph Paul-Boncour	Minister of War 1932–1934	Succeeded by Jean Fabry
Preceded by Joseph Paul-Boncour	President of the Council 1933	Succeeded by Albert Sarraut
Preceded by Camille Chautemps	President of the Council 1934	Succeeded by Gaston Doumergue
Preceded by Joseph Paul-Boncour	Minister of Foreign Affairs 1934	Succeeded by Louis Barthou
Preceded by —	Vice President of the Council 1936–1937	Succeeded by Léon Blum
Preceded by Louis Maurin	Minister of National Defense and War 1936–1940	Succeeded by Paul Reynaud
Preceded by Léon Blum	Vice President of the Council 1938	Succeeded by Camille Chautemps
Preceded by Léon Blum	President of the Council 1938–1940	Succeeded by Paul Reynaud
Preceded by Georges Bonnet	Minister of Foreign Affairs 1939–1940	Succeeded by Paul Reynaud
Preceded by Paul Reynaud	Minister of Foreign Affairs 1940	Succeeded by Paul Reynaud