| Louis Barthou | |
|---|---|
| 78th Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 22 March 1913 – 9 December 1913 |
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| Preceded by | Aristide Briand |
| Succeeded by | Gaston Doumergue |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 August 1862 |
| Died | 9 October 1934 (aged 72) |
| Political party | None |
Jean Louis Barthou (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ lwi baʁtu]; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of the Third Republic.
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He was born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and served as Deputy from that constituency. He was an authority on trade union history and law. Barthou was Prime Minister in 1913, and held ministerial office 13 other times.
Barthou served as Foreign Minister in 1934. He was the primary figure behind the Franco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance of 1935, though it was signed by his successor, Pierre Laval.
As Foreign Minister, Barthou met King Alexander I of Yugoslavia during his visit to Marseille in October 1934. On 9 October, Alexander was shot and killed by Vlado Chernozemski, who was also shot and killed on the spot by the police escort. Barthou was also wounded, and bled to death from a severed humeral artery (he was not treated until it was too late). The assassination ended the career of Préfet Jouhannaud of Marseille.
It was assumed that Chernozemski hit both victims. But in 1974, forensic examination found that the bullet that struck Barthou was not a 7.65 mm caliber bullet and could not have been fired from Chernozemski's gun. It was an 8 mm bullet, the same caliber used by the Marseille police, and must have been fired at Chernozemski by one of the escorts.
In 1957, the East German newspaper Neues Deutschland ("New Germany") published supposed correspondence between Hermann Göring and Hans Speidel. In 1934, Speidel was an assistant to the German military attaché in Paris; in 1957 he was a high-ranking NATO commander. According to the supposed correspondence, the death of Barthou was intentional, and the assassination was planned and prepared by Germans with Hitler's personal approval. The story was repeated in a book and in the film Unternehmen Teutonenschwert ("Operation Teutonic Sword"). This claim has been disputed as propaganda.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Jonnart |
Minister of Public Works 1894–1895 |
Succeeded by Ludovic Dupuy-Dutemps |
| Preceded by Ferdinand Sarrien |
Minister of the Interior 1896–1898 |
Succeeded by Henri Brisson |
| Preceded by Armand Gauthier de l'Aude |
Minister of Public Works 1906–1909 |
Succeeded by Alexandre Millerand |
| Preceded by George Trouillot |
Minister of Posts and Telegraphs 1906–1909 |
|
| Preceded by Aristide Briand |
Minister of Justice 1909–1910 |
Succeeded by Théodore Girard |
| Preceded by Aristide Briand |
Minister of Justice 1913 |
Succeeded by Antony Ratier |
| Preceded by Aristide Briand |
President of the Council 1913 |
Succeeded by Gaston Doumergue |
| Preceded by Théodore Steeg |
Minister of Public Instruction 1913 |
Succeeded by René Viviani |
| Preceded by – |
Minister of State 1917 With: Léon Bourgeois, Paul Doumer, Jean Dupuy |
Succeeded by Léon Bourgeois Paul Doumer Jean Dupuy |
| Preceded by Alexandre Ribot |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1917 |
Succeeded by Stéphen Pichon |
| Preceded by Flaminius Rabierti |
Minister of War 1921–1922 |
Succeeded by André Maginot |
| Preceded by Laurent Bonnevay |
Minister of Justice 1922 |
Succeeded by Maurice Colrat |
| Preceded by Maurice Colrat |
Minister of Justice 1926–1929 |
Succeeded by Lucien Hubert |
| Preceded by André Maginot |
Minister of War 1930–1931 |
Succeeded by André Maginot |
| Preceded by Édouard Daladier |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1934 |
Succeeded by Pierre Laval |
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