| René Viviani | |
|---|---|
| Viviani in 1914 | |
| 81st Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 13 June 1914 – 29 October 1915 |
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| Preceded by | Alexandre Ribot |
| Succeeded by | Aristide Briand |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 November 1863 |
| Died | 7 September 1925 (aged 61) |
| Political party | PRS |
Jean Raphaël Adrien René Viviani (French pronunciation: [ʁəne vivi.ani]; 8 November 1863 – 7 September 1925) was a French politician of the Third Republic, who served as Prime Minister for the first year of World War I. He was born in Sidi Bel Abbès, in French Algeria. In France he sought to protect the rights of socialists and trade union workers.
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His parliamentary career began in 1893, when he was elected deputy of the fifth ward in Paris. He retained this office until 1902, when he failed to be reelected, but four years later he was elected deputy of the Department of Creuse. In the same year he entered the cabinet of Georges Clemenceau. At an early age he associated himself with the Socialist party, soon becoming one of its most brilliant orators and prominent leaders. When the party was reorganized in 1904 into the Unified Socialist party, Viviani, like fellow Socialist Aristide Briand, stayed outside, and thenceforth called himself an Independent Socialist. He served as Minister of Public Instruction in the ministry of M. Doumergue. In the spring of 1914 an exceptionally radical chamber was elected, and for a while it seemed that they would be unable to agree upon any one for Premier, but finally, he was appointed Prime Minister on 13 July 1914, by President Poincaré. He received a vote of confidence of 370 to 137. The chief issues were the maintenance of the law requiring three years' service in the army and provision for a loan of 1,800,000,000 francs ($360,000,000) for military preparations. Viviani supported both of these measures. During the July Crisis, he was largely dominated by the President, Raymond Poincaré. Shortly, the war with Germany commenced, and in August, 1914, Viviani reorganized his cabinet on a war basis. His tenure leading France during the war was undistinguished. He retained the premiership for over a year, but resigned on 27 October 1915, being succeeded by Aristide Briand.
Changes
Changes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gaston Doumergue |
Minister of Labour and Social Security 1906–1910 |
Succeeded by Louis Lafferre |
| Preceded by Louis Barthou |
Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts 1913–1914 |
Succeeded by Arthur Dessoyes |
| Preceded by Alexandre Ribot |
Prime Minister of France 1914–1915 |
Succeeded by Aristide Briand |
| Preceded by Léon Bourgeois |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1914 |
Succeeded by Gaston Doumergue |
| Preceded by Théophile Delcassé |
Minister of Foreign Affairs 1915 |
Succeeded by Aristide Briand |
| Preceded by Aristide Briand |
Minister of Justice 1915–1917 |
Succeeded by Raoul Péret |
| Preceded by Paul Painlevé |
Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts 1916–1917 |
Succeeded by Théodore Steeg |
| Awards and achievements | ||
| Preceded by John Barton Payne |
Cover of Time Magazine 19 May 1923 |
Succeeded by Franklin D. Roosevelt |
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