Louis Barthou | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 9 February 1934 – 9 October 1934 | |
| Preceded by | Édouard Daladier |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Laval |
| In office 23 October 1917 – 16 November 1917 | |
| Preceded by | Alexandre Ribot |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Pichon |
| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 22 March 1913 – 9 December 1913 | |
| Preceded by | Aristide Briand |
| Succeeded by | Gaston Doumergue |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jean Louis Barthou 25 August 1862 Oloron-Sainte-Marie, France |
| Died | 9 October 1934(1934-10-09) (aged 72) Marseille, France |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
| Political party | Democratic Republican Alliance |
| Signature |  |
Jean Louis Barthou (French:[ʒɑ̃lwibaʁtu]; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of theThird Republic who served asPrime Minister of France for eight months in 1913. Insocial policy, his time as prime minister saw the introduction (in July 1913) of allowances to families with children.[1]
In 1917 and in 1934, Barthou also served asMinister of Foreign Affairs.
Louis Barthou was born on 25 August 1862 inOloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France.
Barthou served as a deputy from his home constituency and was an authority ontrade-union history and law.
He served asprime minister from 22 March 1913 to 9 December 1913. In social policy, Barthou's time as prime minister saw the passage of a law in June 1913 aimed at safeguarding women workers before and after childbirth.[2]
He also held ministerial office on 13 other occasions. He served asForeign Minister in 1917 and 1934. He was the primary figure behind theFranco-Soviet Treaty of Mutual Assistance of 1935, but it was signed by his successor,Pierre Laval. As a nationalWorld War I hero and a recognized author, Barthou was elected to theAcadémie française at the end of that war.[3]
In 1934 he tried to create anEastern Pact, which would have included Germany (in some proposals) theSoviet Union,Poland,Czechoslovakia and theBaltic states on the basis of guarantees – of the European borders of the Soviet Union by France, and of the eastern borders ofNazi Germany by the Soviet Union. He succeeded in obtaining the entry of the Soviet Union into theLeague of Nations in September 1934.[4] In response to thewithdrawal of Nazi Germany from the League in 1933, he began a program of rearmament, which focused initially on the Navy and theAir Force.[5]
Barthou was a lover of the arts, and in power he worked with leaders of the arts to publicize their fields. He felt that world-class leadership in the arts made Paris a mecca for tourists and collectors, and enhanced the nation's stature worldwide as the exemplar of truth and beauty. In turn, the arts community honoured Barthou by dubbing him the "minister of poets".[6]
As Foreign Minister, Barthou met KingAlexander I of Yugoslavia during his state visit toMarseille in October 1934. On 9 October, King Alexander was assassinated byVlado Chernozemski, a Bulgarian assassin wielding ahandgun.[7] Another bullet struck Barthou in the arm, passing through and fatally severing an artery. He died of blood loss less than an hour later. The assassination had been planned inRome byAnte Pavelić, head of the CroatianUstaše, in August 1934. Pavelić was assisted by Georg Percevic, a formerAustro-Hungarian Armed Forces officer. France unsuccessfully requested the extradition of Percevic and Pavelić.[8] This assassination ended the careers of the Bouches-du-Rhone prefect,Pierre Jouhannaud [fr], and of the director of theSurete Nationale,Jean Berthoin.[9]
A ballistic report on the bullets found in the car was made in 1935, but its results were not made available to the public until 1974. The report revealed that Barthou had been hit by an8 mmModèle 1892 revolver round, commonly used in weapons carried byFrench police.[10] Thus Barthou was killed during the frantic police response, rather than by the assassin.
The deaths of Barthou and the King led to theConvention for the Prevention and Punishment of Terrorism concluded at Geneva by the League of Nations on 16 November 1937.[11] The Convention was signed by 25 nations, ratified only by India.[12] Barthou was granted a state funeral four days after his demise.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Public Works 1894–1895 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of the Interior 1896–1898 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Public Works, Posts and Telegraphs 1906–1909 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Justice 1909–1910 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Aristide Briand | Minister of Justice 1913 | Succeeded by Antony Ratier |
| Preceded by Aristide Briand | President of the Council 1913 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Public Instruction 1913 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by – | Minister of State 1917 With: Léon Bourgeois, Paul Doumer, Jean Dupuy | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1917 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of War 1921–1922 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Justice 1922 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Justice 1926–1929 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by André Maginot | Minister of War 1930–1931 | Succeeded by André Maginot |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1934 | Succeeded by |
