Pierre-Étienne Flandin | |
|---|---|
 Flandin in 1935 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 13 December 1940 – 9 February 1941 | |
| Chief of the State | Philippe Pétain |
| Preceded by | Pierre Laval |
| Succeeded by | François Darlan |
| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 8 November 1934 – 1 June 1935 | |
| President | Albert Lebrun |
| Preceded by | Gaston Doumergue |
| Succeeded by | Fernand Bouisson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1889-04-12)April 12, 1889 Paris, France |
| Died | 13 June 1958(1958-06-13) (aged 69) Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France |
| Political party | Democratic Republican Alliance (1914–1940) |
Pierre-Étienne Flandin (French:[pjɛʁetjɛnflɑ̃dɛ̃]; 12 April 1889 – 13 June 1958) was a French conservative politician of theThird Republic, leader of theDemocratic Republican Alliance (ARD), andPrime Minister of France from 1934 to 1935.[1][2]
A military pilot during World War I,[3] Flandin held a number of cabinet posts during the interwar period. He was Minister of Commerce, under the premiership ofFrédéric François-Marsal, for just five days in 1924. He was Minister of Commerce and Industry in the premierships ofAndré Tardieu in 1931 and 1932. Between those posts, he served underPierre Laval as Finance Minister. In 1934 (6 February to 8 November), he was Minister of Public Works in the second cabinet ofGaston Doumergue. He became Prime Minister in November 1934, but his premiership lasted only until June 1935. However, a number of important pacts were negotiated during his term: theFranco-Italian Agreement of 1935, theStresa Front and theFranco-Soviet Pact.[1] Flandin was, at 45, the youngest prime minister in French history.[3]
Flandin was the French Foreign Minister whenAdolf Hitler ordered theWehrmacht toreoccupy the Rhineland on 7 March 1936.[4] He attempted to organize a strong response but was unable to without British support.[5] Supporting appeasement during theMunich crisis hurt his career.[3] On 13 December 1940,Vichy Chief of StatePhilippe Pétain appointed Flandin Foreign Minister andDeputy Prime Minister, replacingPierre Laval. He occupied that position for only two months.[6]
He was ousted byFrançois Darlan in January 1941.[7]
After theLiberation of France, Flandin was put on trial fortreason but the high courtacquitted him. He was instead sentenced to 5 years in prison for “national unworthiness”, however his sentence wasremitted due to his help of the resistance during the war.[8]
A street inAvallon was named in his honour.[9] In May 2017, it was renamed in honour of the murdered British MP,Jo Cox.[10]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Commerce, Industry, Posts, and Telegraphs 1924 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Commerce and Industry 1929–1930 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Commerce and Industry 1930 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Finance 1931–1932 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Public Works 1934 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Council 1934–1935 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister without Portfolio 1935–1936 | Succeeded by – |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1936 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1940–1941 | Succeeded by |
