At the end of his mandate as President of France, refusing to compete against his eventual successor, Doumergue retired, but chaired a government of national unity during the crisis created by the riots of6 February 1934.
Gaston Doumergue came from aProtestant family. His father, Pierre Doumergue, was avigneron inAigues-Vives. His mother, Françoise Pattus,[1] raised him in the Protestant faith[2] and the admiration of republican ideas.[3][4] He was also the great-uncle of playwrightColette Audry[5] and filmmakerJacqueline Audry.
A brilliant student, he claimed to have belonged to the "generation of revenge, animated by a beautiful patriotic ardour", after thedefeat of 1870.[6] He studied at the boys' high school inNîmes, the futureAlphonse-Daudet high school [fr].[7]
After a license and a doctorate in law at theSchool of Law of Paris, he registered in 1885 at the Nîmes bar and participated in the resounding trial of deputyNuma Gilly [fr],[8][9] before entering the judiciary in 1890 as a substitute inHanoi,French Indochina. His time there was brief because he returned to France on the death of his father in 1891.[10][a]
In 1893, while he was ajustice of the peace for thecommune ofAïn El Arbaa,[11] he returned to Aigues-Vives in France and presented his candidacy for a partial legislative election in December 1893, intended to fill the seat ofÉmile Jamais [fr], a longtime friend who had just been re-elected in theAugust 1893 election but died suddenly on 18 November, before the opening of the parliamentary session. Nothing destined him for politics and his grandfather had even refused an appointment as mayor of the village in 1836 because of the modesty of his fortune in a tax system.[12]
Encouraged by his mother who followed his career step-by-step,[13] Doumergue was elected as theRadical deputy for Nîmes with 10,101 votes, beating, in the second round, the mayor of Nîmes,Gaston Maruéjol [fr], who obtained only 24 votes.[14][15][2] He attended the banquet given inLyon by PresidentSadi Carnot on 24 June 1894, during which the latter wasfatally stabbed by the Italian anarchistSante Geronimo Caserio. This event made him realize the seriousness and the danger of the use of power.[16]
He was re-elected deputy on8 May 1898, in the first round of the ballot, with 11,514 votes against the conservative Albert de Nesmes-Desmarets. He was very involved inFrance's colonial policy and, during his speeches at the podium (which were well-received on the left benches), criticized successive governments for theirmilitary interventionism[2] and in particular theoccupation of Madagascar.[17] From 1894, he also denounced the "benevolent indifference and not the pronounced sympathy" of public opinion vis-à-vis colonial policy, which masked the looting of conquered territories and the violence of the administration.[18]
His secular and republican convictions made him side withAlfred Dreyfus. His successive mandates were also an opportunity for him to defend small agricultural producers. His influence within the left grew. He was elected deputy for the third time on27 April 1902, in the first round.
He was minister without interruption from 1906 to 1910, first for Trade and Industry, where he created the direction of the merchant navy, then for Public Instruction and Fine Arts from 1908, replacingAristide Briand. In this capacity, on 4 June 1908, he delivered a speech on behalf of the government ofGeorges Clemenceau during the transfer ofÉmile Zola's ashes to thePanthéon, praising the "heroism" of the writer[20] just as he, on 19 March the previous year, had defended the organization of the transfer ceremony on the Assembly platform, against theanti-Dreyfusards.[21]
A fervent supporter of secular schools, he unleashed the most violent school war in the history of France by filing two "secular defense" projects in June 1908 aimed at punishing families who prevented their children from following an education, even ananti-Catholic one. For this, he received the nickname of "escapee fromSt. Bartholomew" from thepolemicistÉdouard Drumont.[22] In the field of education, Doumergue also pleaded in favour of the teaching ofArabic inFrench Algeria.[23]
He also became vice-president of theChamber of Deputies for a year, from February 1905 to March 1906, between his two ministries. In 1910, he was elected senator forGard,[24] after the death ofFrédéric Desmons. Doumergue was re-elected in 1912 and 1921.[25]
From 9 December 1913 to 8 June 1914 he was President of the Council andMinister of Foreign Affairs at the request of PresidentRaymond Poincaré, who sought in Doumergue a conciliator capable of forming a cabinet of "republican harmony".[26] From then on, Doumergue strove to reconcile the demands of the Radical party and the interests of the country, in an international horizon that was becoming darker: the statesman took precedence over the partisan.[27][28] Doumergue needed to defend the law on three-year military service, which he voted through, not without scrutiny, in August 1913: "None of you is expecting us to reopen the debate: that's the law."[29] The proposal to create an income tax by the finance minister,Joseph Caillaux, triggered a controversy among the conservatives, but was finally voted on in July 1914 by a Senate which had been hostile to it for five years. The "Calmette affair", which led to the resignation of the minister, put the government in a difficult position as the tenth legislature ended and a delicate electoral campaign began. Doumergue had, however, warned that he "would in no case stay after the elections".[30]
It was time for a policy of rearmament and closer alliances, which Poincaré and Doumergue[31] carried out successfully. However, Doumergue did not lose sight of the international situation, and the chancelleries were constantly kept on alert.[32] The Radical party easily came out on top in the1914 French legislative election and this left-wing majority, elected on the theme of peace, caused the President great difficulty in constituting a cabinet that could succeed Doumergue.[33] The latter took advantage of the end of his functions to undertake a trip toUpper Austria.[34]
On 3 August 1914, the day ofGermany'sdeclaration of war on France, marking the start ofWorld War I, the new president of the council,René Viviani, called on Doumergue to replace him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the composition of his short-lived first government. Then, he was minister of the colonies in the successive governments from 26 August 1914 to 19 March 1917. During this mandate, in the middle of the war, he ensured the security of French possessions and set up a secretagreement withTsarNicholas II ofRussia which defined the demands that France and Russia would make in future peace negotiations with Germany andAustria-Hungary. However, this treaty became null and void following theOctober Revolution.
Gaston Doumergue (first from left) during his investiture parade in June 1924, aboard aRenault 40CV[35]
His career culminated with his election asPresident of the Republic on13 June 1924, for a seven-year term.[36] This accession to the head of state was the result of several successive political events. The preceding 11 and 25 May saw the victory of theCartel des Gauches in thelegislative elections, despite a higher number of votes for the right and thanks to an electoral law granting a bonus to alliances.[37] Raymond Poincaré, the President of the Council since 1922, having been disavowed, submitted his resignation to PresidentAlexandre Millerand. The cartelists claimed power in the "smallest cogs of the administration".[38]Paul Painlevé was brought to the head of the Chamber thanks to the votes of the Cartel also led byLéon Blum,Édouard Herriot, and Aristide Briand against the candidate of the right,André Maginot. The appointment ofFrédéric François-Marsal was taken as a provocation and his government lasted only two days.
Thus, the left, which forced Alexandre Millerand to resign, then believed it could bring Painlevé to the presidency, but the moderates thwarted his ambitions by massively turning to Gaston Doumergue, who already benefitted from some of the votes on the left. He received 515 votes out of 815 voters, against 309 for Painlevé and 21 forZéphyrin Camélinat, the firstcommunist candidate in a presidential election.
He appointed the mayor of Lyon, Édouard Herriot, as head of government and charged him with establishing a policy of symbolic change to satisfy the electorate.[39] The cartel state was installed, with its members holding a majority of the presidencies of parliamentary committees, as well as the major positions in the administration.[40] The scandal of irregularities at theBank of France overthrew the government and Doumergue resolved to appoint Paul Painlevé as President of the Council in order to unite Radical and socialist voices,[41] playing with designations according to the parliamentary pendulum.
Doumergue's seven-year term was marked by the prosperity ofFrance during the interwar period and theAnnées folles, but also by significant ministerial instability and financial difficulties caused by thefall of the franc. Called to theMinistry of Finance in July 1926, Poincaré instituted a policy of austerity by bringing the franc back to its real value through a sharp devaluation. He also restored confidence and managed to boost a flagging economy. This neo-liberal policy also generated a period of economic and financial prosperity, at a time when the United States was hit hard by thestock market crash of 1929. Progress in technical industry, particularly in thesteel industry andautomobiles, contributed to the country's growth. Production capacity thus increased by 45% over the 1920s. To support this development, Doumergue reinforced a centrist policy and instituted workers'social insurance.[42]
In May 1930, he went to the departments of Algeria, to the lands he had known in the first years of his career, for the commemorations of the centenary of French Algeria, accompanied by a delegation of eight ministers and of several dozen deputies.[43] The following year, a few weeks before the end of his mandate, he commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of theFrench protectorate of Tunisia.
In foreign policy, he declared himself in favour of a policy of firmness vis-à-visGermany in the face of resurgent nationalism in parts of Europe, but also in France. He ran into difficulties: theAllies were unable to agree on Germany. Forced to evacuate theRuhr,Saarland, and theRhineland between 1925 and 1930, Doumergue's France was also duped by the German ChancellorGustav Stresemann despite the signing of theLocarno Treaties.[clarification needed][citation needed]
Disagreements with his foreign minister, Aristide Briand, only aggravated the colonial crises inSyria and theRif. After failed attempts at consultation by the prefect in place inMorocco, Doumergue decided to send MarshallPhilippe Pétain, who quickly won theRif War. At the same time, he participated in the inauguration of theGrand Mosque of Paris, with the Moroccan sultanMoulay Youssef, who was on an official visit to France. On this occasion, he became the first French president to quote ahadith: "the best Muslim is the one whose believers have neither hand nor tongue to fear".[44] In French Indochina in the 1920s, theVietnamese nationalists of theVNQDĐ maintained an independence agitation (assassination of Alfred François Bazin,Yên Bái mutiny, etc.) that colonial authorities repressed with rifle shots andguillotines.
In South America, he helpedMarcel Bouilloux-Lafont [fr], the director of theCompagnie générale aéropostale, obtain the postal contracts and flyover rights from Brazil and Argentina necessary for the operation of an air transport line.[45]
Within such an unstable political world, Doumergue strove to support the management of public affairs in leftist values and a conservative guideline. An affable and courteous man, he seduced since the beginning of his political career with his good nature and his accent.[46] After his election to the presidency of the Republic, his simplicity continued to earn him popularity in the public opinion, which is reflected in particular by his nickname of "Gastounet".[47]
Moreover, Doumergue's accession to the presidency of the Republic made him the only Protestant head of state known to France since the abjuration ofHenry IV, on 25 July 1593.[48] He was also the second unmarried President of the French Republic when he took office,[49] afterNapoleon III. Although an "old bachelor", he was nonetheless, according to historianAdrien Dansette [fr], "sensitive to feminine charm",[50] but his frequent passing liaisons were only the "Parisian manners of politicians".[51] He maintained a long-term liaison withJeanne Gaussal [fr], an associate professor of the university. During his presidential mandate, he had breakfast with her at his former home at 73Avenue de Wagram every morning, where he went on foot from theÉlysée Palace.[52] On 1 June 1931, twelve days before the end of his mandate, he married Gaussal in front of the mayor of the8th arrondissement of Paris, Gaston Drucker, who had come specially to the Élysée, with the secretary-general of the presidency, Jules Michel, as his witness. Doumergue thus became the first President of the Republic to marry during his mandate.[53][54][55]
His presidential mandate ended on 13 June 1931, and he retired from political life to his wife's home inTournefeuille, inHaute-Garonne.[56]
Still popular, he was recalled as president of the council after the bloody events of6 February 1934, to form a government of national unity whereAndré Tardieu and Édouard Herriot rubbed shoulders. After having positioned himself at the centre-left of the political spectrum during his first mandate, he gradually neared the centre-right Independent Radicals during his presidency.
His goal was to reform institutions to reduce ministerial instability. This attempt did not succeed; in poor health, it was difficult for him to arbitrate within one of those cabinets in which the greatest hopes are generally placed because they symbolize the unity of the nation, but which are actually made up of ministers from all sides of the political spectrum who do not get along. There was, however, an upturn in public finances, which allowed the price of government bonds to gain ten to twelve points between March and June.[57] He was also weakened by the assassination ofLouis Barthou on 9 October, and preferred to resign soon after, on 8 November.René Viviani, who died in 1925, said of him: "In a well-organized democracy, Doumergue would be a justice of the peace in the provinces."[58]
Doumergue died on 18 June 1937 at his house in Aigues-Vives, at the age of 73.[59]
The government organized astate funeral for him, which took place in Nîmes. His grave is located in the small cemetery of Aigues-Vives, where his wife Jeanne (née Gaussal) was buried alongside him in 1963.
A bust of Gaston Doumergue is exhibited in the room of the Presidents of the Republic in theMusée de la Révolution française, recalling that he was the first president to be hosted in this former presidential summer residence.[60]
Doumergue's First Ministry, 9 December 1913 – 9 June 1914
17 March 1914 –René Renoult succeeds Caillaux as Finance Minister.Louis Malvy succeeds Renoult as Minister of the Interior.Raoul Péret succeeds Malvy as Minister of Commerce, Industry, Posts, and Telegraphs.
20 March 1914 –Armand Gauthier succeeds Monis as Minister of the Navy.
Doumergue's Second Ministry, 9 February – 8 November 1934
13 October 1934 –Pierre Laval succeeds Barthou (assassinated 9 October) as Minister of Foreign Affairs.Paul Marchandeau succeeds Sarraut as Minister of the Interior.Louis Rollin succeeds Laval as Minister of Colonies.
15 October 1934 –Henry Lémery succeeds Chéron as Minister of Justice.
^Herriot, Édouard (2019).Jadis, D'une guerre à l'autre, 1914-1936 – Tome I – 1914-1934 [Formerly, From one war to another, 1914–1936 – Volume I – 1914–1934] (in French). Paris: Metvox Publications. p. 28.ISBN979-10-94787-51-9.OCLC1153577182.
^Vidal, Jacques (October 2010)."Célébration du Centenaire de l'Algérie française" [Celebration of the Centenary of French Algeria](PDF).Afrique Française du Nord (A.F.N.) Collections (in French). No. 65. pp. 7–18. Retrieved5 September 2023 – via alger-roi.fr.
^Sellam, Sadek (1987).L'islam et les musulmans en France : perceptions, craintes et réalités [Islam and Muslims in France: perceptions, fears and realities] (in French). Paris: Tougui. p. 270.ISBN2-7363-0008-4.OCLC18445345.
^Chabannes, Jacques (1986).Devenir « Monsieur le Président » : de Adolphe Thiers à François Mitterrand [Becoming "Mr. President": from Adolphe Thiers to François Mitterrand] (in French). Paris: France‑Empire. p. 112.ISBN2704804680.
^Duhamel, Patrice; Santamaria, Jacques (2012).L'Élysée: Coulisses et secrets d'un palais [The Élysée: Behind the scenes and secrets of a palace] (in French). Paris:Plon. p. 194.ISBN978-2-259-21606-7.
^Colling, Alfred (1949).La Prodigieuse histoire de la Bourse [The Prodigious History of the Stock Exchange] (in French). Paris: Société d'éditions économiques et financières (S.E.F.). p. 382.OCLC2649231.
^"Un grand français n'est plus : Mort subite à Aigues-Vives de M. Gaston Doumergue" [A great Frenchman is no more: Sudden death in Aigues-Vives of Mr. Gaston Doumergue](PDF).Le Petit Dauphinois (in French). Vol. 61, no. 170. 19 June 1937 [Article written 18 June 1937]. Retrieved5 September 2023 – via Association les amis de Gaston Doumergue.
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