Jean Louis Barthou (French:[ʒɑ̃lwibaʁtu]; 25 August 1862 – 9 October 1934) was a French politician of the Third Republic who served as Prime Minister of France for eight months in 1913. In social policy, his time as prime minister saw the introduction (in July 1913) of allowances to families with children.[1]
Louis Barthou was born on 25 August 1862 in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France.
Career
Barthou served as a deputy from his home constituency and was an authority on trade-union history and law.
He served as prime 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]
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 King Alexander I of Yugoslavia during his state visit to Marseille in October 1934. On 9 October, King Alexander was assassinated by Vlado Chernozemski, a Bulgarian assassin wielding a handgun.[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 in Rome by Ante Pavelić, head of the Croatian Ustaše, in August 1934. Pavelić was assisted by Georg Percevic, a former Austro-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 the Surete 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 an 8 mmModèle 1892 revolver round, commonly used in weapons carried by French police.[10] Thus Barthou was killed during the frantic police response, rather than by the assassin.
Legacy
The deaths of Barthou and the King led to the Convention 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.
Ministries
Barthou's ministry, 22 March 1913 – 9 December 1913
Louis Barthou – President of the Council and Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts
^Robert J. Young, "Cultural Politics and the Politics of Culture in the Third French Republic: The Case of Louis Barthou." French Historical Studies (1991) 17#2: 343–358.online.
^El Zeidy, Mohamed M. (2008). The Principle of Complementarity in International Criminal Law: Origin, Development and Practice. Brill. p. 41.
^The Boundaries of the Republic: Migrant Rights and the Limits of Universalism in France, 1918–1940 by Mary Lewis, Stanford University Press, 2007, p. 114. [ISBN missing]
^de Launay, Jacques (1974). Les grandes controverses de l'histoire contemporaine 1914–1945. Edito-Service Histoire Secrete de Notre Temps. p. 568.
^The United Nations and the Control of International Violence: A Legal and Political Analysis by John Francis Murphy, Manchester University Press ND, 1983, p. 179 [ISBN missing]
^Law, Randall (2009). Terrorism: A History. Polity. p. 156.[ISBN missing]
Further reading
Atkin, Nicholas. "Power and Pleasure. Louis Barthou and the Third French Republic." Journal of European Studies 23.91 (1993): 357–359.
Buffotot, Patrice. "The French high command and the Franco‐Soviet alliance 1933–1939." Journal of Strategic Studies 5.4 (1982): 546–559.
French, G. "Louis Barthou and the German Question: 1934." Report of the Annual Meeting. Vol. 43. No. 1. 1964. online
Rife, John Merle. "The political career of Louis Barthou" (PhD. Diss. The Ohio State University, 1964) online.
Roberts, Allen. The turning point: the assassination of Louis Barthou and King Alexander I of Yugoslavia (1970).
Schuman, Frederick L. Europe On The Eve 1933–1939 (1939) pp 94–109.online
Young, Robert J. Power and Pleasure: Louis Barthou and the Third French Republic (1991)
Young, Robert J. "Cultural Politics and the Politics of Culture: The Case of Louis Barthou," French Historical Studies (Fall 1991) 17#2 pp. 343–358 online
Young, Robert J. "A Talent for All Seasons: The Life and Times of Louis Barthou." Queen's Quarterly 98.4 (1991): 846–864; online.