Joseph Paul-Boncour


Augustin Alfred Joseph Paul-Boncour was a French politician and diplomat of the Third Republic. He was a member of the Republican-Socialist Party and served as Prime Minister of France from December 1932 to January 1933. He also served in a number of other government positions during the 1930s and as a Permanent Delegate to the League of Nations in 1936 during his tenure as Minister of State. He has been described politically as a "centre-left republican".

Career

Born in Saint-Aignan, Loir-et-Cher, Paul-Boncour received a law degree from the University of Paris and became active in the labor movement, organizing the legal council of the Bourses du Travail. He was private secretary to Premier Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau from 1898 to 1902. Elected to the Chamber of Deputies as a Radical in 1909, he held his seat until 1914, briefly serving as Minister of Labour from March to June 1911. After serving in the military during World War I, he returned to the French National Assembly. While a member of the Assembly, he became chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in 1928. He was active at this time in attempts to encourage disarmament in Europe, with League of Nations negotiations with Germany in Geneva. This also included advocating an international force for the cause of mutual assistance in the league which would act to deter aggression. However his disarmament approach were the subjects of disagreement with opposition politicians under Léon Blum which resulted in Paul-Boncour resigning as the French delegate to the league.
Turning to Socialism, he joined the SFIO in 1916. Paul-Boncour left the socialist party in 1931 because he considered imperative, in face of the League of Nations progressive powerlessness, to reinforce national defence, something the socialists opposed. After his resignation from the SFIO in 1931 he joined the Republican-Socialist Party.

Ministerial roles

In 1931, Paul-Boncour was elected to the Senate, and served in that capacity until the establishment of the Vichy régime in 1940. During his time as a Senator, Paul-Boncour served in a variety of cabinet and diplomatic posts. He served as Minister of War in 1932. On 18 December 1932 he became Prime Minister of France and served briefly in this role until 28 January 1933.
In 1935, his part PRS merged with the French Socialist Party and the Socialist Party of France-Jean Jaurès Union to form the Socialist Republican Union. He was the Permanent Delegate to the League of Nations from 1932 to 1936 and Foreign Minister on two occasions.

Opposition

Paul-Boncour was opposed to the formation of the Vichy government, and recommended continuing the fight against Nazi Germany after the fall of France, from Algiers. As a member of the Consultative Assembly from 1944, he led the French delegation to the United Nations conference in San Francisco and signed the United Nations Charter on behalf of France. He once again served as a senator from 1946 to 1948.

Death

He died in Paris on 28 March 1972 at the age of 98.

Paul-Boncour's Ministry, 18 December 1932 – 31 January 1933