46 Facts About Paul Reynaud

Paul Reynaud was vice-president of the Democratic Republican Alliance center-right party.

Paul Reynaud was Prime Minister during the German defeat of France in May and June 1940; he persistently refused to support an armistice with Germany and unsuccessfully attempted to save France from German occupation in World War II, and resigned on 16 June.

Paul Reynaud favoured a United States of Europe, and participated in drafting the constitution for the Fifth Republic, but resigned from government in 1962 after disagreement with President de Gaulle over changes to the electoral system.

Paul Reynaud was born in Barcelonnette, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the son of Alexandre and Amelie Paul Reynaud.

Paul Reynaud's father had made a fortune in the textile industry, enabling Reynaud to study law at the Sorbonne.

Paul Reynaud entered politics and was elected to the French Chamber of Deputies from 1919 to 1924, representing Basses-Alpes, and again from 1928, representing a Paris district.

Paul Reynaud backed a strong alliance with the United Kingdom and, unlike many others on the French Right, better relations with the Soviet Union as a counterweight against the Germans.

Paul Reynaud held several cabinet posts in the early 1930s, but he clashed with members of his party after 1932 over French foreign and defense policy.

In June 1934, Paul Reynaud defended in the Chamber of Deputies the need to devalue the French franc, whose belonging to the gold standard was increasingly harmful for the French economy, but in those years French public opinion was opposed to any devaluation.

Paul Reynaud was not given another cabinet position until 1938.

Paul Reynaud was a supporter of Charles de Gaulle's theories of mechanized warfare in contrast to the static defense doctrines that were in vogue among many of his countrymen, symbolized by the Maginot Line.

Paul Reynaud strongly opposed appeasement in the run-up to the Second World War.

Paul Reynaud clashed with his party on economic policy, backing the devaluation of the franc as a solution to France's economic woes.

Paul Reynaud returned to the cabinet in 1938 as Minister of Justice under Edouard Daladier.

Paul Reynaud publicly made his case, and in response Flandin pamphleted Paris in order to pressure the government to agree to Hitler's demands.

However, Paul Reynaud still had the support of Daladier, whose politique de fermete was very similar to Paul Reynaud's notion of deterrence.

Paul Reynaud endorsed radically liberal economic policies in order to draw France's economy out of stagnation, centered on a massive program of deregulation, including the elimination of the forty-hour work week.

The notion of deregulation was very popular among France's businessmen, and Paul Reynaud believed that it was the best way for France to regain investors' confidence again and escape the stagnation its economy had fallen into.

Paul Reynaud's reforms were implemented, and the government faced down a one-day strike in opposition.

Paul Reynaud's reforms involved a massive austerity program.

At the outbreak of war Paul Reynaud was not bullish on France's economy; he felt that the massive increase in spending that a war entailed would stamp out France's recovery.

Notably, over half of the votes in Paul Reynaud's favour came from the French Section of the Workers' International party.

Additionally, the Chamber mandated that Daladier, whom Paul Reynaud personally blamed for France's weaknesses, serve as Paul Reynaud's Minister of National Defence and War.

Paul Reynaud abandoned the idea of a "long war strategy" based on attrition.

Paul Reynaud played a key role in initiating the Allied campaign in Norway, although it ended in failure.

Paul Reynaud stated he had no intention of signing a separate peace with Germany but might be compelled to resign, leaving the possibility that others in the French government could sign such a treaty.

In early June, Charles de Gaulle, whom Paul Reynaud had long supported and one of the few French commanders to achieve success against the Germans in May 1940, was promoted to brigadier general and appointed undersecretary of war.

De Gaulle was unable to persuade Paul Reynaud to dismiss Weygand.

Paul Reynaud attempted to resign on the spot but was vehemently opposed by Lebrun.

President Roosevelt's reply to Paul Reynaud's inquiry, indicating limited assistance without Congressional approval, was received that morning.

De Gaulle called Paul Reynaud to inform him of the British Cabinet's agreement to the proposal, reporting that "a sensational declaration" was imminent.

Julian Jackson notes that Paul Reynaud felt a profound sense of guilt for 20 years over allowing Petain to come to power and offered increasingly convoluted explanations for the events that transpired.

Paul Reynaud later claimed he had hoped Petain would resign if the armistice terms were too harsh; Jackson considers this to be wishful thinking.

Spears observed that Paul Reynaud seemed relieved to be free of his burden.

Paul Reynaud retained control of secret government funds until the transfer of power the next day, and allocated money to de Gaulle.

De Portes was killed in the accident, while Paul Reynaud sustained relatively minor head injuries.

Paul Reynaud was initially sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp and later transferred to Itter Castle near Worgl, Austria.

Paul Reynaud was appointed to several cabinet positions in the post-war period and remained a prominent figure in French politics.

Paul Reynaud supported the idea of a United States of Europe, along with a number of prominent contemporaries.

Paul Reynaud was a member of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe for ten years, from 1949 to 1959,[3] where he worked alongside his old wartime allies Churchill, Spaak and others to build a united Europe as a way of preventing future wars and a recurrence of the Nazi atrocities.

Paul Reynaud presided over the consultative committee that drafted the constitution of France's Fifth Republic.

Paul Reynaud was a physically small man, with "the countenance of a samurai who had been educated at Cambridge".

Paul Reynaud's head was set deep between his shoulders, and he had "a sharp, nasal, metallic voice" and "mechanical" bearing.

At some time in the early 1920s, Paul Reynaud was introduced to Helene Rebuffel by Andre Tardieu, a friend of her father's.

Paul Reynaud then married Christiane Mabire at Versailles in the same year, at the age of 71.

Paul Reynaud died on 21 September 1966 at Neuilly-sur-Seine, leaving a number of writings.