Conseil National de la Résistance
Encyclopedia
The Conseil National de la Résistance (CNR) or the National Council of the Resistance is the body that directed and coordinated the different movements of the French Resistance
- the press, trade unions, and members of political parties hostile to the Vichy regime
, starting from mid-1943.
Various resistance movements had arisen in France since the start of the German occupation in June 1940. With the possible exception of the Francs-tireurs partisans and other groups loyal to the Communist Party of France, the maquis
groups were mostly unorganised and unrelated to one another. This lack of coordination made them less effective in their actions against the Nazi occupiers.
, exiled in London and recognized by the UK as leader of a French government in exile
, began seeking the formation of a committee to unify the resistance movements. On January 1, 1942, he delegated this task to Jean Moulin
. Moulin achieved the feat on May 27, 1943 with the first meeting of the Conseil National de la Résistance in the apartment of René Corbin on the second floor of 48, Rue du Four, in Paris
.
Aside from Moulin and his two assistants, Pierre Meunier and Robert Chambeiron, participants in the first meeting included representatives of the eight main French resistance movements, members of six of France's major political parties and the two large pre-war trade unions all attended the Rue du Four meeting.
Representatives of the eight major resistance movements:
Under Jean Moulin's earlier influence, Combat, Franc-Tireur and Libération-Sud had already agreed to regroup themselves in January 1943 to create the Mouvements Unis de la Résistance
, with their joint military arms forming the Armée secrète
(Secret Army).
Representatives of the two trade unions:
Representatives of the six main political parties of the French Third Republic
:
by the SS
. Over the next three days, Moulin was tortured by Klaus Barbie
himself, and would die during his transfer to Germany. He divulged no information to his torturers and his silence likely allowed the CNR to pursue its activities.
After Moulin's capture and death, the Conseil National de la Résistance decided for security reasons to end its plenary sessions and created an executive office of five members, with each member representing his own group and two others. The new office was under the direction of Alexandre Parodi
, delegate-general, and Georges Bidault
, the new president. On September 9, 1944, Louis Saillant succeeded Bidault as head of the CNR.
, especially in part II, "Measures to be taken immediately after the liberation of the territory", which envisioned the establishment of a social democracy
with a planned economy
in France following liberation. Some of these proposed measures were applied, at least to a certain extent, after liberation, including the nationalisation of energy (Électricité de France
was founded in 1946), insurance companies (AGF
in 1945) and banks (Crédit Lyonnais
in 1945, Société Générale
in 1946), the creation of social security
programs and the independence of trade unions. They constitute a large part of the so-called acquis sociaux
of the second half of the twentieth century in France.
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
- the press, trade unions, and members of political parties hostile to the Vichy regime
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
, starting from mid-1943.
Background
Maquis (World War II)
The Maquis were the predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance. Initially they were composed of men who had escaped into the mountains to avoid conscription into Vichy France's Service du travail obligatoire to provide forced labour for Germany...
groups were mostly unorganised and unrelated to one another. This lack of coordination made them less effective in their actions against the Nazi occupiers.
Formation and Meeting of Resistance Fighters
Charles de GaulleCharles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
, exiled in London and recognized by the UK as leader of a French government in exile
Government in exile
A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...
, began seeking the formation of a committee to unify the resistance movements. On January 1, 1942, he delegated this task to Jean Moulin
Jean Moulin
Jean Moulin was a high-profile member of the French Resistance during World War II. He is remembered today as an emblem of the Resistance primarily due to his role in unifying the French resistance under de Gaulle and his courage and death at the hands of the Germans.-Before the war:Moulin was...
. Moulin achieved the feat on May 27, 1943 with the first meeting of the Conseil National de la Résistance in the apartment of René Corbin on the second floor of 48, Rue du Four, in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Aside from Moulin and his two assistants, Pierre Meunier and Robert Chambeiron, participants in the first meeting included representatives of the eight main French resistance movements, members of six of France's major political parties and the two large pre-war trade unions all attended the Rue du Four meeting.
Representatives of the eight major resistance movements:
- Pierre VillonPierre VillonPierre Villon was a member of the French Communist Party and of the French Resistance during the war. With his true name of Roger Ginsburger, he was an architect...
(Front NationalFront National (French Resistance)The National Front was a World War II French Resistance movement, created in 1941 by Jacques Duclos and Pierre Villon, both members of the French Communist Party...
) - Roger Coquoin (Ceux de la LibérationCeux de la Libération"Ceux de la Libération" was a French resistance movement during the German occupation of France in World War II.CDLL was one of the eight major resistance groups of the Conseil National de la Résistance .-History:...
) - Jacques Lecompte-Boinet (Ceux de la RésistanceCeux de la RésistanceCeux de la Résistance" was a French resistance movement during the German occupation of France in World War II.At first the members of CDLR distributed copies of the underground newspaper Combat in the north zone of France which was directly occupied by the Germans...
) - Charles Laurent (Libération-NordLibération-NordLibération-Nord was one of the principal resistance movements in the northern occupied zone of France during the Second World War.It was one of the eight great networks to make up the National Council of the Resistance.- History :...
) - Pascal Copeau (Libération-SudLibération-sudThe Libération-sud resistance group was established by a group of French people, including Emmanuel d'Astier, Lucie Aubrac and Raymond Aubrac. The first important Resistant group to emerge after the German occupation, it began publishing Libération in July 1941...
) - Jacques-Henri Simon (Organisation Civile et MilitaireOrganisation civile et militaireThe Organisation civile et militaire was one of the great movements of the French Resistance in the zone occupée, the northern German-occupied region of France, during the Second World War....
) - Claude BourdetClaude BourdetClaude Bourdet , son of the dramatic author Édouard Bourdet, was a writer, journalist, polemist, and a militant French politician, who was born in 1909 and died in 1996 in Paris. He was a son of the poet Catherine Pozzi....
(CombatCombat (French Resistance)Combat was a large movement in the French Resistance created in the non-occupied zone of France during the Second World War .Combat was one of the eight great resistance movements which constituted the Conseil national de la Résistance....
) - Eugène Claudius-Petit (Franc-TireurFranc-Tireur (movement)Franc-Tireur was a French Resistance movement founded at Lyon in November 1940 under the name "France Liberté". It was renamed "Franc-Tireur" in December 1941 on the proposal of Jean-Jacques Soudeille...
)
Under Jean Moulin's earlier influence, Combat, Franc-Tireur and Libération-Sud had already agreed to regroup themselves in January 1943 to create the Mouvements Unis de la Résistance
Mouvements Unis de la Résistance
Mouvements Unis de la Résistance was a French Resistance organisation, resulting from the regrouping of three major Resistance movements in January 1943 and also the merger of the military arms of these movements within the Armée secrète . Its committee was headed by Jean Moulin...
, with their joint military arms forming the Armée secrète
Armée secrète
The Armée secrète, created in 1943, was an organisation of French resistance fighters during World War II set up by Jean Moulin. It resulted from an amalgamation of three smaller resistance groups:*Combat*Libération-Sud*Franc-Tireur...
(Secret Army).
Representatives of the two trade unions:
- Louis Saillant (Confédération générale du travailConfédération générale du travailThe General Confederation of Labour is a national trade union center, the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions.It is the largest in terms of votes , and second largest in terms of membership numbers.Its membership decreased to 650,000 members in 1995-96 The General...
) - Gaston Tessier (Confédération Française des Travailleurs ChrétiensConfédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens-External links:*...
)
Representatives of the six main political parties of the French Third Republic
French Third Republic
The French Third Republic was the republican government of France from 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed due to the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, to 1940, when France was overrun by Nazi Germany during World War II, resulting in the German and Italian occupations of France...
:
- André Mercier (French Communist PartyFrench Communist PartyThe French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
) - André Le TroquerAndré Le TroquerAndré Le Troquer was a French politician, socialist lawyer, and president of the National Assembly from 12 January 1954 to 10 January 1955, and a second time from 24 January 1956 to 4 October 1958.-Career:...
(Section française de l'Internationale ouvrièreSection française de l'Internationale ouvrièreThe French Section of the Workers' International , founded in 1905, was a French socialist political party, designed as the local section of the Second International...
) - Marc Rucart (Radical-SocialistsRadical-Socialist Party (France)The Radical Party , is a liberal and centrist political party in France. The Radicals are currently the fourth-largest party in the National Assembly, with 21 seats...
) - Georges BidaultGeorges BidaultGeorges-Augustin Bidault was a French politician. During World War II, he was active in the French Resistance. After the war, he served as foreign minister and prime minister on several occasions before he joined the Organisation armée secrète.-Early life:...
(Parti démocrate populaire) - Joseph LanielJoseph LanielJoseph Laniel was a French conservative politician of the Fourth Republic, who served as Prime Minister for a year from 1953 to 1954. During the middle of his tenure as Prime Minister Laniel was an unsuccessful candidate for the French Presidency, a post won by René Coty...
(l'Alliance Démocratique) - Jacques Debu-Bridel (Fédération républicaine)
Arrest of Jean Moulin
However, shortly after the CNR's creation, its president Jean Moulin was arrested at CaluireCaluire-et-Cuire
Caluire-et-Cuire is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France.It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Lyon, and lies adjacent to its north side. It is a component commune of the metropolitan Urban Community of Lyon.-External links:...
by the SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
. Over the next three days, Moulin was tortured by Klaus Barbie
Klaus Barbie
Nikolaus 'Klaus' Barbie was an SS-Hauptsturmführer , Gestapo member and war criminal. He was known as the Butcher of Lyon.- Early life :...
himself, and would die during his transfer to Germany. He divulged no information to his torturers and his silence likely allowed the CNR to pursue its activities.
After Moulin's capture and death, the Conseil National de la Résistance decided for security reasons to end its plenary sessions and created an executive office of five members, with each member representing his own group and two others. The new office was under the direction of Alexandre Parodi
Alexandre Parodi
Alexandre Parodi was a diplomat and the first ambassador of the France to the United Nations.-External links:**...
, delegate-general, and Georges Bidault
Georges Bidault
Georges-Augustin Bidault was a French politician. During World War II, he was active in the French Resistance. After the war, he served as foreign minister and prime minister on several occasions before he joined the Organisation armée secrète.-Early life:...
, the new president. On September 9, 1944, Louis Saillant succeeded Bidault as head of the CNR.
Program of the Conseil National de la Résistance
On March 15, 1944, the CNR adopted, after months of negotiations, the Program of the Conseil National de la Résistance. The document was strongly influenced by communist groups like the Front NationalFront National (French Resistance)
The National Front was a World War II French Resistance movement, created in 1941 by Jacques Duclos and Pierre Villon, both members of the French Communist Party...
, especially in part II, "Measures to be taken immediately after the liberation of the territory", which envisioned the establishment of a social democracy
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
with a planned economy
Planned economy
A planned economy is an economic system in which decisions regarding production and investment are embodied in a plan formulated by a central authority, usually by a government agency...
in France following liberation. Some of these proposed measures were applied, at least to a certain extent, after liberation, including the nationalisation of energy (Électricité de France
Électricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
was founded in 1946), insurance companies (AGF
AGF (company)
AGF is a French insurance company, headquartered in Rue de Richelieu, Paris. The holding company is called Assurances Générales de France, but the company only refers to itself as AGF. Having held a majority stake in AGF since 1998, Allianz SE of Germany achieved 100% ownership of the company in...
in 1945) and banks (Crédit Lyonnais
Crédit Lyonnais
Crédit Lyonnais is a historic French bank. In the early 1990s it was the largest French bank, majority state-owned at that point. Crédit Lyonnais was the subject of poor management during that period which almost led to its bankruptcy in 1993...
in 1945, Société Générale
Société Générale
Société Générale S.A. is a large European Bank and a major Financial Services company that has a substantial global presence. Its registered office is on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, while its head office is in the Tours Société Générale in the business district of La...
in 1946), the creation of social security
Social security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
programs and the independence of trade unions. They constitute a large part of the so-called acquis sociaux
Social rights
Economic, social and cultural rights are socio-economic human rights, such as the right to education, right to housing, right to adequate standard of living and the right to health. Economic, social and cultural rights are recognised and protected in international and regional human rights...
of the second half of the twentieth century in France.
External links
- List of members of the Conseil National de la Résistance from the archival web site of former French Prime Minister Alain Juppé,
- Description of the Conseil National de la Résistance from the Musée de la Résistance Nationale,
- Programme du Conseil National de la Résistance from WikisourceWikisourceWikisource is an online digital library of free content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aims are to host all forms of free text, in many languages, and translations. Originally conceived as an archive to store useful or important historical texts, it has...
, - France Républicaine - Conseil National de la Résistance,
- Article in the magazine l'Humanité,
- Le Programme du Conseil National de la Résistance.