Michel Zunino
Encyclopedia
Michel Zunino Knight of the Légion d'honneur
, was a French
wine grower and politician. Zunino was a Member of Parliament
, representing Var from 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1956. Additionally, he represented Var in the first and second Constituent National Assemblies after the war. He was also active in the cooperative movement amongst wine growers.
on the list of the French Section of the Workers International (SFIO), but without getting elected. After the election he became vice president of the General Council.
In the 1936 election
he was elected to the National Assembly
, with 7,894 votes. He became a member of the Agriculture and Marine commissions. In the National Assembly, he presented a proposal for a law to provide credits for flood victims in Var.
. He was one of four parliamentarians from Var to do so. All four of them participated in the resistance
during the war. Zunino joined the National Front
(FN), and became a member of Southern Zonal Committee of FN. His son, Roger Zunino, was also a resistance fighter. Michel Zunino was expelled from SFIO in 1944. A few months later he joined the French Communist Party
(PCF).
parliamentarian from SFIO who later was re-elected to parliament as a communist candidate.
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
, was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
wine grower and politician. Zunino was a Member of Parliament
Parliament of France
The French Parliament is the bicameral legislature of the French Republic, consisting of the Senate and the National Assembly . Each assembly conducts legislative sessions at a separate location in Paris: the Palais du Luxembourg for the Senate, the Palais Bourbon for the National Assembly.Each...
, representing Var from 1936 to 1942 and 1946 to 1956. Additionally, he represented Var in the first and second Constituent National Assemblies after the war. He was also active in the cooperative movement amongst wine growers.
Socialist politician
Zunino served in the First World War, and achieved the rank of captain in the artillery. He was injured twice in the war. In 1931 Zunino became mayor of La Garde. He became general councilor in 1934. In 1935 he ran for the a seat in the SenateFrench Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of France, presided over by a president.The Senate enjoys less prominence than the lower house, the directly elected National Assembly; debates in the Senate tend to be less tense and generally enjoy less media coverage.-History:France's first...
on the list of the French Section of the Workers International (SFIO), but without getting elected. After the election he became vice president of the General Council.
In the 1936 election
French legislative election, 1936
French legislative elections to elect the 16th legislature of the French Third Republic were held on 26 April and 3 May 1936. This was the last legislature of the Third Republic and the last election before the Second World War. The number of candidates set a record, with 4,807 people vying for 618...
he was elected to the National Assembly
French National Assembly
The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The upper house is the Senate ....
, with 7,894 votes. He became a member of the Agriculture and Marine commissions. In the National Assembly, he presented a proposal for a law to provide credits for flood victims in Var.
War and resistance
On July 10, 1940, he became one of the Vichy 80, i.e., the eighty parliamentarians that voted against handing over the power of the state to Marshal Philippe PétainPhilippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
. He was one of four parliamentarians from Var to do so. All four of them participated in the resistance
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...
during the war. Zunino joined the National Front
Front 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...
(FN), and became a member of Southern Zonal Committee of FN. His son, Roger Zunino, was also a resistance fighter. Michel Zunino was expelled from SFIO in 1944. A few months later he joined the French Communist Party
French Communist Party
The 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...
(PCF).
In the Communist Party
Zunino became honorary president of the United Movement of the French Resistance (MURF). He also became a member of the Federal Bureau of PCF. He was elected mayor of La Garde and member of the National Assembly as a communist candidate. Zunino was the sole former Popular FrontPopular Front (France)
The Popular Front was an alliance of left-wing movements, including the French Communist Party , the French Section of the Workers' International and the Radical and Socialist Party, during the interwar period...
parliamentarian from SFIO who later was re-elected to parliament as a communist candidate.