Raymond Marcellin
Encyclopedia
Raymond Marcellin was a French
politician.
, but managed to escape and return to France. Thanks to Maurice Bouvier-Ajam, he found a position in the Vichy regime. His job was to diffuse the ideas of the Révolution nationale
among youth and professional associations.
He also taught at the University Jeune-France, a Vichy organization. For these services, he received the Francisque. Later, he joined the Résistance network Alliance of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade
and Georges Loustaunau-Lacau
. After the Libération, he was a gaullist candidate to the 1946 election in the Morbihan.
However, he did not join De Gaulle's RPF, and caucused with the independents.
He initially supported the socialist governments of Léon Blum
(December 1946) and Paul Ramadier
(January 1947), but voted against them on the statute of Algeria
in autumn 1947. In 1948, he was vice-president of the
Union démocratique des indépendants (democratic union of the independents). Starting 1949, He was both secretary general of Centre National des Indépendents caucus and adjoint general secretary of this party.
On September 11, 1948 he was appointed under-secretary of the Interior under the socialist minister of the Interior Jules Moch
in the government formed by the radical Henri Queuille
. On October 29, 1949, Raymond Marcellin was appointed Commerce and Industry under-secretary in the government of Georges Bidault
. After the departure of the socialists from the government on February 7, 1950 he became Commerce and Industry secretary. He the proceeded to close the Chambre des Métiers de la Seine that had been controlled by communists since the Libération. He also fired seven contractants holding key positions in the Centre National du Cinéma as they were either communists or belonged to the CGT
, a labor union with close ties to the Communist Party.
In 1951, during his reelection campaign, he was allied with the Mouvement Républicain Populaire
, but not with the gaullist Rassemblement du Peuple Français. On this occasion, he declared that voting for the gaullists was taking the risk of sending communists to the Assemblée Nationale. He was reelected on June 17, 1951. On March 8, 1952 Raymond Marcellin was made Minister of Information in the government of Antoine Pinay. He introduced a minimal service on state radio and TV in case of strike. After December 1952, and the fall of the government of Antoine Pinay, Raymond Marcellin no longer held cabinet positions. Raymond Marcellin was supportive of the continuation of the war in Indochina
,
and did not vote for the Pierre Mendès-France
government. After being reelected in 1956, Raymond Marcellin
did not support the socialist government of Guy Mollet
. However, he approved Mollet's policies in Algeria, and voted for giving special powers to the Army in the fight against FLN
on March 12, 1956. He regularly voted for the renewal of these special powers. He also supported the Suez intervention. However,
he voted against the fiscal package of the Mollet government that was supposed to finance the war in Algeria.
This led to the fall of the Mollet government. Raymond Marcellin continued to support the engagement of French troops in Algeria, and voted against Pierre Pflimlin
that he suspected of trying to change French policy in Algeria. On June 1, 1958 Raymond Marcellin voted for the government of Charles De Gaulle
, the last government of the fourth republic.
During the fifth republic, he was a member of the National Center of Independents and Peasants (CNIP) and then of the Center of Social Democrats (CDS). On May 15, 1962 Raymond Marcellin entered the government as Minister of Health. In 1965, he was elected mayor of Vannes
, a position he would retain until 1977. Raymond Marcellin was made Minister of Industry from January 8, 1966 to April 1, 1967. Following the events of May 1968, he was appointed Interior minister of France
on May 30, 1968 replacing Christian Fouchet
. De Gaulle said on this occasion that with Marcellin he now had the real Fouché. To Marcellin, the demonstrators were either traitors or dupes of an operation of the Cuban secret services. He increased the police budget, and pledged to have all the necessary police force in Paris to establish order. He dissolved in 1968 the right-wing organization Occident, along with various maoist groups. After De Gaulle resignation, in 1969, Raymond Marcellin
was maintained at the ministry of Interior by the new president Georges Pompidou
. On November 4, 1970 Raymond Marcellin, relying on a law of July 16, 1949 on the protection of youth, signed a degree banning display, publicity and sale to minors of Hara-Kiri Hebdo
, following the publication of an issue of this satirical magazine with a cover titled Bal tragique à Colombey: 1 mort alluding disrespectfully to the death of Charles De Gaulle
. In 1971, Raymond Marcellin tried to introduce a modification of the law of 1901 on freedom of association, which would have made preliminary administrative authorization necessary before being able to create an association. This modification was rejected by the constitutional council, after intense lobbying by former president Vincent Auriol
. In the same year, Raymond Marcellin introduced an anti-wreckers bill (Loi Anti-Casseurs), that made a crime of attendance at
a meeting where violence occurs. In 1973, the trotskyite Ligue Communiste
and right-wing Ordre Nouveau
were banned on the same day after a violent confrontation between the two groups.
Raymond Marcellin was forced to resign on February 27, 1974, after policemen of the Directorate of Territorial Security were caught red-handed planting microphones in the offices of Le Canard Enchaîné
, an investigating newspaper. He was replaced by Jacques Chirac
as minister of the interior, and became minister of Agriculture. He was then elected to the Senate on September 22, 1974. He remained a senator until June 21, 1981.
He then served as president of the Regional Council of Brittany from 1978 to 1986.
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...
politician.
Biography
The son of a banker, he studied law at the University of Strasbourg and the University of Paris. He worked as a lawyer for three years, before being called into the army in September 1939. He was captured by the WehrmachtWehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
, but managed to escape and return to France. Thanks to Maurice Bouvier-Ajam, he found a position in the Vichy regime. His job was to diffuse the ideas of the Révolution nationale
Révolution nationale
The Révolution nationale was the official ideological name under which the Vichy regime established by Marshal Philippe Pétain in July 1940 presented its program...
among youth and professional associations.
He also taught at the University Jeune-France, a Vichy organization. For these services, he received the Francisque. Later, he joined the Résistance network Alliance of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade
Marie-Madeleine Fourcade
Marie-Madeleine Fourcade was the leader of the French Resistance network "Alliance," after the arrest of its former leader Georges Loustaunau-Lacau, during the occupation of France in the Second World War,...
and Georges Loustaunau-Lacau
Georges Loustaunau-Lacau
Georges Loustaunau-Lacau was a French army officer, anti-communist conspirator, resistant, and politician.Loustaunau-Lacau was born in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques and in 1912 began his studies at the French Army's officer school, the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr...
. After the Libération, he was a gaullist candidate to the 1946 election in the Morbihan.
However, he did not join De Gaulle's RPF, and caucused with the independents.
He initially supported the socialist governments of Léon Blum
Léon Blum
André Léon Blum was a French politician, usually identified with the moderate left, and three times the Prime Minister of France.-First political experiences:...
(December 1946) and Paul Ramadier
Paul Ramadier
Paul Ramadier was a prominent French politician of the Third and Fourth Republics. Mayor of Decazeville starting in 1919, he served as the first Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic in 1947. On 10 July 1940, he voted against the granting of the full powers to Marshal Philippe Pétain, who...
(January 1947), but voted against them on the statute of Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
in autumn 1947. In 1948, he was vice-president of the
Union démocratique des indépendants (democratic union of the independents). Starting 1949, He was both secretary general of Centre National des Indépendents caucus and adjoint general secretary of this party.
On September 11, 1948 he was appointed under-secretary of the Interior under the socialist minister of the Interior Jules Moch
Jules Moch
Jules Salvador Moch was a French politician.-Biography:...
in the government formed by the radical Henri Queuille
Henri Queuille
Henri Queuille was a French Radical politician prominent in the Third and Fourth Republics. After World War II, he served three times as Prime Minister.He was the son of a noblewoman.-First ministry :...
. On October 29, 1949, Raymond Marcellin was appointed Commerce and Industry under-secretary in the government of 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:...
. After the departure of the socialists from the government on February 7, 1950 he became Commerce and Industry secretary. He the proceeded to close the Chambre des Métiers de la Seine that had been controlled by communists since the Libération. He also fired seven contractants holding key positions in the Centre National du Cinéma as they were either communists or belonged to the CGT
Confédération générale du travail
The 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...
, a labor union with close ties to the Communist Party.
In 1951, during his reelection campaign, he was allied with the Mouvement Républicain Populaire
Popular Republican Movement
The Popular Republican Movement was a French Christian democratic party of the Fourth Republic...
, but not with the gaullist Rassemblement du Peuple Français. On this occasion, he declared that voting for the gaullists was taking the risk of sending communists to the Assemblée Nationale. He was reelected on June 17, 1951. On March 8, 1952 Raymond Marcellin was made Minister of Information in the government of Antoine Pinay. He introduced a minimal service on state radio and TV in case of strike. After December 1952, and the fall of the government of Antoine Pinay, Raymond Marcellin no longer held cabinet positions. Raymond Marcellin was supportive of the continuation of the war in Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
,
and did not vote for the Pierre Mendès-France
Pierre Mendès-France
Pierre Mendès France was a French politician. He descended from a Portuguese Jewish family that moved to France in the sixteenth century.-Third Republic and World War II:...
government. After being reelected in 1956, Raymond Marcellin
did not support the socialist government of Guy Mollet
Guy Mollet
Guy Mollet was a French Socialist politician. He led the French Section of the Workers' International party from 1946 to 1969 and was Prime Minister in 1956–1957.-Early life and World War II:...
. However, he approved Mollet's policies in Algeria, and voted for giving special powers to the Army in the fight against FLN
Front de Libération Nationale
Front de Libération Nationale may refer to:* National Liberation Front , a socialist political party founded in 1954 for independence from France for Algeria...
on March 12, 1956. He regularly voted for the renewal of these special powers. He also supported the Suez intervention. However,
he voted against the fiscal package of the Mollet government that was supposed to finance the war in Algeria.
This led to the fall of the Mollet government. Raymond Marcellin continued to support the engagement of French troops in Algeria, and voted against Pierre Pflimlin
Pierre Pflimlin
Pierre Eugène Jean Pflimlin was a French Christian democratic politician who served as the penultimate Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic for a few weeks in 1958, before being replaced by Charles de Gaulle during the crisis of that year.-Life:...
that he suspected of trying to change French policy in Algeria. On June 1, 1958 Raymond Marcellin voted for the government of Charles De Gaulle
Charles 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....
, the last government of the fourth republic.
During the fifth republic, he was a member of the National Center of Independents and Peasants (CNIP) and then of the Center of Social Democrats (CDS). On May 15, 1962 Raymond Marcellin entered the government as Minister of Health. In 1965, he was elected mayor of Vannes
Vannes
Vannes is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2000 years ago.-Geography:Vannes is located on the Gulf of Morbihan at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin. It is around 100 km northwest of Nantes and 450 km south west...
, a position he would retain until 1977. Raymond Marcellin was made Minister of Industry from January 8, 1966 to April 1, 1967. Following the events of May 1968, he was appointed Interior minister of France
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...
on May 30, 1968 replacing Christian Fouchet
Christian Fouchet
Christian Fouchet was a French politician.He was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Yvelines.He was the French Minister of National Education from 28 November 1962 to 6 April 1967. He was the colonial head of Algeria from 19 March 1962 to 3 July 1962....
. De Gaulle said on this occasion that with Marcellin he now had the real Fouché. To Marcellin, the demonstrators were either traitors or dupes of an operation of the Cuban secret services. He increased the police budget, and pledged to have all the necessary police force in Paris to establish order. He dissolved in 1968 the right-wing organization Occident, along with various maoist groups. After De Gaulle resignation, in 1969, Raymond Marcellin
was maintained at the ministry of Interior by the new president Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
. On November 4, 1970 Raymond Marcellin, relying on a law of July 16, 1949 on the protection of youth, signed a degree banning display, publicity and sale to minors of Hara-Kiri Hebdo
Hara-Kiri (magazine)
In 1960, Georges Bernier, Cavanna and Fred Aristidès created the monthly satirical magazine Hara-Kiri. Hara Kiri Hebdo, its weekly counterpart, was first published in 1969....
, following the publication of an issue of this satirical magazine with a cover titled Bal tragique à Colombey: 1 mort alluding disrespectfully to the death of Charles De Gaulle
Charles 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....
. In 1971, Raymond Marcellin tried to introduce a modification of the law of 1901 on freedom of association, which would have made preliminary administrative authorization necessary before being able to create an association. This modification was rejected by the constitutional council, after intense lobbying by former president Vincent Auriol
Vincent Auriol
Vincent Jules Auriol was a French politician who served as the first President of the Fourth Republic from 1947 to 1954. He also served as interim President of the Provisional Government from November to December 1946, making him one of only three people who were heads of state of the French...
. In the same year, Raymond Marcellin introduced an anti-wreckers bill (Loi Anti-Casseurs), that made a crime of attendance at
a meeting where violence occurs. In 1973, the trotskyite Ligue Communiste
Revolutionary Communist League
The Revolutionary Communist League can refer to one of several different parties:*Japan Revolutionary Communist League*Revolutionary Communist League *Revolutionary Communist League...
and right-wing Ordre Nouveau
Ordre Nouveau
Ordre Nouveau may refer to:*Ordre Nouveau *Ordre Nouveau *Ordre Nouveau...
were banned on the same day after a violent confrontation between the two groups.
Raymond Marcellin was forced to resign on February 27, 1974, after policemen of the Directorate of Territorial Security were caught red-handed planting microphones in the offices of Le Canard Enchaîné
Le Canard enchaîné
Le Canard enchaîné is a satirical newspaper published weekly in France. Founded in 1915, it features investigative journalism and leaks from sources inside the French government, the French political world and the French business world, as well as many jokes and humorous cartoons.-Early...
, an investigating newspaper. He was replaced by Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
as minister of the interior, and became minister of Agriculture. He was then elected to the Senate on September 22, 1974. He remained a senator until June 21, 1981.
He then served as president of the Regional Council of Brittany from 1978 to 1986.
Writings
- L'orientation professionnelle et le placement des jeunes (Paris: Recueil Sirey, 1941) (Thesis, University of StrasbourgStrasbourgStrasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
) - with Maurice Bouvier-Ajam Les Principaux Problèmes de l'orientation professionnelle (Clermont-FerrandClermont-FerrandClermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
: É. Chiron, 1942) - L'Ordre public et les Groupes révolutionnaires (Paris : PlonPlon (publisher)Plon is a French book publishing company, founded in 1852 by Henri Plon and his two brothers.The Plon family were Walloons coming from Nivelle, France. One of their ancestors is probably the Danish typographer Jehan Plon who lived at the end of the 16th century.-History:The Editions Plon were...
, 1969) - L'Importune Vérité. Dix ans après Mai 68, un ministre de l'Intérieur parle (Paris: Plon, 1978) (a book on the events of May 1968).
- La Guerre politique (Paris : Plon, 1985)
- L' Expérience du pouvoir (Paris : la Table ronde, 1990)