117-568: Clemenceau may refer to: Georges Clemenceau (1841–1929), French statesman; leader in First World War Martine Clémenceau (born 1949), French singer Clemenceau -class aircraft carrier , a class of aircraft carriers of the French Navy Clemenceau (R 98) , the lead ship of the class Clemenceau metro station , a Brussels metro station Mount Clemenceau ,
234-443: A decade after his 1893 defeat, Clemenceau confined his political activities to journalism. His career was further clouded by the long-drawn-out Dreyfus case , in which he took an active part as a supporter of Émile Zola and an opponent of the anti-Semitic and nationalist campaigns. In all, during the affair Clemenceau published 665 articles defending Dreyfus. On 13 January 1898, Clemenceau published Émile Zola's J'Accuse...! on
351-424: A decisive margin of superiority as to deter Germany from going to war with either power, but at same time his foreign policy was not relentlessly anti-German. Although he rejected Caillaux's ideas, he was prepared to improve Franco-German relations on specific issues. A fiscal conservative , Poincaré was deeply concerned about the financial effects of an ever more costly arms race . Being from Lorraine , whether he
468-580: A duel with him on 23 December 1892. Six shots were discharged, but neither participant was injured. Clemenceau remained the leading spokesman for French radicalism, but his hostility to the Franco-Russian Alliance so increased his unpopularity that in the French legislative elections of 1893 , he was defeated for his seat in the Chamber of Deputies after having held it continuously since 1876. For nearly
585-722: A gap was created in the British and French lines that risked handing over access to Paris to the Germans. This defeat cemented Clemenceau's belief, and that of the other allies, that a coordinated, unified command was the best option. It was decided that Ferdinand Foch would be appointed as " generalissimo ". The German line continued to advance and Clemenceau believed that the fall of Paris could not be ruled out. Public opinions arose that if "the Tiger", as well as Foch and Philippe Pétain stayed in power for even another week, France would be lost and that
702-622: A gesture clearly meant to show that he wanted to continue a policy of trying to improve German understanding of French aims. In early 1914, Poincaré found himself caught up in scandal when the leftish politician Joseph Caillaux threatened to publish letters showing that Poincaré was engaged in secret talks with the Vatican using the Italian government as an intermediary, which would have outraged anti-clerical opinion in France. Caillaux refrained from publishing
819-411: A government headed by Aristide Briand would be beneficial to France, because he would make peace with Germany on advantageous terms. Clemenceau adamantly opposed these opinions and he gave an inspirational speech in the Chamber of Deputies; the chamber subsequently voted their confidence in him by 377 votes to 110. As the allied counter-offensives began to push the Germans back, it became clear that
936-605: A hallmark of his political career. On 23 June 1869, he married Mary Eliza Plummer (1849–1922), in New York City. She had attended the school where he taught horseback riding and was one of his students. She was the daughter of Harriet A. Taylor and William Kelly Plummer. Following their marriage, the Clemenceaus moved to France. They had three children together, Madeleine (born in 1870), Thérèse (1872) and Michel (1873). Although Clemenceau had many mistresses, when his wife took
1053-407: A long line of physicians, but lived off his lands and investments and did not practice medicine. Benjamin was a political activist; he was arrested and briefly held in 1851 and again in 1858. He instilled in his son a love of learning, devotion to radical politics , and a hatred of Catholicism . The lawyer Albert Clemenceau (1861–1955) was his brother. His mother was a devout Protestant; his father
1170-541: A man on the right side of the republican center, Poincaré was anti-clerical, but not anti-religious, nationalist, but not bellicose, a defender of property rights, free markets and small government. No ideologue, he was a practical politician willing to work with any true Frenchmen but adamant in defending France from the Socialist Left, the Catholic Right and, of course, Germany". Poincaré won election as President of
1287-614: A mountain in the Canadian Rockies Rue Clémenceau , a commercial and residential street in Beirut, Lebanon Clemenceau, Arizona , a former smelter town Clemenceau, Saskatchewan , a hamlet in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Clemenceau . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
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#17328523476201404-465: A peace, thus Clemenceau viewed Caillaux as a threat to national security. Unlike previous ministers, Clemenceau moved against Caillaux publicly. As a result, a parliamentary committee decided that Caillaux would be arrested and imprisoned for three years. Clemenceau believed, in the words of Jean Ybarnégaray , that Caillaux's crime "was not to have believed in victory [and] to have gambled on his nation's defeat". The arrest of Caillaux and others raised
1521-752: A political spirit above the line and an inflexible will.". At the same time, Poincaré favoured hoped to pursue an expansionist policy at the expense of Germany's unofficial ally, the Ottoman Empire . For historical, economic and religious reasons, the French had traditionally been very interested in the Levant region of the Middle East. France had for centuries been the protector of the Maronite Christians , most recently in 1860, when France had threatened war following
1638-602: A pretext for a war with Serbia that many in the Austro-Hungarian government had long advocated. In 1913, it had been announced that Poincaré would visit St. Petersburg in July 1914 to meet Tsar Nicholas II . The Austro-Hungarian Foreign Minister, Count Leopold von Berchtold , decided it was too dangerous for Austria-Hungary to present the ultimatum while the Franco-Russian summit was in progress and decided to wait until Poincaré
1755-582: A repeat of the Second Moroccan crisis. Tsarist Russia, despite its Francophilia, was generally disdainful of most of the leaders of the Third Republic, but Poincaré was an exception, regarded in St. Petersburg as a strong leader who meant what he said. The Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Sazonov , in a report to Nicholas wrote that, after meeting Poincaré: "Russia possesses a sure and faithful friend, endowed with
1872-399: A result of civil disturbances provoked by the implementation of the law on the separation of church and state and the victory of radicals in the French legislative elections of 1906 . The new government of Ferdinand Sarrien appointed Clemenceau as minister of the interior in the cabinet. On a domestic level, Clemenceau reformed the French police forces and ordered repressive policies toward
1989-462: A rift in the Franco-Russian alliance could only benefit Germany. Germany would be encouraged to think that it was possible to threaten war with France as the Russians might not honour the alliance. In August 1912, Poincaré visited Russia to meet Tsar Nicholas in order to strengthen diplomatic ties. Poincaré believed the rapprochement would deter Germany from risking a demarche to war, and thus avoid
2106-432: A short time in office. It was said, "Like everyone else ... Clemenceau will not last long – only long enough to clean up [the war]." As the military situation worsened in early 1918, Clemenceau continued to support the policy of total war – "We present ourselves before you with the single thought of total war" – and the policy of "la guerre jusqu'au bout" (war until the end). His speech of 8 March advocating this policy
2223-580: A sound strategic plan. He nominated General Henri Mordacq to be his military chief of staff. Mordacq helped to inspire trust and mutual respect from the army to the government which proved essential to the final victory. Clemenceau also was well received by the media, because they felt that France was in need of strong leadership. It was widely recognized that throughout the war he was never discouraged and never stopped believing that France could achieve total victory. There were skeptics, however, who believed that Clemenceau, like other war-time leaders, would have
2340-506: A tutor of their children as her lover, Clemenceau had her put in jail for two weeks and then sent her back to the United States on a steamer in third class. The marriage ended in a contentious divorce in 1891. He obtained custody of their children. He then had his wife stripped of French nationality. Clemenceau had returned to Paris after the French defeat at the Battle of Sedan in 1870 during
2457-565: A weekly newsletter, Le Travail . On 23 February 1862, he was arrested by the imperial police for having placed posters summoning a demonstration. He spent 77 days in the Mazas Prison . Around the same time, Clemenceau also visited the old French revolutionary Auguste Blanqui and another Republican activist, Auguste Scheurer-Kestner , in jail, further deepening his hatred of the Napoleon III regime and advancing his fervent republicanism . He
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#17328523476202574-647: The Bosnian Crisis of 1908-1909, the Franco-Russian alliance had been badly strained when France refused to support Russia after Austria-Hungary , supported by Germany, threatened war. During the Second Moroccan Crisis in 1911, Russia refused to support France when Germany threatened war. The lack of French interest in supporting Russia during the Bosnia crisis was the nadir of Franco-Russian relations with Tsar Nicholas II making no effort to hide his displeasure at
2691-597: The Comité de l'Orient , the main group that advocated French expansionism in the Middle East. Poincaré's willingness to begin a rapprochement with Imperial Germany in order to allow France to pursue its ambitions in the Middle East was strengthened by the outcome of the First Balkan War , where Bulgaria - whose army had been trained by a French military mission - rapidly defeated the Sultan's army - whose forces had been trained by
2808-590: The Democratic Republican Alliance (ARD) in 1902, which became the most important centre-right party under the Third Republic . In 1906, he returned to the ministry of finance in the short-lived Sarrien ministry. Poincaré had retained his practice at the Bar during his political career, and he published several volumes of essays on literary and political subjects. "Poincarism" was a political movement over
2925-737: The Franco-Prussian War and the fall of the Second French Empire . After returning to medical practice as a physician in Vendée, he was appointed mayor of the 18th arrondissement of Paris , including Montmartre , and he also was elected to the National Assembly for the 18th arrondissement. When the Paris Commune seized power in March 1871, he tried unsuccessfully to find a compromise between
3042-404: The Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, French elites concluded that France could never hope to defeat Germany on its own, and the only way to defeat Germany would be with the help of another great power. Besides its military superiority, Germany had demographic superiority with 70 million people compared with France's 40 million people (not including the colonies) together with economic superiority as
3159-746: The German invasion and Armistice , he demanded a total victory over the German Empire . Clemenceau stood for reparations, a transfer of colonies, strict rules to prevent a rearming process, as well as the restitution of Alsace–Lorraine , which had been annexed to Germany in 1871. He achieved these goals through the Treaty of Versailles signed at the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920). Nicknamed Père la Victoire ("Father Victory") or Le Tigre ("The Tiger"), he continued his harsh position against Germany in
3276-502: The Meuse département. He made a great reputation in the Chamber as an economist, and sat on the budget commissions of 1890–1891 and 1892. He was minister of education, fine arts and religion in the first cabinet (April – November 1893) of Charles Dupuy , and minister of finance in the second and third (May 1894 – January 1895). In Alexandre Ribot 's cabinet, Poincaré became minister of public instruction. Although he
3393-662: The Middle Ages . As the revolt of the Languedoc winegrowers developed Clemenceau at first dismissed the complaints, then sent in troops to keep the peace in June 1907. During 1907 and 1908, he led the development of a new Entente cordiale with Britain, which gave France a successful role in European politics. Difficulties with Germany and criticism by the Socialist party in connection with
3510-721: The Treaty of Versailles , he wanted France to wrest the Rhineland from Germany to put it under Allied military control. Ferdinand Foch urged Poincaré to invoke his powers as laid down in the constitution and take over the negotiations of the treaty due to worries that Clemenceau was not achieving France's aims. He did not, and when the French Cabinet approved of the terms which Clemenceau obtained, Poincaré considered resigning, although again he refrained. In 1920, Poincaré's term as president came to an end, and two years later he returned to office as prime minister. Once again, his tenure
3627-613: The anti-clericalist republican struggle. In June 1903, he undertook the direction of L'Aurore , the journal that he had founded. In it, he led the campaign to revisit the Dreyfus affair and to create a separation of church and state in France . The latter was implemented by the 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State . In March 1906, the ministry of Maurice Rouvier fell as
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3744-489: The 1920s, although not quite so much as President Raymond Poincaré or former Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch , who thought the treaty was too lenient on Germany, prophetically stating: "This is not peace. It is an armistice for twenty years." Clemenceau obtained mutual defence treaties with the United Kingdom and the United States, to unite against possible future German aggression, but these never took effect due to
3861-623: The Bosnian Crisis of 1908 and the Agadir Crisis of 1911, and playing an important role in the July Crisis of 1914. From 1917, he exercised less influence as his political rival Georges Clemenceau had become prime minister. At the Paris Peace Conference , he favoured Allied occupation of the Rhineland . In 1922 Poincaré returned to power as prime minister. In 1923 he ordered the Occupation of
3978-463: The British on German reparations failed in 1922. By December 1922 Poincaré was faced with British-American-German hostility and saw coal for French steel production and money for reconstructing the devastated industrial areas draining away. Poincaré decided to occupy the Ruhr on 11 January 1923, to extract the reparations himself. This, according to historian Sally Marks, "was profitable and caused neither
4095-561: The Catholic Church. After his studies in the Lycée in Nantes , Clemenceau received his French baccalaureate of letters in 1858. He went to Paris to study medicine and eventually graduated with the completion of his thesis " De la génération des éléments anatomiques " in 1865. In Paris, the young Clemenceau became a political activist and writer. In December 1861, he and some friends co-founded
4212-544: The French people. After Germany declared war on France following the rejection of the ultimatum, Poincaré appeared before the National Assembly to announce that France was now at war forming the doctrine of the union sacrée in which he announced that: "nothing will break the union sacrée in the face of the enemy." « Dans la guerre qui s'engage, la France […] sera héroïquement défendue par tous ses fils, dont rien ne brisera devant l'ennemi l'union sacrée » ("In
4329-585: The German economy was three times larger than France's. Poincaré therefore rejected Caillaux's proposal for a Franco-German alliance, arguing that Paris would be the junior partner, thus tantamount to ending France's status as a great power. By contrast, the Treaty powers known as the Triple Entente being between two more or less equal powers, would preserve the current status quo ante bellum . Poincaré's foreign policy
4446-408: The German hyperinflation, which began in 1922 and ballooned because of German responses to the Ruhr occupation, nor the franc's 1924 collapse, which arose from French financial practices and the evaporation of reparations." The profits, after Ruhr-Rhineland occupation costs, were nearly 900 million gold marks. During the Ruhr crisis, Poincaré made a failed attempt to establish diplomatic relations with
4563-476: The German military. Bulgaria's swift victory over the Ottomans was a great blow to German prestige, and correspondingly boosted French confidence, something that allowed Poincaré to approach Berlin from a position of strength. Poincaré believed that the best policy was one of "firmness" where France would assert its interests forcefully while not excluding the possibility of better foreign relations. After defeat in
4680-437: The Germans could no longer win the war. Although they still occupied vast amounts of French territory, they did not have sufficient resources and manpower to continue their attack. As countries allied to Germany began to ask for an armistice, it was obvious that Germany would soon follow. On 11 November 1918, an armistice with Germany was signed. Clemenceau was embraced in the streets and attracted many admiring crowds. To settle
4797-561: The Poincaré Stabilization Law. His popularity as prime minister rose considerably following his return to the gold standard, so much so that his party won the April 1928 general election. As early as 1915, Raymond Poincaré introduced a controversial denaturalization law which was applied to naturalized French citizens with "enemy origins" who had continued to maintain their original nationality. Through another law passed in 1927,
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4914-531: The Radical Party over Boulangism weakened his hand and its collapse meant that moderate republicans did not need his help. A further misfortune occurred in the Panama affair , as Clemenceau's relations with the businessman and politician Cornelius Herz led to his being included in the general suspicion. In response to accusations of corruption levelled by the nationalist politician Paul Déroulède , Clemenceau fought
5031-522: The Republic in 1913, in succession to Armand Fallières . The strong-willed Poincaré was the first president of the Third Republic since MacMahon in the 1870s to attempt to make that office into a site of power rather than an empty ceremonial role. He asserted his personality and took a special interest in foreign policy. On 20 January 1914, he became the first French president to visit the German embassy in Paris,
5148-520: The Ruhr to enforce payment of German reparations. By this time Poincaré was seen, especially in the English-speaking world, as an aggressive figure ( Poincaré-la-Guerre ) who had helped to cause the war in 1914 and who now favoured punitive anti-German policies. His government was defeated by the Cartel des Gauches at the elections of 1924. He served a third term as prime minister in 1926–1929. Poincaré
5265-547: The SFIO, in June 1906. Clemenceau's speech positioned him as the strong man of the day in French politics; when the Sarrien ministry resigned in October, Clemenceau became premier. After a proposal by the deputy Paul Dussaussoy for limited women's suffrage in local elections, Clemenceau published a pamphlet in 1907 in which he declared that if women were given the vote France would return to
5382-557: The Socialists. At the outbreak of World War I in France in August 1914, Clemenceau's newspaper was one of the first to be censored by the government. It was suspended from 29 September 1914 to 7 October. In response, Clemenceau changed the newspaper's name to L'Homme enchaîné ("The Chained Man") and criticized the government for its lack of transparency and its ineffectiveness, while defending
5499-583: The Soviet Union. Poincaré lost the 1924 French legislative election "more from the franc's collapse and the ensuing taxation than from diplomatic isolation." Hines H. Hall argues that Poincaré was not a vindictive nationalist. Despite his disagreements with Britain, he desired to preserve the Anglo-French entente. When he ordered the French occupation of the Ruhr valley in 1923, his aims were moderate. He did not try to revive Rhenish separatism. His major goal
5616-624: The U.S. Senate's failure to ratify the treaty, which thus also nullified British obligation. Clemenceau was a native of Vendée , born in Mouilleron-en-Pareds . During the period of the French Revolution , Vendée had been a hotbed of monarchist sympathies . The department was remote from Paris, rural, and poor. His mother, Sophie Eucharie Gautreau (1817–1903), was of Huguenot descent. His father, Benjamin Clemenceau (1810–1897), came from
5733-409: The collapse of popular support for a war effort. The Prefect of Police gave the same advice, but the government did not follow it. In the end, 80% of the 2,501 people listed on Carnet B as subversives volunteered for service. In autumn 1914, Clemenceau declined to join the government of national unity as justice minister. He was a vehement critic of the wartime French government, asserting that it
5850-528: The coming war, France will be heroically defended by all its sons, whose sacred union will not break in the face of the enemy"). Poincaré became increasingly sidelined after the accession to power of Georges Clemenceau as prime minister in 1917. He believed the Armistice happened too soon and that the French Army should have penetrated far deeper into Germany. At the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 , negotiating
5967-422: The course of the war) and so, had to rely on himself and his own circle of friends. Clemenceau's assumption of power meant little to the men in the trenches at first. They thought of him as "just another politician", and the monthly assessment of troop morale found that only a minority found comfort in his appointment. Slowly, however, as time passed, the confidence he inspired in a few, began to grow throughout all
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#17328523476206084-488: The crisis, and immediately attempted to stop matters from escalating into war. With Poincaré's full approval, Viviani sent a telegram to Nicholas affirming that: in the precautionary measures and defensive measures to which Russia believes herself obliged to resort, she should not immediately proceed to any measure which might offer Germany a pretext for a total or partial mobilization of her forces. Additionally, orders were given for French forces to pull back six miles from
6201-425: The darkest hours for the French war effort in World War I, Clemenceau was appointed to the prime ministership. Unlike his predecessors, he discouraged internal disagreement and called for peace among the senior politicians. Clemenceau governed from the Ministry of War on Rue Saint-Dominique . Almost his first act as prime minister was to relieve General Maurice Sarrail from his command of the Salonika front . This
6318-418: The death of more than one thousand persons, threatened widespread disorder on 1 May 1906. Clemenceau ordered the military against the strikers and repressed the wine growers strike in the Languedoc-Roussillon . His actions alienated the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) socialist party, from which he definitively broke in his notable reply in the Chamber of Deputies to Jean Jaurès , leader of
6435-442: The dismemberment of Germany. The French Communist newspaper L'Humanité ran a front-page cover-story accusing Poincaré and Nicholas II of being the two men who plunged the world into war in 1914. The Poincaré-la-guerre propaganda proved to be very effective in the 1920s. Throughout the spring and summer of 1922, the British continued to spurn Poincaré's offers of an alliance with Britain. Poincaré's attempt to compromise with
6552-417: The documents after the President pressured Gaston Calmette , editor of Le Figaro , not to publish documents showing that Caillaux had been unfaithful to his first wife, was involved in questionable financial dealings implicating a pro-German foreign policy. The matter might have remained settled had not the second Madame Caillaux, upset that Calmette might publish love letters written to her while her husband
6669-447: The fall of the Ferry cabinet that year. During the French legislative elections of 1885 , he advocated a strong radical programme and was returned both for his old seat in Paris and for the Var , district of Draguignan . He chose to represent the latter in the Chamber of Deputies. Refusing to form a ministry to replace the one he had overthrown, he supported the right in keeping Prime Minister Charles de Freycinet in power in 1886 and
6786-403: The fall of the commune, he was elected to the Paris municipal council on 23 July 1871 for the Clignancourt quarter and retained his seat until 1876. He first held the offices of secretary and vice-president, then he became president in 1875. In 1876, Clemenceau stood for the Chamber of Deputies (which replaced the National Assembly in 1875) and was elected for the 18th arrondissement. He joined
6903-417: The famous author by the chemist, Eugène Turpin , inventor of the explosive melinite , who claimed that the "mad scientist" character in Verne's book Facing the Flag was based on him. At the age of 26, Poincaré was elected to the Chamber of Deputies , making him the youngest deputy in the chamber. Poincaré had served for over a year in the Department of Agriculture when in 1887 he was elected deputy for
7020-466: The far left and his energy and mordant eloquence speedily made him the leader of the radical section. In 1877, after the Crisis of 16 May 1877 , he was one of the republican majority who denounced the ministry of the Duc de Broglie . Clemenceau led resistance to the anti-republican policy of which the incident of 16 May was a manifestation. In 1879, his demand for the indictment of the Broglie ministry brought him prominence. From 1876 to 1880, Clemenceau
7137-416: The far left in the Chamber of Deputies, he was an active opponent of the colonial policy of Prime Minister Jules Ferry , which he opposed on moral grounds and also as a form of diversion from the more important goal of " Revenge against Germany " for the annexation of Alsace and Lorraine after the Franco-Prussian War . In 1885, his criticism of the conduct of the Sino-French War contributed strongly to
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#17328523476207254-415: The fighting men. They were encouraged by his many visits to the trenches. This confidence began to spread from the trenches to the home front and it was said, "We believed in Clemenceau rather in the way that our ancestors believed in Joan of Arc." After years of criticism against the French army for its conservatism and Catholicism, Clemenceau would need help to get along with the military leaders to achieve
7371-426: The fortresses in Verdun and Toul to the Germans to be occupied as long as Germany was at war with Russia. In response, the French government ordered its ambassador in St. Petersburg, Maurice Paléologue , to find what was going on in Russia while refusing a request from General Joseph Joffre to order French mobilisation. However, the German ultimatum of 31 July 1914 left the French with two options: either to accept
7488-471: The front page of the Paris daily newspaper, L'Aurore , of which he was owner and editor. He decided to run the controversial article that would become a famous part of the Dreyfus Affair in the form of an open letter to Félix Faure , the president of France. In 1900, he withdrew from La Justice to found a weekly review, Le Bloc , to which he practically was the sole contributor. The publication of Le Bloc lasted until 15 March 1902. On 6 April 1902, he
7605-414: The frontier with Germany. The next day, 31 July, the German ambassador in Paris, Count Wilhelm von Schoen , presented to Viviani an ultimatum warning that, if Russian mobilisation continued, Germany would attack both France and Russia within the next 12 hours. The ultimatum also demanded that France abrogate at once the alliance with Russia, allow German troops to march into France unopposed and turn over
7722-407: The government could denaturalize any new citizen who committed acts contrary to French "national interest". Due to his ill health, Poincaré resigned as prime minister in July 1929, refusing to serve another term as prime minister. He died in Paris on 15 October 1934 at the age of 74. His brother, Lucien Poincaré (1862–1920), a physicist, became inspector-general of public instruction in 1902. He
7839-442: The handling of the First Moroccan Crisis in 1905–06 were settled at the Algeciras Conference . Clemenceau was defeated on 20 July 1909 in a discussion in the Chamber of Deputies on the state of the navy, in which bitter words he exchanged with Théophile Delcassé , the former president of the Council whose downfall Clemenceau had aided. Refusing to respond to Delcassé's technical questions, Clemenceau resigned after his proposal for
7956-403: The humiliation of accepting the ultimatum, which would be the effective end of France as an independent nation, or go to war with Germany. The American historian, Leonard Smith, together with the French historians, Annette Becker and Steéphane Audoin-Rouzeau, wrote that France had no option but to go to war as the prospect of accepting Schoen's ultimatum was too humiliating for the vast majority of
8073-413: The imperial regime. As part of his journalistic activity, Clemenceau covered the country's recovery following the Civil War , the workings of American democracy, and the racial questions related to the end of slavery . From his time in America, he retained a strong faith in American democratic ideals as opposed to France's imperial regime, as well as a sense of political compromise that later would become
8190-401: The international political issues left over from the conclusion of World War I, it was decided that a peace conference would be held in Paris, France. Famously, the Treaty of Versailles between Germany and the Allied Powers to conclude the conflict was signed in the Palace of Versailles , but the deliberations on which it was based were conducted in Paris, hence the name given to the meeting of
8307-435: The issue of Clemenceau's harshness, who in turn argued that the only powers he assumed were those necessary for winning the war. The many trials and arrests aroused great public excitement. These trials, far from making the public fear the government, inspired confidence, as the public felt that for the first time in the war, action was being taken and they were being firmly governed. The claims that Clemenceau's "firm government"
8424-503: The lack of support from what was supposed to be his number one ally. At the time, Nicholas seriously considered abrogating the alliance, and was only stopped by the lack of an alternative. Russia's refusal to support France during the Second Moroccan Crisis in 1911 reflected the enduring bitterness caused in St. Petersburg by France's refusal to support Russia during the Bosnia crisis which ended with humiliation. Poincaré believed
8541-714: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clemenceau&oldid=784263811 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Disambiguation pages with surname-holder lists Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Georges Clemenceau Georges Benjamin Clemenceau ( / ˈ k l ɛ m ə n s oʊ / , also US : / ˌ k l ɛ m ə n ˈ s oʊ , ˌ k l eɪ m ɒ̃ ˈ s oʊ / , French: [ʒɔʁʒ(ə) bɛ̃ʒamɛ̃ klemɑ̃so] ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929)
8658-466: The longest running feuds in French politics. The British historian, Anthony Adamthwaite, described Poincaré as having an "obsession with Clemenceau verging on paranoia" and as a "cold fish whose one passion was cats". Poincaré became Prime Minister in January 1912, and began a policy meant to block Germany's ambitions for "world power status", and worked to restore ties with France's ally, Russia . During
8775-602: The massacres of the Maronites by local Muslims and Druze , while the Ottoman authorities did nothing. In the early years of the 20th century, there was an influential Levantine lobby within France to argue that it was France's mission to take over Ottoman Syria (roughly what is now modern Syria, Lebanon , Israel , Jordan , the West Bank and the Gaza strip ). Poincaré was a leading member of
8892-628: The more radical leaders of the Commune and the more conservative French government. The Commune declared that he had no legal authority to be mayor and seized the city hall of the 18th arrondissement. He ran for election to the Paris Commune council, but received fewer than eight hundred votes and took no part in its governance. He was in Bordeaux when the commune was suppressed by the French Army in May 1871. After
9009-399: The order of the day vote was rejected. He was succeeded as premier by Aristide Briand , with a reconstructed cabinet. Between 1909 and 1912, Clemenceau dedicated his time to travel, conferences, and the treatment of his illness. He went to South America in 1910, traveling to Brazil , Uruguay , and Argentina (where he went as far as Santa Ana (Tucuman) in northwest Argentina). There, he
9126-441: The patriotic union sacrée against the German Empire . In spite of the censorship imposed by the French government on Clemenceau's journalism at the beginning of World War I, he still wielded considerable political influence. As soon as the war started, Clemenceau advised Interior Minister Malvy to invoke Carnet B , a list of known and suspected subversives who were supposed to be arrested upon mobilisation, in order to prevent
9243-580: The period 1902–20. In 1902, the term was used by Georges Clemenceau to define a young generation of conservative politicians who had lost the idealism of the founders of the republic. After 1911, the term was used to mean "national renewal" when faced with the German threat. After the First World War, "Poincarism" refers to his support of business and financial interests. Poincaré was noted for his lifelong feud with Georges Clemenceau. Clemenceau and Poincaré absolutely detested one another and engaged in one of
9360-427: The remaining deported Communards returned to France, including his friend Louise Michel . In 1880, Clemenceau started his newspaper, La Justice , which became the principal organ of Parisian Radicalism . From this time, throughout the presidency of Jules Grévy (1879–1887), he became widely known as a political critic and destroyer of ministries ( le Tombeur de ministères ) who avoided taking office himself. Leading
9477-407: The resignation of Jules Grévy from the presidency of France in 1887. He had declined Grévy's request to form a cabinet upon the downfall of the cabinet of Maurice Rouvier by advising his followers not to vote for Charles Floquet , Jules Ferry, nor Charles de Freycinet, Clemenceau was primarily responsible for the election of an "outsider", Marie François Sadi Carnot , as president. The split in
9594-470: The return of Alsace-Lorraine to France. This meant that victory would fulfil the war aim that was crucial for the French public. Clemenceau was sceptical about some other points, however, including those concerning the League of Nations , as he believed that the latter could succeed only in a utopian society. On 21 March 1918, the Germans began their great spring offensive . The allies were caught off guard and
9711-469: The situation in the Balkans. At the time of the St. Petersburg summit, there were rumours, but little hard evidence, that Vienna might use the assassination to start a war with Serbia. When the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum was presented to Serbia on 23 July, the French government was in the hands of Jean-Baptiste Bienvenu-Martin , Minister of Justice and acting Premier. Bienvenu-Martin's inability to make decisions
9828-468: The term " July Crisis " is actually a misnomer as it suggests that Europe was plunged into a crisis with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand on 28 June, but in fact the July crisis only began with the Austro-Hungarian ultimatum to Serbia , containing terms patently intended to inspire rejection, on 23 July 1914. The crisis was caused not by the assassination but rather by the decision in Vienna to use it as
9945-399: The victorious heads of state that produced the treaties signed with the defeated powers: the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. On 13 December 1918, United States president Woodrow Wilson received an enthusiastic welcome in France. His Fourteen Points and the concept of a League of Nations had made a big impact on the war-weary French. At their first meeting, Clemenceau realized that Wilson
10062-532: The war, a scarcity of resources, and air raids that were causing huge physical damage to Paris as well as undermining the morale of its citizens. It also was believed that many politicians secretly wanted peace. It was a challenging situation for Clemenceau; after years of criticizing other men during the war, he suddenly found himself in a position of supreme power. He was isolated politically, however. He did not have close links with any parliamentary leaders (especially after he had antagonized them so relentlessly during
10179-603: The workers movement. He supported the formation of scientific police by Alphonse Bertillon and founded the Brigades mobiles (French for "mobile squads") led by Célestin Hennion . These squads were nicknamed Brigades du Tigre ("The Tiger's Brigades") after Clemenceau, who was nicknamed "The Tiger". The miners strike in the Pas de Calais after the Courrières mine disaster , which resulted in
10296-658: The years 1865–1869, following the American Civil War . He maintained a medical practice, but spent much of his time on political journalism for a Parisian newspaper, Le Temps . He taught French in Great Barrington, Massachusetts , and also taught and rode horseback at a private girls' school in Stamford, Connecticut , where he would meet his future wife. During this time, he joined French exile clubs in New York that were opposing
10413-487: Was a revanchard ( revanchist ) is disputed. His family house was requisitioned for three years during the war. His speeches warned of the "German menace" and believed Caillaux's policy of rapprochement with Berlin would create an impression of French weakness in Wilhelm II 's mind, being a man who only respected the strong. The Canadian historians, Holger Herwig and Richard Hamilton , described Poincaré as: "Typically for
10530-667: Was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A physician turned journalist, he played a central role in the politics of the Third Republic , particularly amid the end of the First World War . He was a key figure of the Independent Radicals , advocating for the separation of church and state , as well as the amnesty of the Communards exiled to New Caledonia . After about 1,400,000 French soldiers were killed between
10647-422: Was a dictatorship found little support. Clemenceau was still held accountable to the people and media. He relaxed censorship on political views as he believed that newspapers had the right to criticize political figures: "The right to insult members of the government is inviolable." In 1918, Clemenceau thought that France should adopt Woodrow Wilson 's Fourteen Points , mainly because of its point that called for
10764-457: Was a man of principle and conscience. Raymond Poincar%C3%A9 Defunct Defunct Raymond Nicolas Landry Poincaré ( French pronunciation: [ʁɛmɔ̃ pwɛ̃kaʁe] ; 20 August 1860 – 15 October 1934) was a French statesman who served as President of France from 1913 to 1920, and three times as Prime Minister of France . He was a conservative leader, primarily committed to political and social stability. Trained in law, Poincaré
10881-562: Was also the cousin of Henri Poincaré , the famous mathematician. Educated at the University of Paris , Raymond was called to the Paris Bar, and was for some time law editor of the Voltaire . He became at the age of 20 the youngest lawyer in France. and was appointed Secrétaire de la Conférence du Barreau de Paris . As a lawyer, he successfully defended Jules Verne in a libel suit presented against
10998-457: Was amazed by the influence of French culture and of the French Revolution on local elites. He published the first issue of the Journal du Var on 10 April 1910. Three years later, on 6 May 1913, he founded L'Homme libre ("The Free Man") newspaper in Paris, for which he wrote a daily editorial. In these media, Clemenceau focused increasingly on foreign policy and condemned the anti-militarism of
11115-620: Was an atheist and insisted that his children should have no religious education. Clemenceau was interested in religious issues. He was a lifelong atheist with a sound knowledge of the Bible . He became a leader of anti-clerical or "Radical" forces that battled against the Catholic Church in France and the Catholics in politics. He stopped short of the more extreme attacks. His position was that if church and state were kept rigidly separated, he would not support oppressive measures designed to further weaken
11232-725: Was an International Member of both the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . Nicknamed Le Lion ("the Lion), Poincaré is an honored as a victorious wartime leader in France. Born in Bar-le-Duc , Meuse, France, Raymond Poincaré was the son of Nanine Marie Ficatier, who was deeply religious and Nicolas Antonin Hélène Poincaré , a distinguished civil servant and meteorologist . Raymond
11349-569: Was at the Longchamps racetrack when he received news of the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo ,at 17:30 by his assistance. The President remarked that the assassination was a tragedy, ordered an aide to draft a message of condolence to the people of Austria-Hungary and stayed on to enjoy the rest of the races. The American historian, David Fromkin , has noted that
11466-470: Was blamed for having blocked a possible compromise peace, but it is now clear from examination of German documents that Germany had no serious intention of handing over Alsace-Lorraine. The prominence of his opposition made him the best known critic and the last man standing when the others had failed. "Messieurs, les Allemands sont toujours à Noyon " (Gentlemen, the Germans are still at Noyon) wrote Clemenceau's paper endlessly. In November 1917, at one of
11583-526: Was disturbed that British Prime Minister David Lloyd George did not share the French viewpoint, instead almost welcoming Rapallo as a chance to bring Soviet Russia into the international system. Poincaré came to believe by May 1922 that if Rapallo could not convince the British that Germany was out to undercut the Versailles system by whatever means necessary, then nothing would, in which case France would just have to act alone. Further adding to Poincaré's fears
11700-523: Was elected as a Deputy in 1887 and served in the cabinets of Dupuy and Ribot . In 1902, he co-founded the Democratic Republican Alliance , the most important centre-right party under the Third Republic , becoming prime minister in 1912 and serving as President of the Republic for 1913-20. He attempted to wield influence from what was normally a figurehead role, being noted for his strongly anti-German attitudes, visiting Russia in 1912 and 1914 to repair Franco-Russian relations, which had become strained over
11817-664: Was elected senator for the Var district of Draguignan , although he had previously called for the suppression of the French Senate , as he considered it a strong-house of conservatism. He served as the senator for Draguignan until 1920. Clemenceau sat with the Independent Radicals in the Senate and moderated his positions, although he still vigorously supported the Radical-Socialist ministry of Prime Minister Émile Combes , who spearheaded
11934-500: Was especially exasperating to Philippe Berthelot , the most senior man in the Quai d'Orsay present in Paris, who complained that France was doing nothing while Europe was threatened with the prospect of war. Furthermore, Poincaré's attempts to communicate with Paris were blocked by the Germans who jammed the radio messages between his ship and Paris. It was not until Poincaré had arrived back in Paris on 30 July 1914 that he finally learned of
12051-431: Was essentially defensive as he wished to maintain France as a great power in face of Germany's demands for Weltpolitik ("World politics") under which Germany sought to become the world's dominant power. Poincaré's entire foreign policy was based on the old Roman saying si vis pacem, para bellum ("if you want peace, prepare for war"). He wanted to strengthen both France and Russia to such a point that they presented such
12168-510: Was excluded from the Radical cabinet which followed, the revised scheme of death duties proposed by the new ministry was based upon his proposals of the previous year. He became vice-president of the chamber in the autumn of 1895 and, in spite of the bitter hostility of the Radicals, retained his position in 1896 and 1897. Along with other followers of " Opportunist " Léon Gambetta , Poincaré founded
12285-623: Was graduated as a doctor of medicine on 13 May 1865, founded several literary magazines, and wrote many articles, most of which attacked the imperial regime of Napoleon III . After a failed love affair, Clemenceau left France for the United States as the imperial agents began cracking down on dissidents and sending most of them to the bagne de Cayennes ( Devil's Island Penal System) in French Guiana . Clemenceau worked in New York City during
12402-484: Was inclined to open negotiations with Germany. Clemenceau argued that even German restitution of Alsace-Lorraine and the liberation of Belgium would not be enough to justify France abandoning her allies. This forced Alexandre Ribot and Aristide Briand (both the previous two prime ministers, of whom the latter was by far the more powerful politician who had been approached by a German diplomat) to agree in public that there would be no separate peace. For many years, Clemenceau
12519-465: Was little activity on the western front because it was believed that there should be limited attacks until the American support arrived. At this time, Italy was on the defensive, Russia virtually had stopped fighting – and it was believed that they would be making a separate peace with Germany (See also Treaty of Brest-Litovsk ) . At home, the government had to deal with increasing demonstrations against
12636-525: Was not doing enough to win the war. His stance was driven by a will to regain the province of Alsace-Lorraine, a view shared by public opinion. The autumn of 1917 saw the disastrous Italian defeat at the Battle of Caporetto , the Bolshevik seizure of power in Russia , and rumours that former Prime Minister Joseph Caillaux and Interior Minister Louis Malvy might have engaged in treason. Prime Minister Paul Painlevé
12753-402: Was noted for its strong anti-German policies. Frustrated at Germany's unwillingness to pay reparations, Poincaré hoped for joint Anglo-French economic sanctions against it in 1922, while opposing military action. In April 1922, Poincaré was greatly alarmed by the Treaty of Rapallo , the beginning of a German-Soviet challenge to the international order established by the Treaty of Versailles. He
12870-408: Was on board the battleship France that would take him home. Accompanied by Premier René Viviani , Poincaré went to Russia for the second time (but for the first time as president) to reinforce the Franco-Russian Alliance . The transcripts of the St. Petersburg summit have been lost, but the surviving documentary evidence suggests that neither Nicholas nor Poincaré were particularly concerned about
12987-478: Was one of the main defenders of the general amnesty of thousands of Communards, members of the revolutionary government of the 1871 Paris Commune who had been deported to New Caledonia . Along with other radicals and figures such as poet and then-Senator Victor Hugo , as well as a growing number of republicans, he supported several unsuccessful proposals. Finally a general amnesty was adopted on 11 July 1880. The "reconciliation" envisaged by Clemenceau could begin, as
13104-554: Was responsible for the inclusion of Georges Ernest Boulanger in the Freycinet cabinet as war minister. When General Boulanger revealed himself as an ambitious pretender, Clemenceau withdrew his support and became a vigorous opponent of the heterogeneous Boulangist movement, although the radical press continued to patronize the general. By his exposure of the Wilson scandal , and by his personal plain speaking, Clemenceau contributed largely to
13221-455: Was so effective that it left a vivid impression on Winston Churchill , who would make similar speeches upon becoming British prime minister in 1940. Clemenceau's war policy encompassed the promise of victory with justice, loyalty to the fighting men, and immediate and severe punishment of crimes against France. Joseph Caillaux , a former French prime minister, disagreed with Clemenceau's policies. He wanted to surrender to Germany and negotiate
13338-450: Was still married to her predecessor, gone to Calmette's office on 16 March 1914 and shot him dead. The resulting scandal known as the Caillaux affair was the major French news story of the first half of 1914 causing Poincaré to joke that from now on he might send out Madame Poincaré to murder his political enemies since this method was working so well for Caillaux On 28 June 1914, Poincaré
13455-705: Was the main topic of discussion at the first meeting of the war committee on 6 December, at which Clemenceau stated, "Sarrail cannot remain there". The reason for Sarrail's dismissal was his links with the socialist politicians Joseph Caillaux and Louis Malvy (at that time suspected of treasonable contacts with the Germans) Churchill later wrote that Clemenceau "looked like a wild animal pacing to and fro behind bars" in front of "an assembly which would have done anything to avoid putting him there, but, having put him there, felt they must obey". When Clemenceau became prime minister in 1917 victory seemed to be elusive. There
13572-402: Was the winning of German compliance with the Versailles treaty. Poincaré's inflexible methods and authoritarian personality led to the failure of his diplomacy. Financial crisis brought him back to power in 1926, and he once again became prime minister and finance minister until his retirement in 1929. As prime minister, he enacted a number of franc stabilization policies, retroactively known as
13689-517: Was the worldwide propaganda campaign started in April 1922 blaming France for World War I as a means of disproving Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles, which would thereby undermine the French claim to reparations. In the German-Soviet propaganda of the 1920s, the July Crisis of 1914 was portrayed as Poincaré-la-guerre (Poincaré's war), in which Poincaré put into action the plans he had allegedly negotiated with Emperor Nicholas II in 1912 for
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