Jacques Chaban-Delmas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jacques Chaban-Delmas
Prime Minister of France
In office 20 June 1969 – 5 July 1972
President	Georges Pompidou
Preceded by	Maurice Couve de Murville
Succeeded by	Pierre Messmer
President of the National Assembly
In office 2 April 1986 – 23 June 1988
Preceded by	Louis Mermaz
Succeeded by	Laurent Fabius
In office 3 April 1978 – 2 July 1981
Preceded by	Edgar Faure
Succeeded by	Louis Mermaz
In office 9 December 1959 – 24 June 1969
Preceded by	André Le Troquer
Succeeded by	Achille Peretti
Mayor of Bordeaux
In office 19 October 1947 – 19 June 1995
Preceded by	Jean-Fernand Audeguil
Succeeded by	Alain Juppé
Personal details
Born	Jacques Michel Pierre Delmas (1915-03-07)7 March 1915 Paris, France
Died	10 November 2000(2000-11-10) (aged 85) Paris, France
Political party	Rally for the Republic (1976–2000)
Other political affiliations	Radical Party (1940–1947) Rally of the French People (1947–1955) National Centre of Social Republicans (1955–1958) Union for the New Republic (1958–1968) Union of Democrats for the Republic (1968–1976)
Alma mater	Sciences Po
Occupation	Civil Servant

Jacques Chaban-Delmas (born March 7, 1915 – died November 10, 2000) was an important French politician. He was a follower of Charles de Gaulle's ideas, known as Gaullism.

He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1969 to 1972, working under President Georges Pompidou. Chaban-Delmas was also the Mayor of Bordeaux for a very long time, from 1947 to 1995. He was also a representative (called a deputy) for the Gironde area in the French parliament from 1946 to 1997.

Early Life and Resistance Work

Jacques Chaban-Delmas was born Jacques Michel Pierre Delmas in Paris. He studied at a school called Lycée Lakanal and then at Sciences Po, a famous political science school.

During World War II, he joined the French Resistance, a secret group fighting against the occupation of France. His secret name was Chaban. After the war, he officially changed his name to Chaban-Delmas. He became a young general in the Resistance. He helped lead the uprising in Paris in August 1944, which led to the city's freedom. He was the youngest French general since the time of Napoleon.

Starting His Political Career

After the war, Chaban-Delmas first joined the Radical Party. Later, he joined the Rally of the French People (RPF), a party that followed Charles de Gaulle. This party was against the way the French government (called the French Fourth Republic) was run at the time.

In 1947, he became the mayor of Bordeaux. He held this job for 48 years, showing how much people in Bordeaux supported him. He also became a member of the French National Assembly, which is like the French parliament.

In 1953, the RPF party split up. Chaban-Delmas then led another group and became president of the National Centre of Social Republicans party. He worked with other parties, including those on the center-left. He became the Minister of Public Works in 1954. He also served as France's Defence Minister from 1957 to 1958.

Working with Charles de Gaulle

When General de Gaulle returned to power in 1958, Chaban-Delmas supported the creation of the French Fifth Republic and its new rules. He helped start a new party called the Union for the New Republic (UNR).

Even though de Gaulle didn't want him to, Chaban-Delmas was elected as the chairman of the French National Assembly. He held this important role until de Gaulle left office in 1969. Unlike some other Gaullists, he supported de Gaulle's decision to end the Algerian War, which was a war for Algeria's independence from France.

In 1959, he was the first politician to talk about a "reserved presidential domain." This idea meant that the president would mostly handle defense and foreign policy. This way of understanding the French government's rules is still used today.

Prime Minister and "New Society"

In 1969, when Georges Pompidou became president, he chose Chaban-Delmas as his Prime Minister. Chaban-Delmas believed that the protests of May 68 showed that French society was too tense and divided.

As Prime Minister, he tried to create what he called "a new society." This idea focused on encouraging talks and cooperation between different groups in France. His government made several important changes. They made it easier for the media to report freely. They also passed laws to improve social welfare for people who were poor or elderly. This helped make France more of a welfare state, where the government helps its citizens with things like healthcare and support. They also regularly increased the minimum wage to help workers. A new system for legal aid was also introduced, along with other social benefits.

Some people in the Gaullist party thought Chaban-Delmas was too "progressive" because of these social policies. They worried he was getting too close to center-left ideas. His advisors, who helped create the "new society" plan, were also seen as having center-left views.

There was also some tension between Chaban-Delmas and President Pompidou. Some people close to the president thought Chaban-Delmas was trying to make the presidency weaker. A newspaper accused him of not paying enough taxes. In 1972, Chaban-Delmas asked the National Assembly for a vote of confidence to show he had their support. He won the vote, but President Pompidou still asked him to resign.

Later Political Life

Two years later, after President Pompidou passed away, Chaban-Delmas decided to run for president himself. Many older Gaullist leaders supported him. However, 43 important people close to the late president, led by Jacques Chirac, publicly supported another candidate, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. Chaban-Delmas lost in the first round of the 1974 French presidential election, getting only about 15% of the votes. Jacques Chirac then became Prime Minister under President Giscard d'Estaing.

Chaban-Delmas remained active in the Gaullist Party, which was now called the Rally for the Republic (RPR). Despite Chirac's leadership, Chaban-Delmas became the chairman of the National Assembly again from 1978 to 1981.

Because he was friends with President François Mitterrand, his name was suggested as a possible Prime Minister during a time when the president and prime minister were from different parties (called "cohabitation") from 1986 to 1988. However, he instead became president of the National Assembly for a third time, and Chirac became Prime Minister again.

Chaban-Delmas retired from politics in 1997. This was near the end of his thirteenth term as a member of the National Assembly. It was also two years after he finished his eighth term as Mayor of Bordeaux.

Political Career Highlights

Here are some of the main political jobs Jacques Chaban-Delmas held:

Government Roles

• Prime Minister: 1969–1972
• Minister of Public Works, Transport, and Tourism: 1954–1955
• Minister of Housing and Reconstruction: 1954
• Minister of State: 1956–1957
• Minister of Defence and Armed Forces: 1957–1958

Elected Positions

• President of the French National Assembly: 1958–1969, 1978–1981, 1986–1988
• Member of the National Assembly for Gironde: 1946–1969 and 1972–1997
• President of the Regional Council of Aquitaine: 1974–1979 and 1985–1988
• Regional councillor of Aquitaine: 1974–1979 and 1985–1988
• Mayor of Bordeaux: 1947–1995
• Municipal councillor of Bordeaux: 1947–1995
• President of the Urban Community of Bordeaux: 1967–1983 and 1983–1995
• Vice-president of the Urban Community of Bordeaux: 1977–1983

See also

In Spanish: Jacques Chaban-Delmas para niños