René Pleven facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
René Pleven
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| Prime Minister of France | |
| In office 11 August 1951 – 20 January 1952 |
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| President | Vincent Auriol |
| Preceded by | Henri Queuille |
| Succeeded by | Edgar Faure |
| In office 12 July 1950 – 10 March 1951 |
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| President | Vincent Auriol |
| Preceded by | Henri Queuille |
| Succeeded by | Henri Queuille |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 April 1901 Rennes |
| Died | 13 January 1993 (aged 91) Paris |
| Political party | UDSR |
René Pleven (born April 15, 1901 – died January 13, 1993) was an important French politician. He played a big role during a time in France called the Fourth Republic.
He was part of the Free French forces, which fought against the Nazi-allied French government during World War II. After the war, he helped start a political party called the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance (UDSR). This party aimed to continue the spirit of the wartime resistance movement.
René Pleven served as Prime Minister of France two times in the early 1950s. One of his most famous ideas was the Pleven Plan. This plan suggested creating a European Defence Community. It would have brought together the armies of France, Italy, West Germany, and the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg) to work as one.
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René Pleven's Early Life
René Pleven was born in Rennes, France, on April 15, 1901. His father was an army officer and worked at a military school.
After studying law at the University of Paris, René Pleven tried to get a job in the government's finance department but didn't pass the exam. So, he decided to move abroad. He lived and worked in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. He became a leader at a telephone company. In 1924, he married Anne Bompard.
What René Pleven Did During World War II
When World War II began, René Pleven was in charge of helping to build airplanes for the Allied countries in the United States. He also bought planes for France.
Even though he said in 1939 that "Politics do not interest me," he joined Charles de Gaulle's Free French Forces a year later. These forces bravely fought against the Vichy Regime, which was the French government that worked with the Nazis.
Pleven even suggested a big idea: that Britain and France should become one country, sharing their power and armies. This plan was supported by leaders like Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle, but it wasn't approved.
He also helped gather support for Free France in French Equatorial Africa. In 1941, he returned to London, where de Gaulle and his forces were living in exile. There, Pleven became a national commissioner for important areas like the economy, money, colonies, and foreign affairs. In this role, he led a meeting in Brazzaville in 1944. This meeting decided to have a more open and fair policy towards the colonies.
René Pleven's Post-War Career
After France was freed from Nazi control, René Pleven became the Minister of Economy and Finance in the temporary government. After the war, people elected him to represent the Côtes-du-Nord area in the French parliament.
In 1946, he decided to go in a different direction from Charles de Gaulle. He then helped create the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance (UDSR) party. He was the president of this party from 1946 to 1953. The UDSR was a middle-ground party. It supported some government control over industries but also believed in limits.
He held several important government jobs, including Defense Minister from 1949 to 1950. In July 1950, he became the Prime Minister of France.
René Pleven and European Unity
As Prime Minister, René Pleven strongly supported the idea of European countries working closely together. He pushed for France to approve the Schuman Plan. This plan led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, which was a big step towards European unity. He faced challenges from different political groups to get it approved. But he managed to get enough votes by promising to help farmers and lower taxes for people with lower incomes. After a long debate, the agreement was approved.
He served as Prime Minister until February 1951. He then became Prime Minister again from August 1951 to January 1952. He resigned because of disagreements about the country's budget.
Later Roles and the Pleven Plan
After his second term as Prime Minister, he became Defense Minister again. He proposed the Pleven Plan, which suggested creating a European Defense Community. This plan aimed to include a re-armed Germany into a European army. However, this idea was not approved by some political groups in France.
He also believed in keeping French control in French Indochina (now Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia). In 1953, he stepped down as chairman of his party because they supported peace talks in Vietnam. As Defense Minister from 1952 to 1954, he was in charge when the French lost the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. This loss was a major event that led to France losing its power in that region.
In 1957, the President of France, René Coty, offered him the chance to be Prime Minister again, but he said no. Instead, in 1958, he became the last Foreign Minister of the French Fourth Republic.
René Pleven's wife died in 1966. They had two daughters, Françoise and Nicole. From 1969 to 1973, he served as Minister of Justice. He signed the pardon for a famous escapee named Henri Charrière in 1970.
He lost his re-election as a politician in 1973. After that, he became the president of a group working on regional development in his home region of Brittany. René Pleven passed away from heart failure on January 13, 1993, at the age of 91.
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René Pleven
See also
In Spanish: René Pleven para niños
