Raymond Poincaré: facts from life

French statesman Raymond Poincare (1860-1934) during the First World War was president, and then prime minister during a series of financial crises. He was a conservative, an adherent of political and social stability.

Raymond Poincaré: biography

The future president of France was born in Bar-le-Duc, a city in the northeast of the country, on August 20, 1860, in the family of engineer Nicolas-Antoine Poincaré, who later became the general inspector of bridges and roads. Raymond studied law at the University of Paris, was admitted to the Bar in 1882 and continued to practice law in Paris. The extremely ambitious Poincaré gave his best to be the best in everything he did, and at the age of 20 he managed to become the youngest lawyer in France. As a lawyer, he successfully defended Jules Verne in a libel suit filed by a chemist and explosive inventor Eugene Turpin, who claimed to have become the prototype of a mad scientist portrayed in the novel Flag of the Motherland.

In 1887, Raymond Poincaré (pictured below in the article) was elected deputy from the French department of Meuse. So began his career politics. In subsequent years, he grew up to work in the Cabinet, including the post of Minister of Education and Finance. In 1895, Poincare was elected vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies (Legislative Assembly of the French Parliament). Nevertheless, in 1899 he refused a request to the President of France Emile Loubet (1838-1929) to form a coalition government. The willful, conservative nationalist Poincaré did not agree to join the coalition of the minister-socialist. In 1903, he resigned from the Chamber of Deputies and practiced law, and also served in a less politically significant Senate until 1912.

Premier and President

Raymond Poincare returned to big politics when in January 1912 he became prime minister. In this most influential position in France, he proved that he is a strong leader and minister of foreign affairs. To everyone's surprise, the following year he decided to run for president - a relatively less significant position, and was elected to this post in January 1913.

Unlike previous presidents, Poincare took an active part in shaping the policy. A strong sense of patriotism prompted him to work diligently to ensure the protection of France, strengthening the alliance with Britain and Russia and supporting the laws on the extension of the term of military service from two to three years. Despite the fact that he worked for the good of the world, a native of Lorraine, Poincare, was suspicious of Germany, which seized the area in 1871.

The war with Germany

When the First World War broke out in August 1914, Raymond Poincaré, President of France, proved to be a strong military leader and stronghold of the morale of the nation. Indeed, he showed his loyalty to the idea of a united France when, in 1917, he asked his old political opponent, Georges Clemenceau, to form a government. Poincaré believed that Clemenceau was the most competent candidate for the prime minister's duties and could lead the country, despite his left-wing political views, to which the French president opposed.

Treaty of Versailles and German reparations

Raymond Poincaré did not agree with Clemenceau on the Treaty of Versailles, signed in June 1919, which defined the conditions of peace after the First World War. He was firmly convinced that Germany must reimburse France for a significant amount of reparations and assume responsibility for the outbreak of war. Although American and British leaders considered the treaty to be excessively strict, the document, which contained significant financial and territorial claims to Germany, according to Poincare, was not severe enough.

Occupation of Ruhr

Later, Poincaré demonstrated his aggressive position towards Germany when he again assumed the post of prime minister in 1922. During this period, he was also Minister of Foreign Affairs. When the Germans failed to reimburse their reparations in January 1923, Poincaré ordered the French troops to occupy the Ruhr Valley, a large industrial region in the western part of Germany. Despite the occupation, the German government refused to pay. The passive resistance of the German workers to the French authorities damaged the German economy. The German brand collapsed, the economy of France also suffered because of the costs of the occupation.

Election defeat

German-Soviet propaganda of the 1920s The July 1914 crisis portrayed Poincaré-la-guerre (the Poincare war), the aim of which was the dismemberment of Germany. Talks about this allegedly led since 1912, Emperor Nicholas II and "insane warlord and revanchist" Raymond Poincare. Information about this was published on the front pages of the French Communist newspaper "L'Humanite". The President of France and Nicholas II were accused of having plunged the world into the First World War. This propaganda proved to be very effective in the 1920s, and to some extent Poincare's reputation has not yet recovered.

In 1924, British and American governments negotiated a settlement, trying to stabilize the German economy and mitigate the terms of reparations. In the same year, Poincaré's party was defeated in general elections, and Raymond resigned as Prime Minister.

The Financial Crisis of 1926

Raymond Poincaré did not remain without work for long. In 1926, amid a serious economic crisis in France, he was again asked to form a government and assume the role of prime minister. To improve the financial situation, the politician acted swiftly and decisively: government spending was cut, interest rates were raised, new taxes were introduced, and the cost of the franc was stabilized by linking it to the gold standard. The growth of public confidence was the result of the prosperity of the country, which followed the measures of Poincare. The general elections in April 1928 demonstrated popular support for his party and role as prime minister.

Raymond Poincaré: personal life

An outstanding politician had an outstanding family. His brother Lucien (1862-1920) was a physicist and became general inspector in 1902. Raymond's cousin Ari Poincaré was a famous mathematician.

With his wife Henrietta Adeline Benucci, Poincare met in 1901. She was the hostess of the salon for intellectuals in Paris and had already married twice. The civil ceremony took place in 1904, and the church ceremony - shortly after Poincare became president of France in 1913.

Last years

November 7, 1928 attacked by a radical-socialist party Poincare was forced to resign. Within a week he formed a new ministry and stayed his last term as prime minister. In July 1929, referring to a poor state of health, the politician left the cabinet, and then declined the offer to become prime minister in 1930.

Raymond Poincare died in Paris on October 15, 1934 at the age of 74 years. Almost all his life he devoted to public service, and his work as president during the First World War, combined with his financial wit in the post of prime minister in subsequent years, ensured him the glory of a great leader and a man who valued his country above all else.