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André Léon Blum (9 April 1872 – 30 March 1950) was a French politician. He was a member of the French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO), an early French Socialist party. He served as prime minister of the Third Republic twice (the first Jew to hold the office); the first term from June 1936 to June 1937, and the second from March to April of 1938. He servived imprisonment in Buchenwald from 1943 to 1945. He also served in the dual capacity of head of state and government in the post-World War II Provisional Government of the French Republic from December 1946 to January 1947; he also served as foreign minister.
Blum wrote throughout his life, even during his imprisonment. Most of his work was published in Le Populaire, the paper of the SFIO.
Léon Blum in The War That Came Early[]
While Léon Blum had stepped down as premier months before the outbreak of the Second World War in October 1938, France's decision to ally itself with Germany from 1940 through the end of 1941 forced Blum to leave government altogether. When France and Germany were firmly at war again, Blum returned to government in 1942. German propaganda seized on Blum's status as a Jew and a socialist.[1]
References[]
- ↑ Two Fronts, pg. 90.
| Political offices (OTL) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Albert Sarraut |
Prime Minister of France 1936–1937 |
Succeeded by Camille Chautemps |
| Preceded by Camille Chautemps |
Prime Minister of France 1938 |
Succeeded by Edouard Daladier |
| Preceded by Georges Bidault |
Chairman of the Provisional Government of France 1946–1947 |
Succeeded by Vincent Auriol (President of France) Paul Ramadier (Prime Minister of France) |
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