Georges-Augustin Bidault

Nationality

France

Date of Birth

1899

Date of Death

1983

Political
Preference

Mouvement Republicain Populaire (?)

Georges-Augustin Bidault was born in Moulins, Allier and studied history at the Sorbonne. Bidault risked his life as the head of the underground movement in Nazi occupied France. After the Second World War, he served as Prime Minister and Foreign Minister several times. Bidault is also known as the founder of the Mouvement Republicain Populaire (MRP).

During the war, Bidault was active in the French Resistance, a movement that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and the collaborative attitude of the Vichy regime. After the Paris liberation in 1944, De Gaulle appointed him as foreign minister of his provisional government. On 19 June 1946, the National Constituent Assembly elected Bidault as president of the provisional government, which was composed of socialists, communists and Bidault’s own MRP. Bidault’s government passed an important Social Security Act, including a renewed pension schemes and extended family allowances. He also worked to improve his country relationships with Germany and negotiated France’s entrance into the European Coal and Steel Community.

In 1947, Bidault responded to U.S. Secretary of State George C. Marshall’s offer of economic aid for Europe together with British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin. This Anglo-French leadership kickstarted what eventually became the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) in 1948.

From 1949 until 1951 he was member of the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe.