Pierre Mendes France by Jean Lacouture

Description: Perhaps the most influential figure in postwar French political life after Charles de Gaulle, Pierre Mendes France led his country's government for a mere 245 days. Yet this "conscience" of the French Democratic left had established himself as an impressive political force many years before his brief reign of power. And undeniably he will be remembered for many more years to come as one of the great architects of modern France. In this comprehensive political biography, the distinguished French journalist Jean Lacouture traces the life and career of Mendes France from his birth in Paris in 1907 to his academic and political education in the 1920s, his service in Leon Blum's front populaire cabinet in 1938, and his action in the Underground and in the group Lorraine during World War II. But for Lacouture, and for French contemporary political history, the moment that defines Mendes France came in June 1954, when he galvanized the country and staked his premiership on ending French involvement in Indochina. The Fourth Republic would soon fall because of another colonial issue - Algeria - and nearly a quarter century of turmoil would pass before the political ideas for which Mendes France stood prevailed. Yet this course of events should not be construed as Mendes Frances's political failure, for his country, troubled by divisions since 1789, required more than the astute perception and extraordinary capabilities of one man to unify its diverse and opposing factions.Lacouture describes the era Mendes France helped to shape, his personality, and his place as a liberal and a Jew in the reactionary world of the civil administration. In so doing he illuminates the strengths and contradictions of present-day France.

Price: 12 USD

Location: San Diego, California

End Time: 2024-05-07T18:13:01.000Z

Shipping Cost: 4.69 USD