Daladier, Édouard

(1884-1970)

   statesman

   Born in Carpentras and educated in Paris at the École normale supérieure, Edouard Daladier taught history until 1919, when he was elected as a Radical-Socialist deputy (1919-40). Beginning in 1924, he also served several times as minister and, as premier (January-October 1933), tried to deal with the financial crisis. Returned to power in January 1934 to fight against the development of the extreme right-wing leagues after the stavisky affair, he demanded the resignation of the prefect of police, jean chiappe (February 3, 1934), but had to resign himself after the demonstrations of February 6 of that year. one of the leaders of the Popular Front, Daladier was named minister of national defense (1936-37) and was called, after the fall of the second léon blum cabinet, to form a government (April 1938-March 1940). He signed the Munich Pact (September 1938), tried to halt the financial crisis and organize national defense, and took vigorous measures against the Communists after the signing of the German-Soviet Pact (1939). When Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939, his government declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. Minister of war, then of foreign affairs in the cabinet of paul reynaud, Daladier was arrested by the vichy government (after June 1940) and brought to trial at Riom (1942). Deported to Germany (1943-45), Daladier was reelected as a Radical deputy after the Liberation (1946-58). He took a position against the continuation of the war

   in Indochina, the constitution of the European Defense Community, and the Constitution of 1958.