Georges Clemenceau

A formative youth

Born in Mouilleron-en-Pareds in the Vendée in 1841, Georges Clemenceau inherited his father's taste for politics , and went on to study medicine. He obtained his doctorate in May 1865.

His studies in Paris brought him into contact with Claude Monet and left-wing political circles. He became a republican activist and founded his first weekly newspaper , Le Travail . He is imprisoned for calling for a demonstration at the Place de la Bastille in memory of the Second Republic.

Due to a broken heart, and also in a hostile political context, he leaves France for England and then the United States. There, Georges Clemenceau earned a living as a correspondent for the newspaper Le Temps and as a riding and French teacher at a college for girls. There he met his future wife Mary Plummer, one of his pupils, whom he married in 1869, the year of his return to France. From this episode in his life, he left with a perfect command of English and an experience of American democracy.

Back in France, Georges Clemenceau was caught up in political events: the Franco-Prussian War, the proclamation of the Third Republic. Medicine enabled him to support his family, an activity he pursued until 1885. He divorced his wife in 1892 and was granted custody of his three children, Madeleine, Thérèse and Michel.

In 1906, he was appointed Minister of the Interior and President of the Council. Surrounded by collaborators he knew perfectly well, he launched numerous reforms until 1909, which provoked revolts and controversy. His political actions earned him nicknames such as "the Tiger", "France's top cop" and "the strike-breaker".

As early as 1910, he foresaw the risk of war with the German Empire. In 1915, he became Chairman of the Armed Forces Committee and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. During the First World War, he did not hesitate to tour the trenches to boost troop morale, just as he was adamant about dealing with deserters.

Georges Clemenceau had a long political career. It began in 1870, when the Third Republic was established, and ended after the Great War, in 1920.

This 50 year presence in political life earned him many nicknames throughout his periods of action.

His position as leader of the far-left opposition, as a radical deputy from 1881 onwards, led to his separation from Léon Gambetta, whom he judged too wait-and-see in his desire to reform the country. He was also hostile to Jules Ferry's colonization policy, and his oratorical skills brought down five ministries, including those of Gambetta and Ferry.

Between 1906 and 1909, this initial nickname of "ministry killer" was followed by that of "France's top cop", as modernizer of the police force, as Minister of the Interior and President of the Council.

However, in 1907 and 1908, faced with violent strikes in the mining north and wine-growing south of France, he was forced to send in the troops against the strikers. The socialist left, embodied by Jaurès, regarded him as a "strike breaker", and parted company with him.

His strong will and authority during the Great War earned him his best-known nickname of "Father of Victory", as President of the Council and Minister of War from 1917 to 1920. Successful in uniting the Allied armies under Foch's single command, he announced the armistice in the Chamber on November 11, 1918. He was one of the architects of the Treaty of Versailles, along with British Prime Minister Lloyd George and American President Woodrow Wilson.

His strong character also earned him the nickname "The Tiger".