Laval, Pierre Jean Marie.

Laval, Pierre Jean Marie, born on 28-06-1883 in Auvergnac, France, on 28-06-1883, the son of Gilbert Laval and Claudine, born Tournaire. His father worked as a café proprietor and postman. The family was comfortably off compared to the rest of the village: the café also served as a hostel and a butcher’s shop, and Gilbert Laval owned a vineyard and horses. The last name “Laval” was widespread in the region at that time. The family branch was commonly named Laval-Tournaire, and his father had himself called “Baptiste Moulin”. After obtaining degrees in law and natural sciences Pierre went into business. A member of the Socialist Party, Laval was elected to parliament in 1903. On the outbreak of the First World War Laval joined the French Army. After the war Laval political views changed dramatically and he re-entered the Chamber of Deputies as a right-wing conservative. One opponent pointed out that this was no surprising as Laval reads the same from the left or the right. Over the next few years he held several cabinet posts including foreign minister and was prime minister in 1931-32 and 1935-36. During his periods of office he worked to establish good relations with Germany and the Soviet Union. In October 1935 Laval joined with Hoare, Britain’s foreign secretary, in an effort to resolve the crisis created by the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. The secret agreement, known as the Hoare-Laval Pact , proposed that Italy would receive two-thirds of the territory it conquered as well as permission to enlarge existing colonies in East Africa. In return, Ethiopia was to receive a narrow strip of territory and access to the sea. Details of the Hoare-Laval Pact was leaked to the press on 10-12-1935. The scheme was widely denounced as appeasement of Italian aggression and Laval and Hoare were both forced to resign. Laval returned to pursue his business career and built up a commercial empire based on newspapers, printing, and radio. When the German Army occupied France in 1940 Laval used his media empire to support Henry-Philippe Petain and the Vichy government.

    He also used his influence in the National Assembly to give Petain dictatorial powers. Two days later on 12-07-1940, Laval was named as head of the government and Petain’s legal successor. Laval developed a close relationship with Otto Abetz, the German ambassador in France, Abetz died age 54 of a car accident in Cologne, on 05-05-1958

Otto Abetz.   Paul Collette.

and on 22-10-1940, he met Adolf Hitler (see Alois Hitler) and proposed that the two countries should work closely together. At another meeting with Hermann Goering (see Goering-Fock) later that month Laval suggested a military alliance with Nazi Germany. Some members of the government became concerned about these developments and on 13^th December 1940, Petain ordered the sacking of Laval. He was also briefly arrested but Otto Abetz sent in troops to have him released and he was taken to Paris where he lived under the protection of the German Army. However on 27^th August, 1941, a young student, Paul Collette, managed to fire four shots into Laval while seeing off French volunteer troops to take part in Operation Barbarossa.

 Paul Collette died age 74 on 05-01-1995 and Laval recovered and by the spring of 1942 he was ready to return to political life. After coming under increasing pressure from Abetz, the German ambassador, Petain agreed on 18-04-1942 to recall Laval as head of the French government.

Laval now ordered the French police to begin rounding up Jews in France. He also took the controversial decision in June 1942 to send skilled labourers to Germany in exchange for French prisoners of war. In September he gave permission for the Gestapo  to hunt down the French Resistance in unoccupied France. In January, 1943, Laval created Milice, a political police force under the leadership of Joseph Darnand. Within six months their were over 35,000 men in the force and were playing the leading role in capturing Jews and left-wing activists and having them deported to Nazi Germany. After the D-Day Landings Laval moved his government to Belfort. With the allied forces making good progress Laval retreated to Sigmaringen and in May 1945 he fled to Spain. He was interned in Barcelona and on 30^th July was handed over to the new French government headed by General Charles De Gaulle.   Pierre Laval was charged with aiding the enemy and violating state security.

Death and burial ground of Laval, Pierre Jean Marie.

   He was found guilty and was shot by a firing squad at Fresnes Prison in Paris  on 15-10-1945, age 62. Laval is buried on the Cemetery of Montparnass in Paris.