Aristide Briand (1862 - 1932)

Today marks the 144th birthday of French statesman Aristide Briand. Born March 28, 1862, Briand made a name for himself during the first quarter of the 20th Century.

Born in France, Briand studied law and joined the Socialist Party. He became a member of the French Chamber of Deputies and was a creator of the a law that further strengthened the separation of church and state in France, in 1905. He was kicked out of the Socialist Party for accepting a Cabinet position with a rival party.

Briand was premier of France eleven times, beginning in 1909. A premier is the French Prime Minister. During the First World War, Briand decided that the line at Verdun needed to be held together against the German onslaught at all costs. Briand lost his position in 1917 when Georges Clemenceau attacked him for planning to negotiate peace with the Germans. Clemenceau took over, and Briand retired from public life, only to return in 1921 as premier once more.

Briand's leadership in 1921 did not last long, because he was unpopular for criticizing the harshness of the Treaty of Versailles; he advocated lessening the harsh penalties Germany faced, which in hindsight was a wise thing to do. In 1925, Briand resurfaced as France's foreign minister, helping create both the the Locarno Pact of 1925 and Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928. The former guaranteed the national borders set up in 1919 at Versailles, and it promised Germany a place in the League of Nations. The latter is famous for denouncing war as an international political instrument, advocating peaceful solutions to conflicts. For the Locarno Pact, Aristide Briand shared the Nobel Peace Price of 1926 with German leader Gustav Stresemann.

Briand died in 1932, at the age of nearly 70. Today, he is best remembered for his support of peaceful resolutions to conflicts, his pacifistic ideals, and the Kellogg-Briand Pact that bears his name, which failed in its objective a mere 11 years after its creation.

Sources: Columbia Encyclopedia, Wikipedia