The deputy who founded the Jeunesses Patriotes, holding a street force and a seat in the Chamber at once
He kept a parliamentary seat and a paramilitary organisation at the same time, on the principle that the street belonged to his side too. The Jeunesses Patriotes were among the columns that reached the Concorde on the night of 6 February 1934, and several of the fifteen dead were their members
A First World War veteran turned deputy who founded the Jeunesses Patriotes in 1924 against the incoming Cartel des Gauches and built it into a paramilitary body tens of thousands strong. Equipped with blue raincoats and berets, it broke up Communist meetings and fought for the streets, while its leader kept his seat inside parliament: a doubleness characteristic of the French leagues. On 6 February 1934 the Jeunesses Patriotes formed one of the main columns on the Place de la Concorde, and some of the dead came from its ranks. He voted full powers to Pétain in 1940, presided over the Paris municipal council under the occupation, and was detained and then released after the liberation.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1887–1918Born in Paris; serves in the First World War
- 1919–1940Deputy in the Chamber
- 1924Founds the Jeunesses Patriotes
- 1925–1936Commands a paramilitary league tens of thousands strong
- 1934.02.06The Jeunesses Patriotes form one of the main columns on the Concorde
- 1940.07Votes full powers to Pétain
- 1943–1944Presides over the Paris municipal council under the occupation
- 1944–1945Detained after the liberation, then released
Related historical events
- 1914–1918First World WarFirst World War veteranHe served in the First World War.
- 1934.01–07The Fascist Riot of 6 February 1934Founder of the Jeunesses PatriotesHolding a parliamentary seat and a paramilitary organisation at once, he led one of the main columns on the square; several of the fifteen dead were his members.
- 1940–1944The Fall of France and the Vichy RegimeParis council president under VichyHe voted full powers to Pétain in 1940 and presided over the Paris municipal council under the occupation.
Paris council president under the Occupation and post-Liberation detention
On 10 July 1940, Taittinger voted to grant full powers to Pétain. During the Occupation he published newspaper articles supporting the Vichy regime and gave speeches in support of Pétain. From May 1943 until the liberation of Paris in August 1944, he served as president of the Paris municipal council, a non-executive body maintained by the French and German authorities and subordinate to the Prefecture of Police. In a later memoir he claimed that he had resisted German demands and tried to save Paris from destruction. In fact, in September 1943 he asked Laval to declare Paris an open city. His account of his own actions is a postwar self-defense and should be considered alongside his support for the occupation authorities. Arrested during the liberation of Paris in 1944, he was imprisoned at the Vélodrome d'Hiver, Drancy, and Fresnes, and released on 27 February 1945. Because he had voted to grant Pétain full powers, he lost his civil rights and was ineligible for office for five years. After an amnesty law in 1953, he returned as mayor of Saint-Georges-des-Coteaux.