Alexandre Millerand (1859–1943)

French politician and lawyer; the first representative of a socialist participating in a bourgeois government in the epoch of imperialism.

Millerand was born on February 10, 1859, in Paris France, into a merchant’s family. In 1882, Millerand began his career as a lawyer, and in 1884, he was elected to the Paris municipal council, and later participated in the “Workers’ Group” (Groupe ouvrier) composed of members of the socialist faction in the Chamber. He gained great reputation in the socialist movement for his support and defense of the workers in the Fusillade de Fourmies in 1891 and the Carmaux strike in 1892. In 1893, he organized an independent socialist faction in the Legislative Assembly and became its leader. From 1893 to 1896, Millerand served as the editor-in-chief of the faction’s organ, La Petite République (The Little Republic). In June 1899, Millerand joined the Waldeck-Rousseau cabinet of “Republican Defense” as Minister of Commerce, the first instance of socialist participation in a bourgeois government, historically known as the “Millerand Affair”. In 1909, he served as the Minister of Public Works in the Briand Cabinet. In October 1910, French railway workers held a general strike, which was severely suppressed by Millerand. In 1912–1913 and 1914–1915, he served twice as Minister of War. In the legislative elections of November 1919, Millerand became prime minister and foreign minister, organized the implementation of the Treaty of Versailles and suppressed the workers’ movement at all costs. In September 1920, Millerand was elected President, and because of his active promotion of the occupation of the Ruhr and his advocacy of the strengthening of the presidential power, he met with the opposition of the “Cartel des Gauches” (left-wing coalition), which accounted for the majority of the parliament. In May 1924, the “Cartel des Gauches” won the parliamentary elections, and Millerand was forced to resign in June and disappeared from the political stage. On April 7, 1943, Millerand died in Versailles.

In the history of the socialist movement, Millerand was the first representative to participate in a bourgeois government in the identity of a socialist. After Millerand joined the Cabinet, he deviated from the fundamental principles of socialism, opposed democracy and suppressed the workers’ movement at home, and carried out the policy of aggression and expansion abroad, and organized and planned the armed intervention in Soviet Russia. Therefore, Millerand was called by Lenin “practical Bernsteinism”.