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Pierre Laval

Surname Laval Given Name Pierre Born 28 Jun 1883 Died 15 Oct 1945 Country France Category Government Gender Male

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbasePierre Laval was born in Châteldon in the Puy-de-Dôme département of the Auvergne region of France. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1903, major of Aubervilliers in 1924, and Senator in 1927. He served three terms as Prime Minister of France in the 1930s. His career of the 1930s was marked by his appeasement policy toward Italian aggression, which ultimately led to his resignation on 22 Jan 1936 after the Hoare-Laval Pact scandal. When France became occupied by German forces, he supported the collaborationist Philippe Pétain and was named Vice Premier on 12 Jul 1940 then Prime Minister on 18 April 1942 (with additional roles as Information Minister, Interior Minister, and Foreign Minister). As the second-in-command of the Vichy government, he was friendly toward Berlin and cooperated with German demands in terms of policy, including anti-Semitic policies and the export of forced French labor to German munitions factories. When the Allied forces invaded France, the Vichy government fled to Germany, where it fell apart as the Allied forces continued to advance. In May 1945 Laval fled to Spain, but was deported to Austria where he was turned in to the French. He was found guilty of treason against France and was sentenced to death by firing squad. He attempted a suicide at Fresnes prison the day of his execution, but failed as his cyanide capsule had lost its potency. His sentence was carried out with him still sick and vomiting from the cyanide.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Jun 2006

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