Power and Pleasure: Louis Barthou and the Third French Republic Book

One of the great political figures of his day, Louis Barthou was France's Foreign Minister when, in 1934, he suffered a fatal bullet wound during the assassination of Yugoslavia's King Alexander. Barthou had spent 45 years in public life as lawyer, journalist, deputy, senator and cabinet minister. In 1913 he was appointed Prime Minister of France and the following year, when France's armies contained the German offensive in northern France, he was celebrated as a national hero. For this, and in recognition of his work as an author, Barthou was elected to the Academie Francaise. This social biography situates Barthou's life, both public and private, in the political and cultural context of the Third Republic. It argues that, although centrists like Barthou were not socialists, they were capable of adjusting their ideals to meet the social changes of modern France. Barthou's turbulent political career, tempered both by a 35-year marriage to his supportive wife and by a lifetime of pleasure derived from music, art, history, books and literature, is described in detail.Read More