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
Pierre Laval Interactive Map
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Pierre Laval Timeline
| 28 Jun 1883 | Pierre Laval was born. |
| 27 Jan 1931 | Pierre Laval became the 101st Prime Minister of France. |
| 20 Feb 1932 | Pierre Laval stepped down as the Prime Minister of France. |
| 7 Jun 1935 | Pierre Laval became the 112th Prime Minister of France. |
| 24 Jan 1936 | Pierre Laval stepped down as the Prime Minister of France. |
| 11 Jul 1940 | Pierre Laval became the 120th Prime Minister of France with the title of the Vice President of the Council. |
| 28 Oct 1940 | Pierre Laval became the Foreign Minister of Vichy France. |
| 13 Dec 1940 | Pierre Laval was dismissed as the Vice President of the Council, which in effect was the Prime Minister of France. He was placed under arrest shortly after. |
| 15 Dec 1940 | Pierre Laval was freed from imprisonment. |
| 8 Feb 1941 | Philippe PĂ©tain offered Pierre Laval a cabinet seat in the Vichy government, but the offer was declined. |
| 25 May 1941 | Pierre Laval criticized the Vichy French government during an interview with American journalist Ralph Heinzen in Paris, France. |
| 25 Aug 1941 | Pierre Laval was shot four times by student Paul Collete as he saw off French volunteers going off to fight with the Germans in Russia. Laval survived the assassination attempt, but was seriously wounded particularly by a bullet that penetrated his body about an inch from his heart. |
| 26 Aug 1941 | Paul Collete was arrested after shooting and wounding Pierre Laval; Laval would recommend giving Collete a light sentence, citing that the young man was likely only a pawn used by more senior plotters behind the scenes. |
| 30 Sep 1941 | Pierre Laval was discharged from the hospital after recovering from the wounds sustained during the unsuccessful assassination attempt against him on 25 Aug 1941. |
| 26 Mar 1942 | French politician Pierre Laval warned Chief of State Philippe PĂ©tain that it was important to cooperate with the Germans to avoid Berlin from appointing a Nazi Party Gauleiter for Vichy France. |
| 14 Apr 1942 | Pierre Laval was named Chief of Government with special powers in Vichy France. |
| 18 Apr 1942 | Pierre Laval became the 123rd Prime Minister of France. |
| 18 Nov 1942 | Marshal Philippe PĂ©tain signed a constitutional document permitting Prime Minister Pierre Laval to make laws and issue decrees on his own signature only. |
| 29 Apr 1943 | Adolf Hitler met with French Prime Minister Pierre Laval and Italian Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Giuseppe Bastianini at Berghof |
| 20 Aug 1944 | Pierre Laval stepped down as the Prime Minister of France. |
| 31 Jul 1945 | Pierre Laval surrendered in Austria. |
| 15 Oct 1945 | Pierre Laval was executed for treason. |
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Winston Churchill
3 Jun 2014 08:44:35 AM
No mention of French pow swap for French workers sent to germany