Arthur Ream

Arthur Ramette , born in 1897 with Caudry (Northern) and deceased in 1988 with Seclin is militant French Communist party, member of the political office between 1932 and 1950, companion of Thorez during the second world war, in the USSR, deputy and senator of the Northern of 1932 to 1973.

Biography

Childhood and youth

Arthur Ramette was born in 1897 with Caudry, in the French department of the Northern , in a family which one cannot say that it was strongly committed in the labor movement. His/her father, craftsman plasterer of ceilings, of tendency " républicaine" , dies in 1906. His/her mother, of catholic family, but not practicing is then made engage like reeling machine in a textile factory. Arthur starts to work at twelve years after having passed its Certificat of primary studies.

At fourteen years, Arthur becomes mechanic's apprentice (fitting and forging mill) at a small employer and adheres to the trade union of its corporation. In 1914, it is not mobilized because it is only seventeen years old. Thereafter, Caudry is occupied by the Germans. Arthur must make two months of prison in 1918 to have refused to take part in forced labors with the profit of the Reichswehr.

Under the influence of his older brother, militant SFIO, who will be killed with the war, Arthur was sympathizer of the socialist Jeunesses before 1914. He becomes about it secretary of the section of Caudry the shortly after the conflict. Its biographer, Yves Maner, notes that it had been formed a self-educated solid culture during the years of occupation and that it became a colossus of one meter ninety, weighing more than one hundred kilos and practitioner regularly boxing.

First responsibilities in PCF

Athur Ramette takes again its trade of mechanic. In 1919, he becomes secretary of the trade union CGT Metals of Caudry and adheres to Socialist party SFIO. In the beginning of the year 1920, it takes part in the foundation of the Comité for adhesion with the III {{E}} Internationale which gathers the partisans of the Russian Révolution. In Caudry, they are definitely majority during the preparation of the Congrès of Turns.

It is thus as of the congress of Turns that Arthur Ramette adheres to the young person French Communist party. In 1922, he becomes secretary of the section of Caudry. In 1923, it reaches the executive commission of the communist Federation of North. It wife Combined Bricout, with which it will have a son.

In 1924, Ramette becomes acquainted with Maurice Thorez, then secretary of the Northern Area. The two men will remain always dependant. Candidate with the legislative elections on the list of the working Block and peasant , it fails of little. In 1925, it is named permanent with the " rayon" (section) of Roubaix - Tourcoing - Halluin. It follows the courses of the Leninist School of Tourcoing, then, with the end of the year 1925, for two months, those of the central School of the party with Clichy. It meets Manouilsky there

Of return in North, Ramette resumes a work of mechanic to the co-operative of Caudry and occupies various positions of responsibility in the apparatus of the Party of the area where it applies, disciplined, the policy " class against class " (see History of PCF): secretary with the organization of the area, secretary of the ray of Lens. In 1927, it is also invested in the organization of the strikes of minors. Candidate with legislative of 1928, Béthune, it is outdistanced by the socialist candidate. Generally, the competition is severe, in the area, between Socialists and Communists. The first May 1929, Ramette is implied in a physical confrontation with the forces about access, then with the Socialists. He is condemned to one month of prison.

In April 1929, at the time of the congress of " Bellevilloise", of Saint-Denis, Ramette requires an adjustment to the policy " class against class " in the departments where the SFIO is well established in the working class. He is opposed thus to Benoît Frachon and Maurice Thorez, but this last entrusts nevertheless the responsibility for the area to him after the resignation of the preceding person in charge who is hostile with the principle even of the policy " class against class ".

In June 1930 with Roubaix, violent incidents burst between strikers CGTU and police officers. This episode will be known under the name of " barricades of the street of the Long-Hedges ". To have exalté the event in the communist newspaper " Connected the " , and also because of the violent ones confrontations who had burst with Lens between Communists and Socialists, Ramette is stopped on June 30th, 1931 and condamé at two years closes, finally reduced sorrow (April 9th, 1932) in eighteen months. It benefits from it to be devoted to the reading of traditional Marxism.

Entry at the Parliament and the Political office

Whereas he is always imprisoned, Ramette is elected appointed of Douai. It is the beginning of a parliamentary long career. The year 1932 also marks a confirmation in the apparatus of the party: Ream enters to the Central committee , like holder at the time of the Congrès of Paris. He is also convened with all the meetings of the Political office where he enters officially only to the Congès of Villeurbanne, in 1936. Re-elected with the House of Commons in 1936, he takes up the duty of secretary of the Room of 1936 to 1939. He carries out many interventions with the platform, having often for object the defense of the working class: Social Security, unemployment, salary questions, coal market… Usually measured, its stoutness pushes sometimes Ramette with some overflows, as on February 21st, 1936 when it strikes with the face Philippe Henriot which had pronounced a diatribe against the Communists. In June 1937, it pours its red wine glass on smoking of the deputy of Paris, Of Isnards, which returned one evening fashionable. More seriously, Ramette is interfered close with the rupture with the Popular front, on January 13rd, 1938: whereas Ramette has just pointed out the social claims of the Communists, the president of the Council Camille Chautemps answers him:

" I propose austerity measures and you present a catalog of claims to me. If it is thus, Mr. Ramette, I return your freedom to you! "

Its activities of member of Parliament in Paris do not prevent it from also working on the ground, in North. Its efforts are paying, since in 1936 manpower of the PC in the department of North pass from 4.000 to 24.000: connected sees its pulling climbing with 44.000 specimens for North and 27.000 for the Pas-de-Calais.

The Second world war

When the Communist party is dissolved by the government, on September 26th, 1939 (see Histoire of the French Communist party), the communist group of the Room is replaced by the working and country Groupe French whose president is Ramette, the general secretary being Florimond Bonte.

Ream plunges quickly in clandestinity, maintains the contact with the leading group at this meeting in Brussels around Jacques Duclos and Eugen Fried. it is carried unsubdued on March 5th, 1940. In May 1940, the very same day where his wife is stopped by the Belgian police (it will be slackened a few days later), it embarks in Amsterdam on the steamer Molotov which has just been built by a Dutch shipyard and moves towards the USSR. Ream travels in company of Palmiro Togliatti and Raymond Guyot. It finds Maurice Thorez and André Marty in Moscow. In June 1941, after the invasion of the USSR by the German troops, all will be gathered with Oufa, in the Bachkirie.

Ream is in charge of the emissions towards France with " Lino-Radio ". In Oufa, it continues its emissions towards France starting from the " Station of the national front of fight for the release of France " where it is helped by Felix Gouin. According to Yves Maner, Ramette uses the data obtained by listening of the various radios and transmitted information of France per Raymond Guyot and Leon Mauvais and it wrote an average of eight pages of copy per day that it reads itself with the microphone.

In 1943, whereas Marty joined de Gaulle in Algiers, Ramette returns to Moscow to replace it in the negotiations with French legation. In February 1944, with Thorez, he asks for deputy CFLN in Moscow the authorization of go to Algiers, but they encounter a refusal. Ream will return with Thorez to France only on November 24th, 1944. It is in Paris that Arthur Ramette finds his wife of which it was without news since the arrest of the latter, the very same day of its departure of Brussels in May 1940.

End of a career

Arthur Ramette reinstates the Political office of PCF as of its return in France. It remains there until 1950, date on which it is replaced by Jeannette Vermeersch. Perhaps was it easier for Thorez of évincer one of its close relations to make enter his wife?

Ream is re-elected appointed in the 2nd district of North in 1945 and occupies of the responsibilities in the Federation of North. There remains parliamentary, deputy or senator until 1973. Beaten with legislative of 1951 following alliance between the Socialists and the independent ones, it is made elect senator in 1952 and manages to find its seat of deputy of 1956 to 1958 then of 1962 to 1973. He is also general adviser of Douai of 1945 to 1955 and city council man of Lille between 1947 and 1963. In 1967, it is nailed with the bed by a very serious accident of car and it withdraws finally public life in 1973.

Portrait

Source of the article

Yves Maner, article Arthur Ream in biographical Dictionary of the labor movement French , working Editions, 1997.

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