Jean-Baptiste Lebas - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Political beginnings

It grows in a working-class family and of left: his/her father, Jean-Hippolyte Lebas, were republican under the Empire, before adhering to the working Parti French (POF) of Jules Guesde. Very early, it becomes itself socialist, reads Karl Marx in the text and speaks for the first time at 15 years, which is worth to him to be returned. In 1896, to 18 years, it adheres to the POF. In 1906, after the unification of the Socialists and the creation of the French Section of the international worker, he becomes assistant secretary of federation SFIO of North. It is elected in 1908 city council man and 1910 general adviser.

The mayor of Roubaix

The SFIO had lost the town hall of Roubaix to the profit of the industrialist Eugene Motte, the preceding mayor being not very serious. It thus chooses, at the time of the elections of 1912, Jean-Baptiste Lebas, known for his extreme rigor, like candidate. Lebas is elected. It then sets up a municipal socialism. In favor of the young people, it makes build new school buildings, larger, the school colony, in 1920, and the school of outdoor, in 1921. To fight against the diseases which make devastations in the working-class families, it makes open antituberculeux dispensaries, a center of cure, supports vaccinations and the medical inspection of the provided education for children. As regards housing, it is the first to make at a cheap rate build Dwellings (HBM), before the law Loucheur: from 1923 to 1929,775 residences are built. As regards Social Security, it creates in 1921 the Funds municipal of unemployment. As regards leisures, it makes arrange the Park of the sports and a swimming pool (transformed into 2001 in museum).

This important expenditure did not prevent the accountant Jean-Baptiste Lebas from being very concerned municipal finances: it was particularly attached to show that the Socialists could as well as manage the line and the radicals.

During the First World War, Roubaix is invaded by the German troops. In 1915, Lebas is stopped by the occupying forces to have refused to deliver to them the list of the 18 year old young people, which was to be sent as laborers in Germany. It is interned with the fortress of Rastadt until January 1916, when the Germans release it in nonoccupied France due to disease. Jean-Baptiste Lebas is decorated with the Légion of honor in October for his courage.

The socialist leader, Minister for the Popular front

Against totalitarianisms, for freedoms and socialist orthodoxy

It acquires a national stature while becoming member, since 1916, of the permanent administrative Commission (CAPE, body décisionnaire of the SFIO until 1944), then appointed in 1919. At the time of the Congress of Turns, in December 1920, Jean-Baptiste Lebas is savagely opposed to the partisans IIIe Internationale, opposing to the Bolchevism “revolutionary professionals” a democratic, revolutionary but concerned socialism of concrete reforms, and patriot. He is consequently firmly anticommunist and develops his criticisms in On the order of Moscow: how the Communists broke the unit (1922) then Critique Socialist of the Communist party (1929). As a leader the most powerful federation of the party, town councilor and national, it takes an active part in the rebuilding of the SFIO, reached hard by the scission.

Always vigilant, he is opposed highly to the authoritative and opportunist “neosocialism” preached by Marcel Déat, whose drift fascisante starts. He opposes the traditional doctrines of the party in the columns of the Populaire , in 1933. After having been secretary of the committee of supply, i.e. treasurer, of 1930 to 1932, the elected official of Roubaix becomes administrator of the newspaper then, until 1936.

The parliamentary action

Jean-Baptiste Lebas is not hostile with the participation of the Socialists at a coalition government with the radicals, but he regards as essential that the SFIO directs it. Thus it defends, like Leon Blum, the support without participation in the government of Edouard Herriot, in 1924. It thus concentrates its work, until 1936, on the parliamentary field. He proposes in particular the nationalization of the railroads, on May 21st, 1920, the creation of a minimum wage, on October 28th, 1921, but in a Room dominated by the line, these ideas are not majority.

In 1926, it enters to the Superior council of work. He is the rapporteur of all international conventions on the regulation of work: convention of Washington, concerning work of the women and the children, as well as unemployment; convention of Geneva on the sailors, the foreign workers and the weekly rest.

To the elections of 1932, it attempts to defend of the measures of struggle against the economic crisis and social: national service of help to the unemployed, reduction of the legal duration of the working time at 40 hours per week, amendment of the laws on the Social Security (voted in 1930), in a more protective direction. In 1936, he proposes moreover paid vacations, the creation of an Office of corn and an Office of the artificial fertilizers and, like the other candidates of the Popular front, the nationalization of industries of armament.

The government action

Leon Blum made of Jean-Baptiste Lebas his Minister for Labor. It is with him that returns the heavy task to transcribe in legislative acts the social program of the Popular front. He discharges some essentially in a few weeks, during the summer 1936: 40 hours week, paid vacations, generalization of the Social Security, collective agreements, resolution of the industrial disputes by the arbitration.

The Blum government having been reversed by the Senate in June 1937, Lebas becomes Minister for the postal and telecommunications authorities in the cabinet Chautemps I (June 1937 - January 1938) and in the cabinet Blum II (March-April 1938). It attempts to develop the radio and is interested in its bonds with the theater.

The “free man”, hero and martyr of Resistance

During the invasion of June 1940, Jean-Baptiste Lebas takes the road of the exodus but returns quickly. Deposed of its functions by the mode of Vichy, it calls as of August 1940 with resistance, in a booklet entitled socialism continues! At the end of the summer, it founds one of the very first resistance networks in occupied zone, the Free man, with a newspaper of the same name, which becomes then IVe République . 300 socialist militants follow from the start the mayor of Roubaix in the combat against the Nazism. For the Free man , “it is not question of reconstitution of the socialist party, since the socialist party is not dissolved” (October 1940).

In January 1941, the Free man extends his diffusion in Lille and Douai. Always in January 1941, three months before Daniel Mayer, Jean-Baptiste Lebas founds a socialist Committee of action (CASE) to gather the resistant Socialists. This committee is integrated into the CASE of the occupied zone, founded not very front. Strong of its experiment of clandestinity during the First World War and of its manpower of militants, the departmental federation of North east, under the cane of Jean-Baptiste Lebas, with the point of socialist Resistance. But as of on May 21st, 1941, Lebas is stopped by the Gestapo, at the same time as one of its sons and its niece, them so resistant.

If the network survives this very hard blow, it is for the former mayor of Roubaix and his close relations the beginning of a long martyrdom. From 1941 to 1942, they go from prison in prison, initially in France, then with Berlin. April 21st, 1942, after a four hours interrogation, Jean-Baptiste Lebas is condemned to three years forced labors. During two years, he works in a string factory, eleven hour and half per day. He dies of exhaustion and disease, unless he was not killed by a guard.

Its skin returns to France in August 1951. In 1949, a monument had been high with its memory. A stamp was devoted to him, pertaining to the series on the heroes of Resistance.

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