Leon Jouhaux

Leon Jouhaux is a trade unionist French, born with Paris on July 1st 1879 and dead the April 28th 1954 in Paris. Workman match manufacturer and libertarian trade unionist of tendency, he is general secretary of the CGT of 1909 with 1947, then president of CGT-FO of 1948 with his death.

Unceasingly defending the principles of the Charte of Amiens (1906) which preach trade-union independence with respect to the political parties, of the State and the Churches, he is opposed to the various attempts at control of the trade union by SFIO (in 1911) or by the " bolchéviques" (in 1922). In December 1947, vis-a-vis the seizure of the PCF on the trade union, Jouhaux and its friends (Robert Bothereau, Albert Bouzanquet, Pierre Neumeyer, Georges Delamarre) resign of the Confederal office and found CGT-FO to continue the “old woman” CGT, faithful to the Charte of Amiens.

The August 4th 1914, at the time of funerals of Jean Jaurès, Leon Jouhaux makes a speech in which he affirms “in the name of those which will leave and I am, I shout in front of this coffin that it is not the hatred of the German people which will push us on the battle fields, it is the hatred of the German imperialism”, wanting to thus express the feeling of “ the working class in the middle ravaged ”. Jouhaux is then resigned to rejoin CGT in the Sacred union.

See also: Sacred union and the Socialists

In 1940, it is put under residence supervised by the mode of Vichy, stopped by the Nazis in November 1942 then off-set with Buchenwald until in 1945.

With the Release, Jouhaux is again secretary of CGT, but must share the capacity with the Communist Benoît Frachon. Vis-a-vis the seizure of PCF on CGT, it is constrained to resign in 1948 and founds CGT-FO with Robert Bothereau and the militants not-Communists of the old confederation. He becomes also vice-president of the international Confédération of the free trade unions and delegated to UNO.

In 1918, Leon Jouhaux presents a project of economic National council charged to examine all the problems arising from the return to the peace, and whose role would not be only advisory. The Constitution of IVe République of October 27th, 1946 gives a constitutional statute at this Economic council (today Economic and Social Council). Jouhaux becomes the President about it as of April 1947 until his death in 1954.

Its many pacifist engagements were worth obtaining the to him Nobel Prize of peace in 1951 whereas he was president of CGT-FO.

External bond

“Trade unionism and policy”, by L. Jouhaux (1920)
“Homage to Leon Jouhaux” Notes of Iéna, Information of the Economic and Social Council, n°171, July 2004
“Fifty years afterwards: Leon Jouhaux”, Institute of higher learning of work
“inversion”, the Force of the History
“biographical card” by Stephan Moussiegt, ENS

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