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François Mitterrand

François Mitterrand

Actor · 1916 – 1996 · Jarnac, Charente, France

François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 1916 – 8 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former Socialist Party First Secretary, he was the first left-wing politician to assume the presidency under the Fifth Republic. Due to family influences, Mitterrand started his political life on the Catholic nationalist right. He served under the Vichy regime during its earlier years. Subsequently, he joined the Resistance, moved to the left, and held ministerial office several times under the Fourth Republic. Mitterrand opposed Charles de Gaulle's establishment of the Fifth Republic. Although at times a politically isolated figure, he outmanoeuvred rivals to become the left's standard bearer in the 1965 and 1974 presidential elections, before being elected president in the 1981 presidential election. He was re-elected in 1988 and remained in office until 1995. Mitterrand invited the Communist Party into his first government, which was a controversial decision at the time. However, the Communists were boxed in as junior partners and, rather than taking advantage, saw their support eroded, eventually leaving the cabinet in 1984. Early in his first term, Mitterrand followed a radical left-wing economic agenda, including nationalisation of key firms and the introduction of the 39-hour work week. He likewise pushed a progressive agenda with reforms such as the abolition of the death penalty, and the end of a government monopoly in radio and television broadcasting. He was also a strong promoter of French culture and implemented a range of "Grands Projets". However, faced with economic tensions, he soon abandoned his nationalization programme, in favour of austerity and market liberalization policies. In 1985, he was faced with a major controversy after ordering the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, a Greenpeace vessel docked in Auckland. Later in 1991, he became the first French President to appoint a female prime minister, Édith Cresson. During his presidency, Mitterrand was twice forced by the loss of a parliamentary majority into "cohabitation governments" with conservative cabinets led, respectively, by Jacques Chirac (1986–1988), and Édouard Balladur (1993–1995). Mitterrand’s foreign and defence policies built on those of his Gaullist predecessors, except in regard to their reluctance to support European integration, which he reversed. His partnership with German chancellor Helmut Kohl advanced European integration via the Maastricht Treaty, and he accepted German reunification. Less than eight months after leaving office, he died from the prostate cancer he had successfully concealed for most of his presidency. Beyond making the French Left electable, Mitterrand presided over the rise of the Socialist Party to dominance of the left, and the decline of the once-dominant Communist Party. ... Source: Article "François Mitterrand" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Movies20

  • Movie7.5

    Mr & Mme Adelman

    2017 · 470 votes

  • Movie6.5
  • Movie6.5

    Cent jours

    2022 · 2 votes

  • Movie10.0

    Laissez-faire

    2015 · 1 votes

  • Movie7.2
  • Movie8.0

    Laboratory Greece

    2019 · 3 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Reporters

    1981 · 10 votes

  • Movie6.9

    L'Amour fou

    2010 · 35 votes

  • Movie6.9

    Les statues meurent aussi

    Statues Also Die

    1953 · 52 votes

  • Movie6.7

    La Société du spectacle

    The Society of the Spectacle

    1974 · 25 votes

  • Movie6.0
  • Movie6.5

    L'Extravagant Monsieur Piccoli

    The Incredible Mr. Piccoli

    2017 · 5 votes

  • Movie6.3
  • Movie8.0

    1958, ceux qui ont dit non

    1958: Those Who Said No

    2018 · 1 votes

  • Movie6.0

    François Mitterrand et Anne Pingeot, fragments d'une passion amoureuse

    François Mitterrand & Anne Pingeot: Pieces of a Love Story

    2021 · 6 votes

  • Movie7.0

    De Gaulle, le dernier roi de France

    De Gaulle, the Last King of France

    2017 · 2 votes

  • Movie

    Mitterrand, l'héritage impossible

    Mitterrand, the impossible legacy

    2016

  • Movie6.6
  • Movie9.0
  • Movie

Series13

  • TV3.6

    Vivement dimanche

    1998 · 9 votes

  • TV8.5

    Apostrophes

    1975 · 4 votes

  • TV8.0

    Le Grand Échiquier

    1972 · 3 votes

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    30 millions d'amis

    1976 · 3 votes

  • TV6.5
  • TV
  • TV5.4

    Un jour, un destin

    2007 · 5 votes

  • TV8.8
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    En guerre(s) pour l'Algérie

    At War for Algeria

    2022 · 4 votes

  • TV10.0
  • TV7.0

    Chili Impressions

    1978 · 1 votes

  • TV7.0
  • TV7.0

    Fashion !

    2012 · 1 votes