Clemenceau by Ted Gottfried

(Book Review)

Another book in the “World Leaders: Past and Present” series which I picked up from Oita prefectural library on my last trip into Oita City.

Georges Clemenceau is a name that pops up in the various books I've read about the Paris Commune. He was one of the mayor of Montmartre, one of the Paris arrondissements, during the siege of Paris by the Prussian army. He was largely in sympathy with the leftist leaders during this time, and supported the (unsuccessful) October 30th uprising.

When the Paris Commune did break out, it happened in Montmartre, and Georges Clemenceau tried to mediate a compromise between both sides. Ultimately, although Clemenceau was sympathetic to the politics of the Paris Communes leaders, he did not join with them because he didn't believe they had legitimate authority to revolt against the Republican assembly. He continued to try and mediate between Paris and Versailles, and then resigned from the Versailles assembly once he saw the Versailles forces were decided on civil war.

For a long time, this was, because of the narrow focus of my reading list, my only knowledge of Clemenceau. It was only until rather recently that I discovered he was actually much more famous as the Premier of France during World War I, some 40 years later.

Although this book was very brief (as all the books in the series are) I learned a lot about French politics in the last quarter of the 19th Century, which is another one of my blind spots. For example, I learned how nearly the monarchy was re-established following the collapse of the 2nd Empire. I learned about Boulanger, who almost succeeded in establishing a military dictatorship in the 1890s. I learned about the scandals surrounding the French attempt at building the Panama Canal.
(This book covers the Dreyfus affair, although Dreyfus was covered in my Calvin history classes, so that at least was something that wasn't completely new to me).

In Edith Thomas’s biography of the anarchist Louise Michel, Clemenceau is frequently mentioned as a friend, and sometimes (when she was hard up for money) financial supporter of Michel. Clemenceau himself, however, was neither an anarchist nor a socialist. The author, Ted Gottfried, repeatedly emphasizes that despite Clemenceau’s liberal positions and his support of worker’s rights, he belonged to the party of radical republicanism, and was opposed to socialism.

(There is a quote in the side margins in which Clemenceau says, “I am sorry for anyone who has not been an anarchist at twenty.” However as this is not elaborated on, it’s impossible to tell from this book whether that quote represents an abandoned youthful radicalism, or a rhetorical exaggeration).

Like many liberals and radicals before him, however, Clemenceau suddenly turned more conservative once he was in a position of power. Once he became minister of the interior, Clemenceau used his power to crush striking workers on May 1st, 1906.

As premier during World War I, Clemenceau waged a merciless war against pacifists and socialists, jailing them, banning their newspapers, and exiling them.

I knew enough to know that this conservative turn was coming, but it was still interesting to read through the life of Clemenceau straight through. I was really cheering him on almost all the way until he became minister of the interior, and then his story just got very depressing after that.
(Although in “The Fall of Paris”, Alistair Horne argues that the young Clemenceau who opposed a peace with Germany in 1870 was much the same as the older Clemenceau who opposed a peace with Germany in 1917).

It was interesting for me to read how much anti-war opposition there was in Europe even during the middle of World War I. It’s something we don’t talk about much.　　Although the main branch of the French Socialist party abandoned it’s international solidarity platform in favor of the war (thus causing the collapse of the 2nd Communist International) the most radical socialists opposed the war throughout, and even attended international socialist conferences at Zimmerland, Switzerland, in 1915 where they agreed that the War must stop immediately, and peace must be based on the principles of “no annexations, no indemnities.”

This book also talked about widespread mutinies in the French army during the war (in 1917, mutinies broke out in 16 corps of the French army).

Clemenceau of course quelled the mutinies, jailed the socialist and pacifists, and convinced allied nations to deny passports to their socialist citizens so that future international socialist conferences could not take place. And so he overcame anti-war sentiment, and pushed France on to victory.

It’s a pity, really, because I think with the benefit of hindsight we can see that World War I was a colossal waste of lives that didn't solve anything, and just laid the ground for World War II. One wonders how much better history might have turned out if Clemenceau hadn't crushed the anti-war sentiment, and the pacifists had been successful.

Clemenceau was also responsible for rejecting Wilson’s more moderate peace plan, and enforcing the harsh terms on Germany which would lead to further European wars.
“Privately the president [Wilson] pleaded with Clemenceau to soften his position. The American Congress and the American people, he assured him, would be appalled at having sent troops to fight so that France might have revenge against Germany for her inglorious defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. “You are not going to send me back to my country without something having been done.” (Wilson’s “something” meant showing that the war had been fought as he promised, “to make the world safe for democracy,” and not to enrich France and enlarge her territories.)
The Tiger’s [Clemenceau] response was both ironic and stubborn. “I should be heartbroken,” he answered President Wilson, “but I can’t do anything more than escort you back to your boat.” Describing the conversation later, he added, “And that’s how I got Saar.”

Whatever else one wishes to say about Clemenceau, he certainly sounds like someone who lived life to the fullest. The descriptions in this book of romances, duels, journalism, travel, and politicking certainly describe a man born with an enormous amount of energy. In his student days, he organized protests against Napoleon III, wrote newspapers, had many romances, lived a bohemian lifestyle and still managed to finish 10th in his medical exams out of 330 students.

In his 80s, he was still active, traveling the US and campaigning for the League of Nations.

Whenever one reads about a great man like this, I feel (1), like I've wasted half my life and (2) that perhaps the amount of energy humans have is not doled out in equal proportions to everyone.

It was, however, interesting to read that Clemenceau traveled to the US after graduating from medical school in his 20s with the intention of only staying six months, but enjoyed himself so much he ended up staying much longer than he planned, and 6 months turned into 4 years, during which he supported himself in part by teaching his native language. That was at least one part of his life I could identify with.

Link of the Day
Michigan's Public Financing System Facing Serious Problems

Bonus Link: Japanese Music on Youtube

This is a song by Minami Kosetsu, who I had the privalege of seeing live when he performed at Beppu University.
This song is part of the folk rock boom in the 1970s, but someone has added images on the youtube video to go along with the various lyrics. The random images may be a bit confusing if you don't speak Japanese, but I think they help to visually bring out the anti-war themes of the song.

World Leaders Past and Present: Series Overview (Scripted)



Clemenceau by Ted Gottfried: Word Leaders Past and Present: Book Review (Scripted)