René Viviani

French politician. Born in Algeria. Active as a lawyer and independent socialist commentator in Paris. Elected as a member of the National Assembly in 1893, defeated in 1902 but re-elected in 1906, and served as a senator from 1910 onwards. From around 1902, he cooperated with Jaurès, helping to found the newspaper L'Humanité and to form the Unified Socialist Party. He was appointed Minister of Labour and Social Welfare (1906-1910) in both the Clemenceau and Briand cabinets, and Minister of Education in 1913. In June 1914, as the leader of the Social Republican Party, he was appointed Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in a coalition cabinet between the party and the Radical Socialist Party. When World War I broke out in August of that year, he carried out a cabinet reshuffle at the end of the same month, demonstrating the results of the so-called "sacred union". He resigned the following year in 1915 and became Minister of Justice in the successor cabinet. In the summer of 1917, he travelled to the United States with Marshal Joffre to urge aid for France, and after the war he accompanied Briand as France's representative at the Washington Conference (1921-1922).

[Taro Nishiumi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

フランスの政治家。アルジェリアに生まれる。パリで弁護士、無所属の社会主義政論家として活躍。1893年下院議員となり、1902年落選したが1906年再選され、1910年以後は上院議員。1902年ごろよりジョレスに協力、『ユマニテ』紙創刊や統一社会党形成を助けた。クレマンソー、ブリアンの両内閣で労働・社会福祉相（1906～1910）に任じ、1913年文相となり、1914年6月、社会共和党の領袖(りょうしゅう)として同党と急進社会党との連立内閣の首相兼外相に就任。同年8月に第一次世界大戦が起こると、同月末に内閣改造を断行し、いわゆる「神聖連合」の実を示した。翌1915年辞職、後継内閣の法相となった。1917年夏、ジョフル元帥とともに渡米し対仏援助を促し、戦後、ブリアンに伴いワシントン会議（1921～1922）でのフランス代表を務めた。

［西海太郎］

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