LEON BLUM : FRENCH SOCIALIST JEWISH PREMIER : BUCHENWALD SURVIVOR : RPPC for Sale

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LEON BLUM : FRENCH SOCIALIST JEWISH PREMIER : BUCHENWALD SURVIVOR : RPPC For Sale

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LEON BLUM : FRENCH SOCIALIST JEWISH PREMIER : BUCHENWALD SURVIVOR : RPPC:
$48.00

This vintage real photo postcard features a portrait of Leon Blum (1872-1950), the first socialist and the first Jewish premier of France. He presided over the Popular Front Coalition Government in 1936 and 1937. Blum\'s family were Alsatian Jews. He graduated with honors with a law degree from the Sorbonne in 1894. He became well known as a talented literary ad dramatic critic. During the Dreyfus affair he became very involved in politics on the side of Dreyfus supporters. He joined the French Socialist Party in 1904. Over time, Blum became a leader of the modern French Socialist Party. He led opposition to a number of French governments and served in the Chamber of Deputies. He became a leader against fascism and was part of a left wing electoral alliance known as the Popular Front. The party won the majority of the Chamber in 1936 and Blum became premier. His government did much for worker rights and nationalized the defense industries as well and the Bank of France. Blum had to face, the growing powerful German Italian alliance. In 1940, when France fell to Germany, Blum had been gone from the helm of government for some time. He was indicted by the Vichy government and brought to trial. Blum and his codefendants put up such an impressive defense the Vichy authorities and the Germans suspended the trial and returned Blum to prison. For at least part of the war, Blum was held at the Buchenwald concentration camp. Post war, Blum was considered one of France\'s leading veteran statesmen and in 1946 he negotiated a US loan of 1.37 billion to France for reconstruction. That same year, he formed a \"caretaker government\" pending the elections scheduled a month later. In 1948, he was vice-premier under Andre Marie\'s ministry. This postcard was published by Dix. The firm was located in Paris, France. The reverse of the card has an ink stamp stating that the postcard was in a collection belonging to Argus Fildier (1928-2001). He was a prominent postcard collector and expert. This vintage postcard portrait is in very good condition (see scans).