Quick Facts
Socialist president who served longer than any other French president, master of political ambiguity who united left and right, built grand monuments, and hid his Vichy past and secret family to the end.
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Life Journey
Born François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand on October 26, 1916, in Jarnac, Charentes. His family was comfortable bourgeoisie, Catholic, conservative. Nothing predicted the socialist president he would become.
Came to Paris to study law and political science. Associated with right-wing Catholic student movements. The young Mitterrand was conservative, pious, and conventional.
Mobilized as a sergeant when war began. Wounded and captured in June 1940. Spent eighteen months in German POW camps before escaping on his third attempt.
Worked for the Vichy government in the prisoners' welfare service. Received the Francisque, Pétain's highest honor. This past would haunt his later career.
Joined the Resistance, organizing escaped POWs. Met de Gaulle, disliked him immediately. The mutual antipathy would define French politics for decades.
Elected to the National Assembly. At thirty, began a political career that would span half a century. He served in eleven cabinets under the Fourth Republic.
Served as Interior Minister during the Algerian War. His role in repression damaged his reputation among the left he would later lead.
Opposed de Gaulle's return to power and the Fifth Republic. Wrote 'The Permanent Coup d'État' denouncing Gaullist authoritarianism. His opposition would last until de Gaulle's death.
Forced de Gaulle into a runoff in the 1965 presidential election. The unknown challenger won 45% against the General. A major political figure was born.
Took control of the Socialist Party at the Épinay Congress. The former conservative remade himself as a man of the left. His transformation was complete.
Lost the 1974 presidential election to Giscard d'Estaing by less than 2%. The defeat was narrow, the determination to try again unshaken.
Elected President of France, the first socialist president of the Fifth Republic. '10 Mai 1981' became a date of celebration for the French left.
Nationalized major banks and industries in the most ambitious economic program since 1945. The socialist experiment began - and would soon retreat.
Lost parliamentary majority; governed with conservative Prime Minister Chirac. Mitterrand invented 'cohabitation,' sharing power while retaining prestige.
Reelected president, defeating Chirac. His second term would focus on Europe and his 'grands projets' - the Pyramid, the Library, the Arche.
Championed the Maastricht Treaty creating the European Union. The architect of European integration secured his continental legacy.
Revelations about his Vichy past, his secret daughter, and his long-hidden cancer emerged in his final years. The Sphinx's masks were falling.
François Mitterrand died on January 8, 1996, from prostate cancer he had hidden for fourteen years. The Sphinx took his secrets to the grave. His monuments remained.