author
Aristide Briand
1862–1932
A towering figure in French politics, he served again and again as prime minister and became one of Europe’s best-known voices for peace after World War I. His long public career linked fierce domestic reform with an ambitious hope for international cooperation.
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About the author
Born in Nantes in 1862, Aristide Briand began his public life as a lawyer, journalist, and socialist activist before rising into the center of French politics. He became known for his skill as an orator and negotiator, and he played an important part in the law separating church and state in France in 1905.
During the French Third Republic, Briand served repeatedly at the highest levels of government, including eleven terms as prime minister and many years as foreign minister. He was valued by supporters for his flexibility and political tact, which helped him survive in a period of unstable cabinets and constant change.
He is especially remembered for his efforts to rebuild relations in Europe after the First World War. Working for reconciliation between France and Germany, he shared the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize with Gustav Stresemann for their role in the Locarno agreements. He died in Paris in 1932, leaving behind the image of a practical statesman who kept searching for peace in a divided continent.