Following the Second World War, France struggled to recover. Its economic, social and political situation is at its worst. While several thousand soldiers return from the front and find themselves unemployed, many French men and women now live in extreme poverty. On the economic front, the priority is to revive industrial production, with particular attention paid to coal. If economic reconstruction is a major project, this exceptional period favors large-scale social reforms. And that’s without counting on the French Communist Party (PCF) which established itself during the Liberation as the dominant party of the French left.
In October 1944, Pierre Laroque, Minister of Labor from September 1944 to November 1945, was responsible for putting in place a plan for Social Security. A long work awaits him.
The course of history Listen later
Lecture listen 59 min
The founding principles of Social Security
In the 19th century, insurance already existed, which allowed workers to secure a retirement or pension in the event of disability. These affinity funds are managed by various groups (unions, Catholics, employers, etc.) and offer membership, certainly compulsory, but including the possibility of choosing your own. These funds play an important role in social protection while being strongly criticized, in particular because of their paternalistic functioning.
The Social Security project lies in the unification of all these funds. It was designed by Pierre Laroque as an institution with joint management (half-worker, half-employer), in short, a social protection system based on solidarity, distribution, and social democracy. The 1945 ordinances introduced the universality of social coverage since all workers, whether they are employees or not, must be able to benefit from it.
The course of history Listen later
Lecture listen 58 min
Ambroise Croizat and new memory issues
In the process, Ambroise Croizat, then a member of the PCF and the Provisional Consultative Assembly responsible for developing this social security, was appointed Minister of Labor from November 21, 1945 to January 26, 1946 by Charles de Gaulle, president of the provisional government. of the Republic. It is therefore he, alongside Pierre Laroque, who is responsible for enforcing these orders and organizing Social Security. He sets up the necessary technical services and above all organizes negotiations with opponents (including executives and mutual members). Today, the figure of Ambroise Croizat is the subject of numerous political reappropriations. Sometimes presented as the “founding father” of Social Security, his role was decisive in the implementation of the project and in the union adaptation of the system, without being the sole initiator.
The course of history Listen later
Lecture listen 52 min
To find out more
Bruno Valat is a historian, lecturer in contemporary history at the Institut National Universitaire Champollion, University of Toulouse.
Publications :
- Health Markets in France and Europe in the 20th centuryunder his direction, Presses Universitaires du Midi, 2021
- History of Social Security (1945-1967): the State, the institution and healthEconomica, 2001
Leo Rosell is an associate professor of history, a doctoral student at the University of Burgundy, a former student of the ENS de Lyon. He is preparing a thesis entitled “Ambroise Croizat (1901-1951), son of a worker, Minister of Labor and ‘forgotten father’ of Social Security”, under the supervision of Jean Vigreux and Julian Mischi, University of Bourgogne Franche- County.
Sound references
Archives and film extract:
- Sidewalk microphone, RTF, October 5, 1965
- Alexandre Parodi, RTF, October 5, 1965
- Jolfred Gregonora, metalworker, communist activist and trade unionist from Haute-Savoie, in the documentary film At Social by Gilles Perret, 2016
