Mitterrand, << MEE tehr ahn, >> François Maurice (1916-1996), served as president of France from 1981 to 1995. A member of the Socialist Party, Mitterrand was France’s first leftist president since 1958. He retired in 1995 at the end of his second term. Jacques Chirac, a conservative, succeeded him.
After Mitterrand took office, the government bought controlling interests in some important businesses in France. But Mitterrand later moved away from government control of enterprises and from increased government spending on social programs. He focused on reducing inflation and encouraging private investment. During the last years of Mitterrand’s presidency, however, unemployment in France rose to a high of 12 percent.
Mitterrand worked to strengthen France’s ties with other European nations and with the United States. He built a strong relationship with Germany and increased France’s role in the European Union (EU). He was one of the creators of the EU’s plan to establish a common currency and a central bank for its member nations.
Mitterrand was born in Jarnac, near Cognac, on Oct. 26, 1916. In 1938, he earned a diploma in law from the University of Paris and in political science from the Ecole des Sciences Politiques. In 1940, while serving in the army during World War II, he was wounded and imprisoned by the Germans. He escaped in 1941. For a short time, he worked for the German-controlled government of occupied France. By 1943, he was working secretly for the French resistance movement.
From 1946 to 1958, Mitterrand was a member of the National Assembly in the French Parliament, and he held a number of cabinet posts. From 1958 to 1962, he served in the Parliament’s Senate. In 1962, he again became a member of the National Assembly and continued to serve until elected president.
When Mitterrand was a student in the 1930’s, most of his associates were right-wing conservatives. Mitterrand’s political views shifted as he grew older. He became a moderate, and then he moved toward left-wing socialism. Mitterrand died on Jan. 8, 1996.
