Briand, Aristide, << bree AHN, a rees TEED >> (1862-1932), was a French statesman who worked toward achieving peace in Europe. He served as France’s premier 11 times before his death on March 7, 1932.
Briand was born on March 28, 1862, in Nantes, France. He began his career as a lawyer and a journalist. He became a leader of the French Socialist Party and was elected to France’s Parliament in 1902.
Briand believed that French security required peace in Europe. He called for cooperation with France’s former enemy, Germany. His efforts led to the 1925 Locarno treaties, including a pact in which Belgium, France, and Germany agreed never to fight each other again. Briand and Gustav Stresemann of Germany shared the 1926 Nobel Peace Prize for their work (see Locarno Conference ; Stresemann, Gustav ).
Briand and United States Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg proposed the Pact of Paris, also known as the Kellogg-Briand Pact. Over 50 nations eventually signed the pact, vowing not to go to war. Briand was Europe’s leading supporter of the League of Nations, the forerunner of the United Nations (see Kellogg, Frank Billings ; Kellogg-Briand Pact ; League of Nations ).
