Home > Jacques Doriot

Born in Bresle , Oise, Doriot moved to Saint Denis at a young age and became a laborer. In 1916, in the midst of World War I, Doriot became a committed Socialist. However, Doriot’s political activity was halted by his joining the French Army in 1917. Participating in active combat during World War I, Doriot was captured by enemy troops and remained a Prisoner of War until 1918. For his wartime service, Doriot was awarded the Croix de Guerre. After being released, Doriot returned to FranceThe French Republic or France ( French: Republique francaise or France is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in western Europe, and which is further made up of a collection of overseas islands and territories located in other continents. and in 19201920 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) Events January January 7 Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. January 9 Britain announces it will build 100,000 homes for war veterans. January 10 Leagu joined the French Communist PartyThe French Communist Party Parti Communiste Francais or PCF was founded in 1920. The party publishes a daily newspaper called L'Humanit which was started in 1904 as the paper of the Socialist Party. In fact the PCF, originally known as the French Section. Doriot rose quickly through the party and within a few years had become one of its major leaders. In 1922Events January 7 Dali Eireann ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64-57 votes. January 10 Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dail Eireann January 11 First successful insulin treatment of diabetes. January 12 British government releases Irish prisoners he became a member of the Presidium of the Executive Committee of the Communist International and a year later was made Secretary of the French Federation of Young Communists. In 1923Centuries: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1870s 1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s Years: 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 Events January 1 Grouping of all UK railway companies into four larg, Doriot was arrested for violently protesting French occupation of the RuhrEssen-Kettwig The Ruhr is a large river in western Germany starting near the town of Winterberg in Sauerland and ending in the Rhine in the city of Duisburg. Along the river, a number of large industrial cities are found, forming the Ruhr area. German riv. He was released a year later, however, upon being elected to the Chamber of Deputies by the people of Saint Denis. In 1931, Doriot was elected Mayor of Saint Denis. Around this time, Doriot came to advocate an alliance between the Communists and French Fascists, who Doriot sympathized with on a number of issues. Doriot’s defense of Fascism divided the Communist Party enough to alarm its leadership, which expelled Doriot from the party in 1934. Still a member of the Chamber of Deputies, Doriot struck back at the Communists by becoming a devoted Fascist and forming the right wing Parti Populaire Francais (PPF) in 1936. Doriot and his supporters were vocal advocates of France becoming organized along the lines of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany and bitter opponents of Socialist Premier Leon Blum and his Popular Front coalition.

Not content to be active in France alone, Doriot traveled to Spain and became a supporter of Francisco Franco’s forces during the Spanish Civil War. While in Spain, he met the English Fascist John Amery and the two became associates, traveling together to fascist nations such as Austria, Italy, and Germany. When France went to war with Germany in 1939, Doriot became a staunch pro-German and supported Germany’s occupation of northern France in 1940. Doriot resided in collaborationist Vichy France for a time, but he eventually found that it wasn’t nearly as fascistic as he had hoped it would be and moved to occupied Paris, where he espoused pro-German and anti-Communist propaganda on Radio-Paris. In 1941, Doriot and fellow Fascist collaborator Marcel Déat founded the Legion des Volontaires Francais (LVF), a French unit of the German Army. Doriot fought with the LVF and saw active duty on the Eastern Front when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June of 1941. When the LVF was all but destroyed, Doriot fought with the regular German Army and was awarded the Iron Cross in 1943. In December of 1943, Doriot travelled to Sigmaringen, Germany, and became a member of the exile Vichy government there. Doriot was killed while traveling from Mainau to Sigmaringen in February of 1945. His car was strafed by two Allied fighters, which had mistaken Doriot and his companions (wearing German uniforms and traveling in German vehicles) as common German soldiers.