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{{short description|French resistance member}}
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'''Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont''' (14 May 1914 – 2 August 2006) was a militant [[Communism|communist]] who took part in the [[French Resistance]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]], and a [[France|French]] politician. Along with [[General Leclerc]] and [[Henri Rol-Tanguy]], he accepted the surrender of [[Dietrich von Choltitz]] at the [[Liberation of Paris]].

{{ infobox Politician
⚫
| name = Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont
| office = Member of the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]] <br/>for [[Meurthe-et-Moselle]]
| term_start = 1945
| term_end = 1958
| birth_date = {{birth date|1914|05|14|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Strasbourg]], [[Alsace]], [[German Empire]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2006|08|02|1914|05|14|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Paris]], [[French Fifth Republic|France]]
| relatives = [[Blandine Kriegel]] {{small|(daughter)}}<br>[[Alexandre Adler]]
⚫
}}

⚫
'''Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont''' (14 May 1914 – 2 August 2006) was a militant [[Communism|communist]] who took part in the [[French Resistance]] during the [[World War II|Second World War]], and a [[France|French]] politician. Along with [[Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque|Général Leclerc]] and [[Henri Rol-Tanguy]], he accepted the surrender of [[Dietrich von Choltitz]] at the [[Liberation of Paris]].


==Early years==
==Early years==
He was born '''Maurice Kriegel''' in [[Strasbourg]] to a Jewish family with central European origins. He studied law at the University of Strasbourg, and then became legal adviser to an insurance company after a move to Paris in 1936.
He was born '''Maurice Kriegel''' in [[Strasbourg]] to a [[Jews|Jewish]] family with central European origins. He studied law at the [[University of Strasbourg]], and then became legal adviser to an insurance company after a move to Paris in 1936.


== 1930s and the outbreak of war ==
== 1930s and the outbreak of war ==
During the period of the [[Popular Front (France)|Popular Front]], Kriegel became a trade union activist. He headed the organisation in the insurance sector of the [[Confédération générale du travail]] (CGT), and he was also active in the [[Mouvement des jeunes communistes de France]] (MJCF).
During the period of the [[Popular Front (France)|Popular Front]], Kriegel became a trade union activist. He headed the organisation in the insurance sector of the [[Confédération générale du travail]] (CGT), and he was also active in the [[Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France]] (MJCF).


Not having been called up in 1939 due to ill health, he moved to Toulouse in the [[Vichy France|unoccupied zone]].
Not having been called up in 1939 due to ill health, he moved to Toulouse in the [[Vichy France|unoccupied zone]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wieviorka |first=Olivier |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JD53dR1HdE8C&q=Kriegel+Warlimont |title=Histoire de la Résistance: 1940 - 1945 |date=2013-01-03 |publisher=Place des éditeurs |isbn=978-2-262-04205-9 |language=fr}}</ref>


==Resistance activities==
==Resistance activities==
In early 1942, he was approached by leaders of a left-wing resistance organisation, and he went on to play a leading role in setting up an embryonic paramilitary section. During the resistance he adopted the [[pseudonym]] '''Valrimont''', among others. When arrested in Lyon on March 15 1942, his knowledge of German as a native of Alsace allowed him to conceal his true identity from his interrogators, and he thus faced only minor charges. On May 24 he escaped from prison with several colleagues and resumed his activities, organising sabotage in factories and opposing the drafting of French labour for the German war effort. By 1944 the resistance had complex coordination structures including a military action committee (Comac) which directed the [[French Forces of the Interior]] (FFI). As a member of Comac, Kriegel was at the very top of the resistance.
In early 1942, he was approached by leaders of a left-wing resistance organisation, and he went on to play a leading role in setting up an embryonic paramilitary section. During the resistance he adopted the [[pseudonym]] '''Valrimont''', among others. When arrested in Lyon on 15 March 1942, his knowledge of German as a native of Alsace allowed him to conceal his true identity from his interrogators, and he thus faced only minor charges. On 24 May he escaped from prison with several colleagues and resumed his activities, organising sabotage in factories and opposing the drafting of French labour for the German war effort. By 1944, the resistance had complex coordination structures including a military action committee (Comac) which directed the [[French Forces of the Interior]] (FFI). As a member of Comac, Kriegel was at the very top of the resistance.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jackson |first=Julian |date=2006-08-17 |title=Maurice Kriegel |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/aug/18/guardianobituaries.france |access-date=2023-09-13 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>


At the moment of the [[Normandy landings]], Kriegel supported an immediate internal uprising of the French population. This was in contrast with the attitude of General [[Charles de Gaulle]], whose strategy was tied to close cooperation with the allies. When street fighting broke out in Paris on August 19, de Gaulle's representatives negotiated a truce with the German commander. Kriegel and [[Henri Rol-Tanguy]], the communist leader of the FFI in the city, denounced this. When the allied troops led by [[General Leclerc]] arrived in the city, Kriegel was one of the three leaders of the resistance who received the surrender of the German military governor of Paris, General [[Dietrich von Choltitz]], on August 25, 1944. <ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,,1852601,00.html Obituary in ''The Guardian'' 18 August 2006] </ref>
At the moment of the [[Normandy landings]], Kriegel supported an immediate internal uprising of the French population. This was in contrast with the attitude of General [[Charles de Gaulle]], whose strategy was tied to close cooperation with the allies. When street fighting broke out in Paris on 19 August, de Gaulle's representatives negotiated a truce with the German commander. Kriegel and [[Henri Rol-Tanguy]], the communist leader of the FFI in the city, denounced this. When the allied troops led by [[General Leclerc]] arrived in the city, Kriegel was one of the three leaders of the resistance who received the surrender of the German military governor of Paris, General [[Dietrich von Choltitz]], on 25 August 1944.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,,1852601,00.html Obituary] in ''[[The Guardian]]'' 18 August 2006</ref>


== Complex relationship with PCF ==
== Complex relationship with PCF ==
Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont, as he was now known, formally joined the [[French Communist Party]] (PCF) after the war and was elected to parliament in 1945 to represent an Alsace constituency. From 1947 onward, he was a member of the party's central committee, and was given responsibility for its press bureau. In 1952, [[André Marty]] and [[Charles Tillon]] were excluded from the direction of the PCF. Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont voted for their exclusion but later wrote in his memoirs: "When I ask myself questions about my life, it is the only point where I find no excuses."
Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont, as he was now known, formally joined the [[French Communist Party]] (PCF) after the war and was elected to parliament in 1945 to represent an Alsace constituency. From 1947 onward, he was a member of the party's central committee, and was given responsibility for its press bureau. In 1952, [[André Marty]] and [[Charles Tillon]] were excluded from the direction of the PCF. Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont voted for their exclusion but later wrote in his memoirs: "When I ask myself questions about my life, it is the only point where I find no excuses."


After [[Nikita Khrushchev]]'s 1956 denunciation of the crimes of [[Joseph Stalin]], Kriegel tried to get the French communist party to adopt a more liberal line. This resulted in his disgrace, and he left the party in 1961, finding employment as an administrator in the social security system until retirement. In 1995, he was formally rehabilitated by the leader of the Communist party, and in 1997 he stood on the Communist list for the European [[European Parliament|parliamentary]] elections.
After [[Nikita Khrushchev]]'s 1956 denunciation of the crimes of [[Joseph Stalin]], Kriegel tried to get the French communist party to adopt a more liberal line. This resulted in his disgrace, and he left the party in 1961, finding employment as an administrator in the social security system.{{cn|date=March 2023}}


==Other==
==Other==
Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont was the father of the president of [[Haut Conseil à l'intégration]] (''high council on immigration''), Blandine Kriegel, the father-in-law of journalist [[Alexandre Adler]] and the brother-in-law of historian [[Annie Kriegel]].
Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont was the father of the president of [[Haut Conseil à l'intégration]] (''high council on immigration''), Blandine Kriegel, the father-in-law of journalist [[Alexandre Adler]] and the brother-in-law of historian [[Annie Kriegel]].


He died of a [[pulmonary embolism]] at the age of 92 in [[Paris]], [[France]].
He died of a [[pulmonary embolism]] at the age of 92 in [[Paris]], [[France]] in 2006.


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
[[Larry Collins]] and [[Dominique Lapierre]], [[Is Paris Burning?]], New York: Pocket Books, 1965.
[[Larry Collins (writer)|Larry Collins]] and [[Dominique Lapierre]], [[Is Paris Burning? (book)|Is Paris Burning?]], New York: Pocket Books, 1965.

{{Authority control}}


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| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
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| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
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}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kriegel-Valrimont, Maurice}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kriegel-Valrimont, Maurice}}
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:1914 births]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century French people]]
[[Category:Politicians from Strasbourg]]
[[Category:Members of the French CGT]]
[[Category:People from Alsace-Lorraine]]
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[[Category:French Resistance members]]
[[Category:Jewish resistance members]]
[[Category:French Communist Party members]]
[[Category:Alsatian Jews]]
[[Category:Alsatian Jews]]
[[Category:French Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish French politicians]]
[[Category:People from Strasbourg]]
[[Category:French Communist Party politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the Provisional Consultative Assembly]]
[[Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1945)]]
[[Category:Members of the Constituent Assembly of France (1946)]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 2nd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
[[Category:Deputies of the 3rd National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic]]
[[Category:Members of Parliament for Meurthe-et-Moselle]]
[[Category:Members of the General Confederation of Labour (France)]]
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[[Category:Communist members of the French Resistance]]
[[Category:Jews in the French resistance]]
[[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)]]
[[Category:Deaths from pulmonary embolism]]
[[Category:Deaths from pulmonary embolism]]

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[[fr:Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont]]

Latest revision as of 07:21, 30 October 2023

Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont
Member of the National Assembly
for Meurthe-et-Moselle
In office
1945–1958
Personal details
Born(1914-05-14)14 May 1914
Strasbourg, Alsace, German Empire
Died2 August 2006(2006-08-02) (aged 92)
Paris, France
RelativesBlandine Kriegel (daughter)
Alexandre Adler

Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont (14 May 1914 – 2 August 2006) was a militant communist who took part in the French Resistance during the Second World War, and a French politician. Along with Général Leclerc and Henri Rol-Tanguy, he accepted the surrender of Dietrich von Choltitz at the Liberation of Paris.

Early years[edit]

He was born Maurice Kriegel in Strasbourg to a Jewish family with central European origins. He studied law at the University of Strasbourg, and then became legal adviser to an insurance company after a move to Paris in 1936.

1930s and the outbreak of war[edit]

During the period of the Popular Front, Kriegel became a trade union activist. He headed the organisation in the insurance sector of the Confédération générale du travail (CGT), and he was also active in the Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France (MJCF).

Not having been called up in 1939 due to ill health, he moved to Toulouse in the unoccupied zone.[1]

Resistance activities[edit]

In early 1942, he was approached by leaders of a left-wing resistance organisation, and he went on to play a leading role in setting up an embryonic paramilitary section. During the resistance he adopted the pseudonym Valrimont, among others. When arrested in Lyon on 15 March 1942, his knowledge of German as a native of Alsace allowed him to conceal his true identity from his interrogators, and he thus faced only minor charges. On 24 May he escaped from prison with several colleagues and resumed his activities, organising sabotage in factories and opposing the drafting of French labour for the German war effort. By 1944, the resistance had complex coordination structures including a military action committee (Comac) which directed the French Forces of the Interior (FFI). As a member of Comac, Kriegel was at the very top of the resistance.[2]

At the moment of the Normandy landings, Kriegel supported an immediate internal uprising of the French population. This was in contrast with the attitude of General Charles de Gaulle, whose strategy was tied to close cooperation with the allies. When street fighting broke out in Paris on 19 August, de Gaulle's representatives negotiated a truce with the German commander. Kriegel and Henri Rol-Tanguy, the communist leader of the FFI in the city, denounced this. When the allied troops led by General Leclerc arrived in the city, Kriegel was one of the three leaders of the resistance who received the surrender of the German military governor of Paris, General Dietrich von Choltitz, on 25 August 1944.[3]

Complex relationship with PCF[edit]

Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont, as he was now known, formally joined the French Communist Party (PCF) after the war and was elected to parliament in 1945 to represent an Alsace constituency. From 1947 onward, he was a member of the party's central committee, and was given responsibility for its press bureau. In 1952, André Marty and Charles Tillon were excluded from the direction of the PCF. Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont voted for their exclusion but later wrote in his memoirs: "When I ask myself questions about my life, it is the only point where I find no excuses."

After Nikita Khrushchev's 1956 denunciation of the crimes of Joseph Stalin, Kriegel tried to get the French communist party to adopt a more liberal line. This resulted in his disgrace, and he left the party in 1961, finding employment as an administrator in the social security system.[citation needed]

Other[edit]

Maurice Kriegel-Valrimont was the father of the president of Haut Conseil à l'intégration (high council on immigration), Blandine Kriegel, the father-in-law of journalist Alexandre Adler and the brother-in-law of historian Annie Kriegel.

He died of a pulmonary embolism at the age of 92 in Paris, France in 2006.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Wieviorka, Olivier (2013-01-03). Histoire de la Résistance: 1940 - 1945 (in French). Place des éditeurs. ISBN 978-2-262-04205-9.
  2. ^ Jackson, Julian (2006-08-17). "Maurice Kriegel". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  3. ^ Obituary in The Guardian 18 August 2006

Further reading[edit]

Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, Is Paris Burning?, New York: Pocket Books, 1965.

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