Ministry of War (France)

The Ministry of War (French: Ministère de la guerre) was the Government of France department responsible for the French Army, the National Gendarmerie and until 1934, the French Air Force. It existed from 25 May 1791 to 31 October 1947, date to which it was merged with the Ministry of the Navy and the Ministry of Air into the Ministry of the Armed Forces (then Ministry of National Defence). It was headed by the Minister of War, occasionally taking various titles.

Ministry of War
Ministère de la guerre
Ministry overview
Formed25 May 1791 (1791-05-25)
Preceding Ministry
Dissolved31 October 1947 (1947-10-31)
Superseding agency
  • Ministry of the Armed Forces
Minister responsible
Child agencies

History

The Ministry of War was the heir of the royal Department for War existing during the Ancien Regime. On 27 April 1791, the National Constituent Assembly issued a decree organizing the six ministries of Justice, Interior, Finances, War, Navy and Foreign Affairs. The decree was signed into law on 25 May 1791 by King Louis XVI.[1]

The Committee of Public Safety suspended all six ministries in April 1794 and implemented instead twelve Executive Commissions ; this act dismembered the department into numerous commissions. The ministry was reinstated with the formation of the Directory in November 1795.[2]

In 1915, during the First World War, an Under Secretariat of State of the Military Aeronautics was created.[3] It would eventually become independent in 1928 as the Ministry of Air.

The ministry remained in place in all subsequent governments, with some temporary name changes, until its final merger with the Ministry of the Navy and the Ministry of Air into the Ministry of Defence on 31 October 1947.[4]

Minister
Main article: Minister of War

Notes

    References
    1. Government of the Kingdom of France (25 May 1791). "Law on the organisation of the Ministry". gallica.bnf.fr (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2020.
    2. Government of the French Republic (1 April 1794). "Law abolishing the Provisional Executive Council". gallica.bnf.fr (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2020.
    3. Government of the French Republic (14 September 1915). "Decree appointing the Under Secretary of State of the Military Aeronautics". gallica.bnf.fr (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2020.
    4. Government of the French Republic (31 October 1947). "Decree on the responsibilities of the Minister of Armed Forces". gallica.bnf.fr (in French). Retrieved 10 March 2020.
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