Synopses & Reviews
Landeacute;on Blum (1872andndash;1950) was many things: a socialist and political activist, leader of the Popular Front; a dedicated statesman who served as Franceand#39;s prime minister three times; a hero who courageously opposed anti-Semitism, Nazi aggression, and the pro-German Vichy government; a passionate lover of women, art, and life. A tireless champion for workersandrsquo; rights, Blum dramatically changed French society by establishing the forty-hour work week, paid holidays, and collective bargaining on wage claims. He was also a proud Jew and Zionist, and a survivor who endured the horrors of Buchenwald and Dachau.
and#160;
Unlike previous biographies that downplay the significance of Blumandrsquo;s Jewish heritage on his progressive politics, Pierre Birnbaumandrsquo;sand#160;portrait depicts an extraordinary man whose political convictions were shaped and driven by his religious and cultural background. The author powerfully demonstrates how Blumandrsquo;s Jewishness was central to his milieu and mission from his earliest entry into the political arena in reaction to theand#160;Dreyfus Affair, and how it sustained and motivated him throughout the remainder of his life. Birnbaumandrsquo;s Landeacute;on Blum is a critical chapter in the larger history of Jews in France.
Review
andldquo;Twenty years ago, Pierre Birnbaum wrote a brilliant Political History of State Jews in France, and now he has written a beautiful biography of the greatest of the state Jews. Landeacute;on Blum has never gotten the recognition he deserves as a French statesman, a socialist leader, and a proud Jew. That will change with this book.andrdquo;andmdash;Michael Walzer,andnbsp;author of The Paradox of Liberation: Secular Revolutions and Religious Counterrevolutions
Review
andldquo;A succinct, interesting, and compelling overview of the life of French politician and former Prime Minister Landeacute;on Blum. Pierre Birnbaum draws on a rich series of primary sources that bring Blum and his adversaries to life.andrdquo;andmdash;Maud S. Mandel, author of Muslims and Jews in France: History of a Conflict
Review
andquot;The most concise of the authoritative biographies...It also makes clearer than the others how fully Blum assumed his Jewish identity, though in andnbsp;a rationalist, universalist, and civic form that was essentially secular. Finally, Birnbaumand#39;s biography is the most personal so far.andquot;andmdash;Robert O. Paxton, New York Review of Books
Review
andquot;Brief, eloquent, and beautifully translated . . . A valuable introduction and guide to one of the most important, if overlooked, figures in the history of modern France and, indeed, modern Europe.andquot;andmdash;James McAuley and Patrice Higonnet, New Republic
Review
andquot;[Blumand#39;s] importance for an understanding of modern France is lucidly summarized in Pierre Birnbaumandrsquo;s Landeacute;on Blum: Prime Minister, Socialist, Zionist.andquot;andmdash;Frederick Brown, Wall Street Journal
Synopsis
A new appreciation of the extraordinary life and legacy of Landeacute;on Blum, the first Jewish prime minister of France
Synopsis
A new appreciation of the extraordinary life and legacy of Leon Blum, the first Jewish prime minister of France
Leon Blum (1872-1950), France's prime minister three times, socialist activist, and courageous opponent of the pro-Nazi Vichy regime, profoundly altered French society. It is Blum who is responsible for France's forty-hour week and its paid holidays, which were among the many reforms he championed as a deputy and as prime minister, while acting as a proudly visible Jew, a Zionist, and eventually a survivor of Buchenwald.
This biography fully integrates Blum's Jewish commitments into the larger story of his life. Unlike previous biographies that downplay the significance of Blum's Jewish heritage on his progressive politics, Pierre Birnbaum's portrait depicts an extraordinary man whose political convictions were shaped and driven by his cultural background. The author powerfully demonstrates how Blum's Jewishness was central to his outlook and mission, from his earliest entry into the political arena in reaction to the Dreyfus Affair, and how it sustained and motivated him throughout the remainder of his life. Birnbaum's Leon Blum is a critical chapter in the larger history of Jews in France.
Synopsis
From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a new appreciation of the extraordinary life and legacy of L on Blum, the first Jewish prime minister of France L on Blum (1872-1950), France's prime minister three times, socialist activist, and courageous opponent of the pro-Nazi Vichy regime, profoundly altered French society. It is Blum who is responsible for France's forty-hour week and its paid holidays, which were among the many reforms he championed as a deputy and as prime minister, while acting as a proudly visible Jew, a Zionist, and eventually a survivor of Buchenwald.
This biography fully integrates Blum's Jewish commitments into the larger story of his life. Unlike previous biographies that downplay the significance of Blum's Jewish heritage on his progressive politics, Pierre Birnbaum's portrait depicts an extraordinary man whose political convictions were shaped and driven by his cultural background. The author powerfully demonstrates how Blum's Jewishness was central to his outlook and mission, from his earliest entry into the political arena in reaction to the Dreyfus Affair, and how it sustained and motivated him throughout the remainder of his life. Birnbaum's L on Blum is a critical chapter in the larger history of Jews in France.
About Jewish Lives:
Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present.
In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.
More praise for Jewish Lives:
"Excellent" -New York Times
"Exemplary" -Wall Street Journal
"Distinguished" -New Yorker
"Superb" -The Guardian
Synopsis
From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, a new appreciation of the extraordinary life and legacy of L on Blum, the first Jewish prime minister of France "A valuable introduction and guide to one of the most important, if overlooked, figures in the history of modern France and, indeed, modern Europe."--James McAuley and Patrice Higonnet, New Republic
L on Blum (1872-1950), France's prime minister three times, socialist activist, and courageous opponent of the pro-Nazi Vichy regime, profoundly altered French society. It is Blum who is responsible for France's forty-hour week and its paid holidays, which were among the many reforms he championed as a deputy and as prime minister, while acting as a proudly visible Jew, a Zionist, and eventually a survivor of Buchenwald.
This biography fully integrates Blum's Jewish commitments into the larger story of his life. Unlike previous biographies that downplay the significance of Blum's Jewish heritage on his progressive politics, Pierre Birnbaum's portrait depicts an extraordinary man whose political convictions were shaped and driven by his cultural background. The author powerfully demonstrates how Blum's Jewishness was central to his outlook and mission, from his earliest entry into the political arena in reaction to the Dreyfus Affair, and how it sustained and motivated him throughout the remainder of his life. Birnbaum's L on Blum is a critical chapter in the larger history of Jews in France.
About Jewish Lives:
Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present.
In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.
More praise for Jewish Lives:
"Excellent" -New York Times
"Exemplary" -Wall Street Journal
"Distinguished" -New Yorker
"Superb" -The Guardian
Synopsis
Landeacute;on Blum (1872andndash;1950), Franceandrsquo;s prime minister three times, socialist activist, and courageous opponent of the pro-Nazi Vichy regime, profoundly altered French society. It is Blum who is responsible for Franceandrsquo;s forty-hour week and its paid holidays, which were among the many reforms he championed as a deputy and as prime minister, while acting as a proudly visible Jew, a Zionist, and eventually a survivor of Buchenwald.
and#160;
This biography fully integrates Blumandrsquo;s Jewish commitments into the larger story of his life. Unlike previous biographies that downplay the significance of Blumandrsquo;s Jewish heritage on his progressive politics, Pierre Birnbaumandrsquo;s portrait depicts an extraordinary man whose political convictions were shaped and driven by his cultural background. The author powerfully demonstrates how Blumandrsquo;s Jewishness was central to his outlook and mission, from his earliest entry into the political arena in reaction to the Dreyfus Affair, and how it sustained and motivated him throughout the remainder of his life. Birnbaumandrsquo;s Landeacute;on Blum is a critical chapter in the larger history of Jews in France.
About the Author
One of Franceandrsquo;s most eminent political sociologists, Pierre Birnbaum is professor emeritus at the Sorbonne.