Jacques Arthuys
| Jacques Arthuys | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
15 February 1894 Belfort, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France |
| Died | 9 September 1943 (aged 49) Hinzert concentration camp, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Industrialist |
| Known for | Resistance leader |
Jacques Arthuys (15 February 1894 – 9 September 1943) was a French industrialist, a right-wing intellectual and early leader of the French Fascist movement. He was initially a pan-European but became opposed to the Nazi movement. During World War II (1939–45) he was leader of a French Resistance organization. He was arrested, deported to a concentration camp and killed by the Germans.
Jacques Arthuys was born on February 15, 1894 in Belfort, son of an officer. He attended Catholic secondary schools, then studied the law, graduating in 1913 with a degree from the University of Nancy. During World War I (1914–18) he joined the army as a volunteer. He was commissioned in 1915 and made a lieutenant in 1916. After being transferred to the air force, he led fighter and bomber squadrons in France and Italy. Artuys was wounded twice, was given four citations and the Legion of Honour. Arthuys left the military in 1920 and founded a building materials company in Roubaix-Tourcoing. He and his father-in-law were directors of the Cazeneuve lathe company.
Arthuys helped the right-wing journalist Georges Valois direct the activities of the royalist Action Française movement that concerned the economy. In 1921 Arthuys' book Le Problème de la monnaie was published by Valois. Arthuys argued that monetary inflation might be the first cause of inflation, but the negative balance of payments was also a factor. A stable currency was essential, and the franc-or proposed by Valois was the solution. He was not a royalist, but doubted that the republican government could solve the problems France was facing. In late 1921 Arthuys and Valois were members of an organizing committee for a Semaine de la monnaie.
In late 1922 Valois started working towards creating an Estates General of French Production, a movement that would bring together industrialists and leaders of labour unions to work on solutions to social and economic issues. The textile manufacturer Eugène Mathon headed the national committee, which included Valois, Arthuys, Bernard de Vésins and several others. As the post-war economic crisis grew, Arthuys and Valois were alarmed at the excess of state expenditure over revenue, causing a large and growing burden of debt. German reparations could not cover this debt, even if were paid, which they doubted. The only solution was to accept a drop in standards of living and slash spending, sell off state monopolies and fire civil servants. This would be political suicide for the government, but the Estates General should block alternatives like inflation, repudiation or bankruptcy, and should be prepared to take over control from parliament.
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