Pierre Denis, Free Frenchman and Citizen of the World

The figure of Ernest Denis is well known to all French historians. The opposite is true of his son Pierre, who was unknown prior to the publication of this book. The subtitle of this biography sums up the personality and life of this private man perfectly. He was a free Frenchman from the very beginning, and he eschewed the intellectual legacy of his father, a reputed Central European historian and university teacher. After successfully completing his studies at the École normale supérieure and passing the agrégation, he directed his efforts towards the field of geography. Despite his patriotic heritage, he nevertheless found himself drawn to the wider world. He was sent abroad by his father during his teenage years, and as a young university student, he received a bursary which was to finance a round-the-world trip, allowing him to visit the Mediterranean region and Latin America. Following the Great War, which he spent in the trenches, and later as an intelligence officer, he joined the League of Nations, following in the footsteps of Jean Monnet. During his time there, he settled many international disputes, including political problems such as the division of Upper Silesia between Germany and Poland, although his specialist area was predominantly financial and monetary issues. A successful career in international relations and merchant banking was to follow. However, despite his time spent in the world of high finance, Denis was able to maintain his zest for life. This can be seen in the 1934 acquisition of some agricultural land which he intended to manage himself. In 1939, he requested to serve in the French army. On 20 June 1940, when Denis was nearly sixty, he joined forces with General de Gaulle, to whom he would remain loyal for the rest of the war. For a close associate and long-time friend of Jean Monnet, joining de Gaulle was a choice that indicated great intellectual freedom. For the Free French’s leader, Denis would be a treasurer beyond compare, whose rigour was matched only by his devotion. He established the Central Cashier of Free France and, from 1945, became president of the supervisory board of this department’s successor, the Central Cashier of Overseas France. His knowledge of the Anglo-Saxon economic and financial systems, which he learned during the 1920s and 1930s, was very important in this role. In order to put this very comprehensive and well-illustrated biography together, Philippe Oulmont had to compensate for Pierre Denis’s missing private documents. Far from just being satisfied with recollections and memories of Denis, he tracked him across the globe, in many countries in Europe as well as in the Americas. The author has reconstructed Pierre Denis perfectly within the many circles to which he belonged and describes the unique identity he had in each of these roles. Oulmont creates a successful portrait which is personal and profound, and the reader learns much about this fascinating century in France’s history.

Biography · Cartography · Economic history · Geographer · Geography · League · Political science · Politics · Sociology · World War II · Classics · French Historical and Cultural Studies · History · Law

• Introduction – Beyond de Gaulle and beyond London

  Charlotte Faucher, Laure Humbert•European Review of History Revue…•2018

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