André Maginot

André Maginot (February 17, 1877 - January 7, 1932) was a French civil servant, soldier, and member of parliament. He is undoubtedly best known for his advocacy for the string of forts that would be known as the Maginot Line.

Development of the "Maginot Line"

After World War I, Maginot returned to the Chamber of Deputies and served efficiently in a number of government posts, including Minister of Pensions starting in 1920 and then Minister of War (1922–1924, 1929–1930, 1931–1932). He expressed concern that the Treaty of Versailles did not leave France with sufficient security. He continually pushed for more funds for defense and grew more distrustful of Germany during a period when few in France wanted to think about the possibility of another war.

Related Topics:
1920 - 1922 - 1924 - 1929 - 1930 - 1931 - 1932 - Treaty of Versailles - Germany

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Maginot came to advocate building a series of defensive fortifications along France's border with Germany that would include a combination of field positions and permanent concrete forts. He was no doubt influenced in this decision by his observations of successful fortifications employed at Verdun in WWI. He was also probably influenced by the destruction of his home in Revigny-sur-L'Ornain, which made him determined to prevent Lorraine from ever being invaded again.

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In 1926 Maginot was successful in getting the government to allocate money to build several experimental sections of the defensive line. But it was 1929 that would be the pivotal year for the fixed defenses that would come to be known as the Maginot Line. During the debate that year on the 1930 budget, André Maginot lobbied very heavily for the money needed to construct the enormous line of fortifications. He was finally able to persuade Parliament to allocate 3.3 billion francs for the project (the upper house voted 274 to 26 in favor of the project a few days later).

Related Topics:
1926 - 1929 - 1930

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Work on the project progressed rapidly. Maginot visited a work site in October 1930 and expressed satisfaction with the work. He was especially pleased with the work in Lorraine, site of his family's home and where he spent his childhood, and fought for more funding for construction in that area. Though Maginot was the main proponent for the project, most of the actual designs for the Maginot line were the work of Paul Painlevé, Maginot's successor as Minister of War.

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André Maginot never saw the line completed; he became ill in December 1931 and died in Paris on January 7, 1932 of typhoid fever. He was mourned throughout France and it was only after his death that the line of defenses which he advocated came to bear his name. A monument in memory of André Maginothttp://www.gregoryferdinandsen.com/CDG2001/CDG_Images/Maginot%20Memorial,%20Verdun.jpg was dedicated near Verdun in September 1966.

Related Topics:
January 7 - 1932 - Typhoid fever - September - 1966

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