Jacques Chirac

Jacques Chirac
Born	Jacques René Chirac 29 11, 1932
Birthplace	Paris, France
Died	Template:Death date and age Paris, France
Nationality	French
Occupation	Politician
Known for	President of France (1995–2007), opposition to the Iraq War, recognition of French complicity in the Holocaust
Education	École nationale d'administration
Spouse(s)	Bernadette Chodron de Courcel (m. 1956)
Children	2
Awards	Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour

Jacques René Chirac (29 November 1932 – 26 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007, one of the longest-serving leaders in the history of the French Fifth Republic. Over a political career spanning more than four decades, Chirac held nearly every major office in French government, including two terms as Prime Minister (1974–1976 and 1986–1988) and eighteen years as Mayor of Paris (1977–1995). A protégé of President Georges Pompidou and a standard-bearer of the Gaullist tradition in French conservatism, Chirac founded the Rally for the Republic (RPR) and twice ran unsuccessfully for the presidency before winning in 1995 on a platform promising to heal France's "social rift" (fracture sociale). On the international stage, he became one of the most prominent voices opposing the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and domestically he was the first French president to formally acknowledge the collaborationist Vichy government's role in the deportation of Jews during World War II. He died in Paris on 26 September 2019 at the age of 86.

Early Life

Jacques René Chirac was born on 29 November 1932 in Paris, the only surviving child of Abel François Chirac, a businessman who worked in banking and the aviation industry, and Marie-Louise Valette. He attended the Lycée Carnot and the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in Paris, receiving an education at the prestigious Cours Hattemer private school as well.

As a young man, Chirac displayed an intellectual curiosity and an interest in cultures beyond France. In his youth he reportedly sold copies of the Communist newspaper L'Humanité on the streets of Paris, an episode that would later be used by political opponents to question his ideological consistency. He spent a summer at Harvard University in the United States, where he broadened his horizons and developed an interest in American culture, though he would later become one of the most notable French critics of American foreign policy.

Chirac served in the French military during the Algerian War in the late 1950s, where he was deployed as an officer. His military service in Algeria shaped his understanding of the complexities of colonial conflict and left a lasting impression on his views regarding France's role in the world.

Education

Chirac pursued higher education at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) before enrolling at the École nationale d'administration (ENA), the elite institution that has produced many of France's top political leaders and senior civil servants. He graduated from the ENA, which placed him on the path to a career in the French civil service and, ultimately, into politics. His education at these institutions provided him with the administrative expertise and political networks that would prove instrumental throughout his career. He also briefly attended Harvard University's summer school during his student years.

Career

Early Political Career

After completing his studies at the ENA, Chirac entered the French civil service, quickly rising through the ranks. He came to the attention of President Georges Pompidou, who became his political mentor. Under Pompidou's patronage, Chirac secured increasingly senior positions in the government. He served as a member of the National Assembly representing the department of Corrèze, a rural constituency in south-central France with which he maintained a lifelong connection.

During the late 1960s and into the 1970s, Chirac occupied a succession of ministerial posts. He served as Minister of Agriculture and as Minister of the Interior, positions that gave him broad experience in domestic governance. His energy and ambition earned him the nickname "le bulldozer" among colleagues in French political circles.

First Term as Prime Minister (1974–1976)

In 1974, President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing appointed Chirac as Prime Minister, making him one of the youngest holders of the office in the Fifth Republic. However, the relationship between Chirac and Giscard d'Estaing quickly soured over disagreements on economic and domestic policy. Chirac felt constrained by the president's authority and the limited powers afforded to the prime minister under the French constitutional system. He resigned in 1976 — an unusual step in French politics, as prime ministers typically served at the pleasure of the president.

Following his resignation, Chirac channelled his energies into building his own political base. In 1976, he founded the Rally for the Republic (RPR), a neo-Gaullist party that positioned itself as the heir to the political legacy of Charles de Gaulle. The RPR became one of the dominant forces on the French right and served as Chirac's vehicle for his presidential ambitions for the next two decades.

Mayor of Paris (1977–1995)

In 1977, Chirac was elected Mayor of Paris, an office that had been revived after being dormant since the 19th century. He held this position for eighteen years, transforming it into a powerful political platform. As mayor, Chirac oversaw significant investments in the city's infrastructure and cultural institutions, though his tenure was later marred by allegations of corruption involving the misuse of public funds — allegations that would eventually lead to a criminal conviction after he left the presidency.

The mayoralty of Paris gave Chirac control over substantial patronage and resources, which he used to build a formidable political machine. His administration employed numerous political allies in city positions, and the financing of the RPR through municipal contracts would later become the subject of judicial investigations.

Second Term as Prime Minister (1986–1988)

In 1986, the French right won a majority in the National Assembly, and President François Mitterrand, a Socialist, was compelled to appoint Chirac as Prime Minister in what became the first period of cohabitation in the Fifth Republic — a constitutional arrangement in which the president and prime minister hail from opposing political camps.

During his second term as prime minister, Chirac pursued a program of economic liberalisation, including the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, the removal of price controls, and the reduction of tax rates. He also adopted a tough stance on crime and terrorism. These policies represented a marked shift toward free-market economics, drawing comparisons with the reforms being implemented in the United Kingdom under Margaret Thatcher.

Chirac ran for the presidency in 1988, challenging the incumbent Mitterrand, but was defeated in the second round. He had also been an unsuccessful presidential candidate in 1981. These defeats, however, did not diminish his standing within the French right, and he continued to serve as mayor of Paris while maintaining his leadership of the RPR.

Presidency: First Term (1995–2002)

Chirac won the 1995 presidential election, defeating the Socialist candidate Lionel Jospin in the second round with 52.6% of the vote. His campaign centred on the concept of the fracture sociale — the social rift — promising to address rising unemployment and social inequality in France. This represented a significant departure from the free-market positions he had championed as prime minister in the 1980s, and he argued for a model of state-directed economic investment that stood in contrast to what he termed "Anglo-Saxon ultraliberalism."

One of the most consequential acts of Chirac's first term came on 16 July 1995, during ceremonies commemorating the Rafle du Vélodrome d'Hiver — the mass arrest of Jews carried out by French police under the Vichy regime in July 1942. In a historic speech, Chirac formally acknowledged France's responsibility for the deportation of Jews, breaking with the position maintained by previous French presidents, including de Gaulle and Mitterrand, who had argued that the Vichy regime did not represent the French Republic. "These dark hours forever sully our history and are an insult to our past and our traditions," Chirac declared. "Yes, the criminal folly of the occupier was assisted by the French, by the French state."

In 1996, Chirac made the decision to resume French nuclear testing in the South Pacific, provoking widespread international condemnation, particularly from Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. The tests were conducted at Moruroa atoll before Chirac announced their end and signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

In 1997, Chirac made the strategic miscalculation of dissolving the National Assembly and calling early elections, expecting to strengthen the right's parliamentary majority. Instead, the left won a decisive victory, and Jospin became prime minister, inaugurating a five-year period of cohabitation that lasted until 2002. During this period, Chirac's domestic agenda was significantly constrained, though he retained authority over foreign policy and defence. It was during this cohabitation that conscription was formally ended in 1997, a reform Chirac had initiated as part of a broader restructuring of the French military.

In 2000, Chirac championed a constitutional referendum that reduced the presidential term from seven years (the septennat) to five years (the quinquennat). The referendum passed with overwhelming support, fundamentally altering the rhythm of French political life and reducing the likelihood of prolonged cohabitation.

Presidency: Second Term (2002–2007)

The 2002 presidential election produced one of the most dramatic results in French political history. In the first round, Chirac placed first but was unexpectedly joined in the second round by Jean-Marie Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front, after Jospin was eliminated. The result triggered massive protests across France, with voters from across the political spectrum rallying behind Chirac to block Le Pen from the presidency. Chirac won the second round with 82.2% of the vote — the largest margin in the history of the Fifth Republic — though the result was widely understood as a vote against Le Pen rather than an endorsement of Chirac personally.

Chirac's second term was defined in large part by his opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. When the United States and the United Kingdom sought a United Nations Security Council resolution authorising military action against Iraq, Chirac declared that France would veto such a resolution, arguing that weapons inspectors should be given more time and that war was not justified. His stance made him a figure of admiration in much of the world, particularly in the Arab world, while straining Franco-American relations severely. The opposition to the Iraq War became one of the defining moments of his presidency and one of the most consequential foreign policy decisions by a French leader in the post-Cold War era.

Domestically, Chirac's second term saw increasing difficulties. In 2005, a referendum on the proposed European Constitution was rejected by French voters despite Chirac's campaigning in favour of it, dealing a significant blow to both his presidency and the broader European project. That same year, widespread riots erupted in the suburbs (banlieues) of French cities, exposing deep-seated social and economic inequalities. Chirac declared a state of emergency in response.

Chirac chose not to seek a third term in 2007 and was succeeded by Nicolas Sarkozy, his former protégé-turned-rival from within the RPR's successor party, the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Chirac left office on 16 May 2007 after twelve years as president.

Corruption Conviction

On 15 December 2011, a Paris court found Chirac guilty of diverting public funds and abusing public confidence during his tenure as Mayor of Paris. The charges related to the creation of fictitious jobs at Paris City Hall, with employees being paid from municipal funds while actually working for the RPR or for Chirac's personal political interests. He was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended, making him the first former French president to be convicted of a crime. Chirac did not attend the trial, with his lawyers citing health problems. He chose not to appeal the verdict.

Personal Life

Jacques Chirac married Bernadette Chodron de Courcel on 16 March 1956. Bernadette Chirac came from a prominent French family and was herself politically active, serving as a member of the Corrèze departmental council and later as a national political figure in her own right. Their marriage, which lasted until Chirac's death, was the subject of a 2025 French biographical film, The President's Wife, which explored Bernadette Chirac's life alongside her husband.

The couple had two daughters: Laurence and Claude. Laurence Chirac suffered from anorexia nervosa and was hospitalised multiple times. Bernadette Chirac spoke publicly about her daughter's condition, describing it as a "death wish." Laurence died in 2016. Claude Chirac served as her father's communications adviser during his political career.

Chirac was known for his personal interest in Asian and indigenous art and culture, a passion that culminated in the founding of the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris, which opened in 2006 and houses collections of non-Western art. The museum, which was renamed in his honour after his death, has continued to collaborate with indigenous communities internationally, including the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Jacques Chirac died on 26 September 2019 at his home in Paris. A day of national mourning was declared, and a memorial service was held at the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, attended by numerous world leaders.

Recognition

Chirac received numerous honours during and after his political career. As President of France, he held the title of Grand Master of the Legion of Honour, France's highest order of merit. He received state honours and decorations from countries around the world.

His opposition to the Iraq War earned him recognition and respect in many countries, particularly across the Middle East and in nations that had opposed the American-led intervention. Analysts at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace noted that Chirac's stance on the Iraq War left a complex but significant legacy in the region, with his position being remembered as a principled act of independence from American foreign policy.

The Musée du quai Branly, which Chirac conceived as a tribute to the arts and civilisations of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas, was renamed the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac following his death. The museum has been described as one of his most enduring cultural contributions to France.

Upon his death in September 2019, tributes were paid by leaders from across the political spectrum. The New York Times described him as a politician who "molded the legacy of Charles de Gaulle into a personal power base that made him one of the dominant leaders of France across three decades." NPR characterised him as "a champion of Europe and fierce opponent of the US invasion of Iraq."

Legacy

Jacques Chirac's legacy in French and international politics is multifaceted. He was the last French president to be re-elected until Emmanuel Macron won a second term in 2022, and his twelve years in the Élysée Palace made him one of the longest-serving presidents of the Fifth Republic.

His 1995 speech acknowledging the French state's complicity in the Holocaust remains one of the most significant acts of historical reckoning by a French head of state. By breaking with decades of official denial, Chirac opened the way for a broader French engagement with the darker chapters of the nation's wartime past.

On the international stage, Chirac's refusal to support the Iraq War stands as one of the defining foreign policy decisions of the early 21st century. While the decision strained relations with the United States and the United Kingdom, subsequent events — including the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the prolonged instability that followed the invasion — were seen by many analysts as vindicating his position. His legacy in the Middle East, however, was more complex; commentators noted that his relationships with leaders in the region, including in Lebanon and the Gulf states, were shaped by a mixture of strategic interests and personal connections.

Chirac's presidency also left a constitutional legacy through the reduction of the presidential term from seven to five years, a change that fundamentally altered the structure of French political life. His decision to end military conscription in 1997 reflected a broader modernisation of the French armed forces.

His corruption conviction, however, cast a shadow over his post-presidential years and raised enduring questions about the relationship between political power and public resources in France. The case highlighted the risks inherent in the concentration of political patronage that had characterised his years as Mayor of Paris.

Despite these controversies, polling conducted after his death suggested that Chirac was remembered with considerable fondness by the French public, who appreciated his approachable manner and his identity as a man rooted in the traditions of rural France, particularly his beloved Corrèze.