Hello, I'm Edith Cresson, activist, politician, and once minister of pretty much everything (Agriculture, foreign trade, tourism, European affairs, Industrial Redeployment...).I was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb near Paris, and lived with my father, a civil servant. From a young age, I was interested in politics. I attended School of Advanced Commercial Studies and earned first a degree in business and later a doctorate in demography. I became a business woman, slowly making my way up the ladder of French politics, until I finally obtained the position of minister of agriculture in 1981. I followed this with my terms as minister of external trade and tourism, minister of industrial restructuring and external trade, and minister of foreign affairs, finishing in 1990. I was and still am a strong socialist with strong opinions. I was known for my courage, as I raised the conservatism of angry farmers and criticized my own government for being too right-wing. In 1991 I was finally elected prime minister, but my term did not go very well and didn't last very long. In my campaign there were many things I promised, like not raising indirect taxes and fixing youth unemployment. The peopel of France didn't like that, and so I was replaced by Michel Rocard in 1991. It was a dissappointing day, but also a relief to be free of the responsibilities and burdens of running a country. Now, I enjoy spending time with my family, my husband and out two daughters in our house in Paris.
Date de Naissance:
January 27, 1934
Sexe:
Female
Croyances Politiques:
Socialist
Croyances Religieuses:
Roman Catholic
Situation de Famille:
Married to Jacques Cresson since 1959. I have two daughters.
En Cherchant:
Friendship, networking, fans of my work as Minister
Metier:
Politician
Activist
Interets/Loisirs:
Helping France to do great things
Working Hard at my job
Spending time with my family
Doing what is right, doing what needs to be done
Accomplissements:
Being the first woman to bePrime Ministerof France
Spent the shortest time as Prime Minister in the history of France
Was elected to many political positions
Education:
Boulogne-Billancour
School of Advanced Commercial Studies, earning a degree in business
École des Hautes Études Commerciales, France.
Amis:
Philippe Berthelot
Sports:
Racism
Debating
Citation Memorable:
"In order to obtain a clear picture of the challenges facing scientific research in Europe today, a simple international comparison is highly instructive"- Edith Cresson
Mon Influence sur la Culture Francaise
I do believe I had a great influence on the culture of France. A dear friend of mine who knows me wellwrote the following about me and my influences:
As a Politian, Edith Cresson had a lot of influence on France. She served in many positions through her life, one of the most important being Prime Minister. Prime Minister is one of the most influential positions one can hold in France, and she was the first ever woman to hold that position. This influenced French culture. After the first woman was elected, this opened up more possibilities, made more women consider holding political offices, maybe not as important ones, but nonetheless, she influenced them. Because of her, many more women have been empowered and have decided to do great things.
Unfortunately, some of her influences were not beneficial. She was known for being somewhat racist, comparing Japanese people to “yellow ants trying to take over the world”. Though the people of France did not really support all of her opinions, they did listen to her and were therefore exposed to her beliefs on the Japanese as well as how she felt about homosexuals. Homosexuality was not something she supported. Her feelings on these subjects may have influenced France’s opinion as a whole. If the Prime Minister had been more open-minded towards Japanese people and homosexuals, then maybe France would be more open-minded and less homophobic. People are able to formulate their own opinions, but opinions are rarely based on only the person’s beliefs. Politicians have great influence over the people of their country.
One thing Cresson was known for was her speech giving. Since she held many political positions through her life, she had many speech giving experiences. Some of her speeches were very famous, although they were more practical than motivational. Hearing speeches almost always affects a person’s opinion, as that is the purpose of political speeches. She used her speeches and oratory skills to convince the public to support her. This is a way she influenced them. Through her speech making, unique opinions, and accomplishments, Edith Cresson was an incredibly influential person, greatly affecting the culture of France.
These photos depict my life:
Notes:
Hello. As you most likely know, I am Edith Cresson, former Prime Minister of the great country of France. I am 78 years old this year, and I am quite proud of my life. Although I had the shortest term of anyone in France's history, I still consider my work as Prime Minister to have been incredibly beneficial to the whole country. Sadly, my husband, Jaques, dies 7 years ago. I have two lovely daughters and I love to debate. Unlike many people, I don't really agree with homosexuals. Maybe it's my Roman Catholic upbringing, but I just don't like them, the same way I feel about Japanese people. Anyway, if you're a fan of my work as Prime Minister, or of anything else I was minister of, add me as a friend.
This is a video of one of my speeches:
Resources:
"Edith Cresson." NNDB: Tracking the entire world. 02 June 2009
Comments (1)
Mehreen Ahmed said
at 8:01 am on Jun 12, 2009
This is a great page. There is a lot of information and pictures.
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