LEON BLUM
The Formative Years, 1872-1914
WILLIAM LOGUE
This biography of the early years of Leon Blum is a study in the
making of a socialist. The forces and commitments that shaped the
schoolboy, the young lawyer. and the reformer of sexual mores are
made clear. Blum developed his skills as a penetrating critic with
reviews that wop him the friendship--and often the enmity-of Such
men as Andre Gide, Anatole France, and -Maurice Barres. His social
awareness caused him to be an early supporter of Dreyfus and
finally one of the ieading French politicians of this century. He was
indeed one of the most attractive figures of the 20th century.
To understand and evaluate the later career of Leon Blum as
leader of the French socialist party, as France's first socialist and
first Jewish premier, and as head of the Popular Front experfment,
it is e5sential to understand the development and character of his
ideas and attitudes during the -first 40 years of his life. This book
is dedicated to that cause.
360
pages,
LC72-7515 CIP
ISBN 0-87580-30-0 $15.00
NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY PRESS
DeKalb. illinois 60115
