French Socialist Albert Thomas Signed Photo Russian Revolution 1917 Petrograd

Exceedingly rare grouping of four antique photos of French Socialist, Albert Thomas (1878-1932), laying a wreath to the Victims of the Revolution in Petrograd, one of which is signed in French by Thomas following a speech he gave. The photographs come from a collection that belonged to the photographer that accompanied French Socialist Albert Thomas on his visit to Russia in 1917.

"Albert Thomas 30 April 1917"

In the wake of the February Revolution of 1917 in Russia he was despatched as a special ambassador to Petrograd, his brief was to encourage continued Russian participation in the war against the Central Powers.  His influence in Russian politics however was slight.

Thomas was a prominent French Socialist and the first Minister of Armament for the French Third Republic during World War I. Following the Treaty of Versailles, he was nominated as the first Director General of the International Labour Office, a position he held until his death in 1932. As Director-General, he was succeeded by Harold Butler.

In 1910, Thomas was elected member of the Chamber of Deputies for one of the constituencies of the Department of the Seine, and he was re-elected in 1914. He became a member of the public works, railways, and finance committees of the Chamber and was active in shaping legislative measures, notably those relating to conditions in mines, industrial and agricultural workers pensions, and pensions for miners.

With the outbreak of war in August 1914 Thomas gave immediate backing to Prime Minister Rene Viviani's call for a cessation of normal party politics in the name of wartime unity.  He was subsequently rewarded for his loyalty in May 1915 with an appointment as Under-Secretary for Munitions at the War Ministry, a key post.

Thomas was appointed Under-Secretary as a means of circumventing what was widely (and correctly) perceived as a too-close relationship operated by War Minister Alexandre Millerand and the military high command led (and personified by) Joseph Joffre.

In this Thomas succeeded beyond expectations.  He immediately set about reorganising France's method of munitions production.  He acted to retrieve a half million men already serving with the army to aid in munitions production.  He also introduced a policy of military exemptions for munitions personnel, in addition to encouraging a greater working role for women.  Refugees and prisoners of war were similarly recruited to aid in the French war effort.

Aware of the potentially devastating impact of labour disputes, Thomas moved to bring the unions on board by encouraging generous wage rises, while placating employers with the removal of restrictions upon working hours for the duration of the war.  Within a year French shell production soared from 9,000 to 300,000 per day, with artillery production rising twelve-fold.

In December 1916 Thomas was promoted to full ministerial status.  

After visiting Russia in 1917 he returned to France shortly before the international socialist conference at Stockholm, the French government's refusal to issue passports for French socialists to attend led to the latter's walkout from government.  This in turn led to Thomas's resignation on 12 September 1917.

Playing no further wartime role Thomas nevertheless attended the Paris Peace Conference in a labour-relations capacity and helped to draw up relevant provisions of the Treaty of Versailles.

Following the war Thomas worked as the first director of the League of Nations' International Labour Organisation.

He died on 7th May 1932 at the age of 53.

Size: 12 x 9.5 cm approx