Michel Debré et la Défense ou la voie étroite d'un Premier ministre

Abstract

Any study of Michael Debrés action in the area of defence is inseparably bound up with the general context of his premiership, in particular the war in Algeria and the presence as Head of State of General de Gaulle who - thanks to his background and experience - had defence affairs at the forefront of his own preoccupations. In these circumstances, what role could a prime minister play ? What place could he hold in the organisational structure of national defence ? This article strives, in each case examined, to identify the part we can ascribe to the prime minister, as distinct from that due to the President of the Republic or to the Minister for the Armed Forces. The study sets aside certain aspects that fell under the auspices of defence : the Algerian War, the morale of the military, and intelligence matters. What the article does do is underscore the fragility of the institutional equilibrium set up by the Fifth Republic, draw out the convergence of Michel Debré's conceptions with those of de Gaulle, and emphasize, lastly, Debré's own role in the area of the defence programme-law.