Vanessa Nakate to Open Giving Black Conference 2026 With Climate Justice Keynote
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France Valéry Giscard d'Estaing served as President of France, leaving a mark on both domestic and European policy.
Giscard d'Estaing's government secretly collaborated with Pinochet's and Videla's juntas.
Giscard was the first sponsor of the Musée d'Orsay, the Paris museum dedicated to 19th-century art and architecture.
A 1970s partnership with Schmidt cast Giscard's mould indelibly on the European scene.
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing was born on February 2, 1926, in Koblenz, French-occupied Germany. His father was a high-ranking civil servant. Giscard d’Estaing joined the French Resistance during World War II and participated in the Liberation of Paris before serving in the French First Army until the end of the war, earning the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945. He furthered his education at École Polytechnique and École Nationale d’Administration, then entered the Inspection des finances. His early career included serving on the staff of Prime Minister Edgar Faure from 1955 to 1956.
He began his political career when elected to the National Assembly in 1956 for the Puy-de-Dôme department. He became Secretary of State for Finances from 1959 to 1962 and Minister of Economy and Finance from 1962 to 1966. He founded the Independent Republicans (RI), which became part of the Gaullist majority. In 1969, he returned as Minister of Economy and Finance. In 1974, Giscard d’Estaing successfully ran for President of France, defeating François Mitterrand with 50.8% of the vote. At 48, he was one of France’s youngest presidents. His presidency enacted social reforms such as increasing the minimum wage, evolving family allowances, and modernizing divorce law. He also promoted major infrastructure projects like the TGV high-speed rail network and invested in nuclear power. He faced economic challenges, including the 1973 energy crisis, and appointed Raymond Barre as Prime Minister to implement austerity measures.
In foreign policy, Giscard d’Estaing fostered a close working relationship with West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, which was instrumental in establishing the European Monetary System and the G7 group of major economic powers. He advanced European integration, advocating for regular summit meetings among European states and playing a key role in the creation of the European Council. His tenure also involved maintaining diplomatic ties with African nations, notably engaging with leaders like Jean-Bédel Bokassa of the Central African Republic. After his defeat in the 1981 presidential election, he remained involved in politics, serving again in the National Assembly and as president of the Regional Council of Auvergne. He continued to champion European integration, leading the Convention on the Future of Europe that drafted the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.
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