Paul Gaignet

Paul Gaignet (1913–1999) was a French activist, writer, and editor. People know him for his work in the Breton movement. This movement fights for rights in Brittany, a part of France. He became active in socialist politics after World War II.

 Early life 
Paul Gaignet was born in Bordeaux, France, in 1913. But his family was from Rennes. He studied in Rennes. He joined the Breton National Party (BNP), a group for Breton rights, in 1931 when he was 18.Cadiou, 2013, p. 161.Henry, 2011, p. 144.

 Political activity 

 Before World War II 
Gaignet first joined the BNP. Then he left to join the Breton Federalist League. In 1938, he signed the Manifeste fédéraliste breton using the pen name Per Goulven. He returned to the BNP and became an important member. In September 1940, Olier Mordrel made him head of the Ille-et-Vilaine section. He also became director of the party's publications.

He wrote many articles for L’Heure bretonne.Henry, 2011, p. 145. He used different pen names. His topics were nationalist ideas, money matters, and social problems. He did not agree with working with Nazi Germany.

He also edited the monthly bulletin An Hevoud.Carney, 2015, p. 306. There, he pushed for real-world activism. He criticized extreme or dreamy ideas. This included ideas from the secret group Gwenn ha Du (armed group).

 World War II 
In 1943, Gaignet tried to stop the BNP’s activities. He did this because of its ties to the German occupiers. He left the party that year.

During the war, he helped with radio broadcasts from Germany. These were for people in North Africa. They were called Radio Brazzaville No. 2. After the Liberation of France, he was arrested and imprisoned in Fresnes and Clairvaux. In 1946, he was found not guilty. A U.S. embassy official said he had worked with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

 After the war 
Gaignet moved to Paris and worked in planning cities. He stayed active in Breton culture and politics. He became leader of the Bleimor group in the Friends of the Scouts of Europe.

He helped create the Club des Bonnets Rouges with Yves Person and Charles Josselin. In 1961, he joined the Movement for the Organization of Brittany (MOB). Later, he joined the Socialist Party.

He returned to Rennes after retirement. He died there in 1999.

 Ideas and writings 
Gaignet believed in a form of Breton nationalism based on spirit and love for country. He called it a “moral duty”. He wanted a united Brittany. He spoke against control by outside economies.

He preferred education and spreading ideas over violence. He wrote under names like Per Goulven, Pierre Gautier, Gonidek, and Jean-François Le Balédic.

 Legacy 
People remember Paul Gaignet as a person with mixed ideas in the Breton movement. He mixed nationalist ideas from the 1930s and 1940s with cultural and socialist activism after the war. His life shows problems in the Emsav (Breton movement) between working with enemies, fighting back, and finding a middle path.Carney, 2015, p. 21.

 References 

 Further reading 
 Georges Cadiou (2013). Emsav, dictionnaire critique, historique et biographique. Coop Breizh.
 Lionel Henry (2011). Dictionnaire biographique du mouvement breton. Yoran Embanner.
 Sébastien Carney (2015). Breiz Atao ! Une mystique nationale (1901–1948). Presses Universitaires de Rennes.

Category:1913 births
Category:1999 deaths
Category:French people
Category:20th century in France