Stavisky

The Stavisky affair was a major political scandal in France during the Third Republic. It began in December 1933 with the collapse of the Crédit Municipal de Bayonne, a financial institution involved in the sale of worthless government bonds. The director of the Crédit Municipal, Alexandre Stavisky, a financier with alleged connections to politicians and organized crime, disappeared following the revelation of the fraud.

The scandal escalated when Stavisky was found dead in January 1934, officially ruled a suicide. However, many believed he was murdered to prevent him from exposing corrupt officials. The affair deeply shook public confidence in the government and fueled public anger and anti-parliamentary sentiment.

The scandal led to widespread protests and riots in Paris on February 6, 1934. These events resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Édouard Daladier's government. The Stavisky affair became a symbol of corruption and political decay within the Third Republic, contributing to the rise of extremist movements and a period of political instability. Investigations into the affair continued for years, revealing a complex web of corruption involving politicians, police officials, and financiers, but many of the central figures were never brought to full justice.