Laurent Casanova (born Antoine Laurent Casanova; 9 October 1906 – 20 March 1972) was a French politician, communist activist and member of the French Resistance. He served as deputy for Seine‑et‑Marne from 1945 to 1958 and held the portfolio of Minister of Veterans and War Victims in 1946 under the governments of Félix Gouin and Georges Bidault.
Early life and education
Casanova was born in Souk Ahras, then part of French Algeria, into a family of Corsican origin; his father worked as a controller for the state railways in Algeria. He spent his childhood and adolescence in Algeria, completing secondary studies in Bône (now Annaba) on a scholarship. In 1927 he moved to Paris to pursue university studies in law, obtaining a licence in 1930.
Resistance activity
During World War II Casanova joined the French Resistance, aligning with the communist underground. He was married before the war to Danielle Casanova, herself a prominent resistance figure who was arrested and executed by the Nazis in 1943.
Political career
Influenced by his resistance experience, Casanova officially joined the Parti communiste français (PCF) in 1929. After the liberation of France he was elected deputy for Seine‑et‑Marne in the constituent elections of October 1945 and again in subsequent legislative elections (June 1946, November 1946, June 1951, January 1956), serving three consecutive National Assembly legislatures of the Fourth Republic. Within the PCF he oversaw the “intellectual sector” during the early Cold War period.
In 1946 Casanova was appointed Minister of Veterans and War Victims (Ministre des Anciens combattants et victimes de guerre) in the provisional governments led first by Félix Gouin and then by Georges Bidault, a post he held for ten months. His tenure involved managing compensation and benefits for war‑time survivors and addressing the political integration of former resistance members.
Servan–Casanova affair
In 1961 Casanova became one of the central figures in the Servan–Casanova affair, a high‑profile internal dispute within the PCF that resulted in a Stalinist‑style purge of several party leaders, including Marcel Servin and Casanova himself. The episode marked the last major ideological cleansing within the French communist movement.
Later life and death
After his removal from key party positions, Casanova withdrew from front‑line politics but remained an influential figure in left‑wing circles. He died on 20 March 1972 in the 14th arrondissement of Paris at the age of 65.
Legacy
Casanova is remembered for his role in the French Resistance, his contributions to post‑war veteran policy, and as a prominent PCF leader during a period marked by internal ideological struggles. His political career reflects the broader trajectory of French communism from wartime resistance to Cold War factionalism.