16 novembre 1917
16 avril 1925
France. Ministère des Régions libérées (1917-1925)
Entre 1917 et 1925, du fait de l’évolution rapide de ses missions – temporaires par nature – et de l’adaptation à un contexte fluctuant, l’organisation complexe du ministère des Régions libérées et les attributions de ses services centraux ont connu une dizaine de modifications (les textes officiels et les organigrammes qui en découlent figurent dans l’étude de Pierre Jugie "L'administration centrale des dommages de guerre de la Première Guerre mondiale : son histoire, ses archives", 1988).
Le cabinet du ministre, créé en janvier 1918, élargit ses compétences à partir de 1922 et dirige le contrôle général, l’exécution des traités de paix, l’ORI et l’ORA. À partir de 1924 son rôle décroît, il se cantonne au fonctionnement du cabinet, aux archives et au contrôle général.
Le secrétariat général, créé en janvier 1920 a un rôle de coordination entre les services et dirige l’administration du ministère, le budget, la comptabilité et la reconstitution définitive. À partir de 1922 ses compétences se limitent au fonctionnement du ministère, au personnel et aux archives ; il disparaît en mai 1924, ses attributions sont transférées au cabinet du ministre.
Les directions sont au nombre de deux en 1919, puis de trois :
• services techniques (reconstitution, matériaux, transports, main d’œuvre, reconstruction des infrastructures de transports, agriculture) ;
• services administratifs (dommages de guerre, réorganisation de la vie locale, cessions, exécution du traité de paix, personnel, comptabilité, contrôle) ;
• services financiers (1922, budget, comptabilité, ordonnancement, comptes des sinistrés).
En avril 1925, sont supprimés les services techniques, les services administratifs et le service de l’exécution des traités de paix. Outre le personnel et la comptabilité, il ne subsiste plus que deux services : le service de l’évaluation et de la liquidation des indemnités de dommages de guerre et le service du contentieux, du contrôle du remploi et de la liquidation des services techniques.
Dans les départements, les services de la reconstitution sont sous l’autorité du préfet, secondé par le secrétaire général de la reconstitution (1918-1926) qui s’occupe des services administratifs. Le directeur général départemental de la reconstitution a dans ses attributions les services techniques (architecture, génie rural…) et le service d’exécution des travaux pris en charge par l’État (décret du 6 août 1919).
En 1920, les services départementaux sont divisés en quatre groupes : services administratifs, service d’architecture, direction des dommages de guerre, contrôle départemental (décret du 16 juin 1920).
À partir de 1922, le secrétaire général a compétence sur les services administratifs et techniques et sur les services des secteurs de l’ORI rattachés aux services départementaux (décret 1er août 1922).
Comme au niveau central, les services se réduisent et sont progressivement supprimés ou absorbés par les services de la préfecture (décret du 10 septembre 1926).
L’invasion brutale du territoire, qui amène les Allemands à 100 km de Paris dès août 1914, et les violents combats qui en découlent, annoncent les ravages qui vont toucher le Nord et l’Est de la France pendant quatre années. Par la loi de finances du 26 décembre 1914, l’État reconnaît le « droit à la réparation des dommages matériels résultant des faits de guerre ». Les structures capables de mener à bien la tâche d’une reconstruction dont on n’imagine pas encore l’ampleur vont se mettre progressivement en place.
C’est au ministère de l’Intérieur qui, du fait du conflit, a reçu des attributions étendues dans la gestion des populations civiles, que se constitue un service spécial pour la reconstitution des régions envahies (arrêté du 30 avril 1916) ; sa compétence s’accroît au règlement des dommages de guerre (arrêté du 24 février 1917). Parallèlement, pour coordonner tous les efforts qui couvrent les compétences de plusieurs départements ministériels, est créé un comité interministériel pour la reconstitution des régions envahies ou atteintes par fait de guerre (décret 18 mai 1916), assisté par la suite d’une commission exécutive (décret du 28 juillet 1917).
Fin 1917, six ministères œuvrent pour la reconstitution : outre le ministère de l’Intérieur, les Travaux publics (reconstruction des immeubles), l’Agriculture (Office de reconstitution agricole, ORA), le Commerce et l’Industrie (Office de reconstitution industrielle, ORI), la Guerre (remise en état du sol) et les Affaires étrangères (sauvegarde des intérêts privés en pays ennemis ou occupés par l’ennemi).
Pour une plus grande efficacité, un regroupement au sein d’une administration spécifique devient indispensable.
C’est dans le gouvernement Clemenceau (16 novembre 1917) que voit le jour un ministère du Blocus et des Régions libérées. Le nouveau ministre (Charles Jonnart du 16 au 23/11/1917 puis Albert Lebrun du 23/11/1917 au 06/11/1919) réunit sous son autorité les attributions du sous-secrétaire d’État au Blocus créé le 17 août 1917 (diriger et coordonner les mesures visant à restreindre les approvisionnements et le commerce de l’ennemi) et, pour l’administration des régions reconquises, les services créés aux ministères de l’Intérieur et des Travaux publics, l’ORI, rattaché en décembre 1917 (l’ORI sera temporairement rattaché au ministère de la Reconstitution industrielle de novembre 1918 à janvier 1920) et l’ORA en janvier 1918.
Ses missions sont exposées dans le décret du 13 décembre 1917 :
• réorganiser la vie locale en assurant le ravitaillement, le retour des services publics, la distribution des secours et la réinstallation des populations ;
• aider les sinistrés pour le relèvement des immeubles détruits, en rationalisant les nouvelles constructions (plans d’alignement et de nivellement) et en assurant l’approvisionnement en matériaux, la recherche de main d’œuvre et les moyens de transports ;
• réparer les dommages de guerre par la constatation, l’évaluation, et la mise en place des régimes d’indemnisation ;
• reconstituer le sol par la remise en état des terres et la destruction des munitions non explosées ;
• favoriser la reprise de l’activité agricole commerciale et industrielle par les achats de matériels, de matières premières, de bétail, d’engrais, de semences et leur cession aux sinistrés.
Avec la fin de la guerre et la libération totale du territoire, les tâches concernant les Régions libérées s’accroissent alors que le blocus perd de son importance et se limite à des négociations diplomatiques, d’où son rattachement au ministère des Affaires étrangères (décret du 24 décembre 1918).
Le ministre des Régions libérées dirige désormais un département axé uniquement sur la reconstitution, dont l’importance augmente avec le vote de la loi du 17 avril 1919 sur les dommages de guerre, dite Charte des sinistrés, et avec la conclusion du traité de Versailles (28 juin 1919), dont les clauses (articles 231 et suivants) prévoient la récupération et la restitution des objets d’art et mobiliers, de matériels industriels et le versement de prestations en nature par les vaincus.
Durant cette période d’intense activité, entre le 20 février 1920 et le 14 janvier 1922, le ministre est assisté d’un sous-secrétaire d’État aux Régions libérées qui assure la liaison avec les différents ministères concernés par la reconstruction et dirige plusieurs services du ministère, l’ORA et le service de la motoculture, l’organisation et le fonctionnement des commissions cantonales d’évaluation et des tribunaux de dommages de guerre, les comités consultatifs des dommages de guerre et du contentieux (décrets des 4 mars et 26 octobre 1920). Il reçoit également délégation par le garde des Sceaux de ses pouvoirs d’inspection de surveillance et de contrôle sur le fonctionnement des commissions cantonales et des tribunaux de dommages de guerre (décret du 14 juin 1921).
Progressivement, les missions du ministère des Régions libérées se réduisent du fait de l’avancement des opérations des commissions cantonales et des tribunaux des dommages de guerre, de l’achèvement des travaux de reconstitution entrepris par l’État, de la disparition des régimes d’avances en espèces et en nature et enfin de la mise en liquidation de l’ORI (clôture du compte spécial le 31 mars 1924) et de l’ORA (clôture du compte spécial le 30 juin 1924).
À partir de 1924, conformément à la politique de liquidation des dépenses de guerre du gouvernement Poincaré et à la volonté d’obtenir un meilleur rendement des services conjugué à une baisse des coûts, le ministère des Régions libérées subit plusieurs réductions. La disparition des organes inutiles et le regroupement de services ainsi opérés préparent la démobilisation finale du personnel et des services, puis le rattachement à un autre département ministériel (décret du 5 mai 1924).
Le transfert du service d’exécution des traités de paix au ministère des Affaires étrangères (décret du 7 avril 1925) précède de peu la disparition du ministère et le transfert des compétences restantes à un sous-secrétariat d’État aux Finances chargé des Régions libérées (décret du 7 avril 1925).
Les graves lacunes dans le domaine du fonctionnement de l’administration centrale des régions libérées et les abus dans le paiement des dommages de guerre constatés par un comité supérieur d’enquête, entraînent une ultime réorganisation (décret du 18 septembre 1925) qui précède la suppression du sous-secrétariat d’État et le rattachement de l’administration centrale des Régions libérées au ministère des Travaux publics (décret du 12 août 1926) ; celle-ci subit une nouvelle réduction de ses services tout en maintenant son autonomie (décrets des 16 septembre et 25 novembre 1926). Désormais dirigée par un directeur général des services des Régions libérées (arrêté du 4 février 1927), ses compétences sont axées sur les dommages de guerre et les aspects financiers de la reconstitution.
La loi de finances du 23 septembre 1933 transfère les services des Régions libérées au ministère des Finances, où ils constituent un service d’apurement et de liquidation des dommages de guerre. Ce dernier est supprimé à dater du 1er janvier 1946 et ses attributions passent au service du contentieux et de l’agence judiciaire du Trésor (loi du 31 décembre 1945).
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