L’union mutualiste de la Gironde et de la région, un prototype d’innovation médico-sociale mutualiste (1921-1945)

Studying the mutualist movement’s past is a way of thinking about the future of mutualism. This article retraces the history of the Union mutualiste de la Gironde et de la region from its beginning in 1921 until the aftermath of the Second World War. Providing services to a growing number of mutual society members, the Union was a highly dynamic organization, typical of the mutualist movement during the inter-war period, and developed a number of innovations in a wide range of areas. The society opened several pharmacies as well as a very modern private hospital in Bordeaux, the Pavillon de la Mutualité. There was however a flip-side to this pioneering work. Besides the financial and operational problems that came with providing such services, a conflict arose with the region’s medical profession. The Second World War and the Occupation represented a considerable new challenge for the Union which, despite serious material hardship, managed to stay in business