ITALY - COLONIAL ORDER OF THE STAR OF ITALY, created in 1914 Award of the Grand Cross in the name of Monsieur Paul Reynaud, Minister for the Colonies of the French Republic On strong paper, on the letterhead of King Victor Emmanuel III. Done in Rome on 3 September 1931. Signed by the Chancellor of the Order Emilio De Bono (1866-1944). Gilt edges 36,5 x 24,5 Stamp of the order. In a case bearing the Savoy coat of arms, marked "Ro MINISTERO DELLE COLONIE", covered in red leather decorated with gold, sheathed in red velvet and stamped with a lictor beam at both ends. H. 27 cm A.B.E. Historical background : Paul Reynaud was Minister for the Colonies from 27 January 1931 to 20 February 1932. After serving as André Tardieu's Minister of Finance in 1930, Paul Reynaud was appointed Minister of Colonies in the Laval government from January 1931 to February 1932, when the International Colonial Exhibition was organised. The Exhibition was organised under the patronage of Marshal Lyautey, who acted as the Exhibition's general commissioner. The idea was to bring together pavilions representing each colony in the form of a large exotic fresco in Vincennes. In a climate of mistrust with the British Empire, this Exhibition was a manifesto of French power in the eyes of other nations. It was a popular success, with more than 8 million visitors coming to take part in this "round the world in a day" tour, including camel rides, visits to a reproduction of the temple at Angkor and canoe trips on Lake Daumesnil. Paul Reynaud, who had travelled the world in his youth, stood out from his contemporaries for his open-mindedness and cultural curiosity. He toured the world and felt the first stirrings of dissent during his trip to Indochina. This privileged knowledge of the Empire would be important in his conception of France's economic development, its rearmament and, beyond events, his intellectual positioning for the continuation of the French Revolution. of the War.