historian and juridical scholar, the leading French authority on Germany and Austria before 1914.

After receiving his doctorate in 1881 and the rank of agrégé (highest teaching degree) in 1883, he was appointed to a chair of law at Lyon in 1884 and 10 years later was named professor of letters at Lille. He later taught at the École des Hautes Études Commerciales and the Collège de France in Paris.

A specialist in German and Austrian questions of pedagogy and labour organizations, Blondel participated in many academic societies, contributed to scholarly journals, and conducted lecture tours around Europe. Among his works are L'Ouvrier allemand (1899; “The German Worker”); L'Essor industriel et commercial du peuple allemand (1898; “The Industrial and Commercial Ascent of the German People”); L'Éducation économique du peuple allemand (1908; “The Economic Education of the German People”); and Le Triomphe du germanisme (1934; “The Triumph of Pan-Germanism”).