He committed suicide a few months after taking office, after being hounded by a calumny campaign orchestrated by extreme right-wing newspapers.

The same year, he joined the French Section of the Workers' International, a socialist party, and founded a left-wing students' organisation.

The new government set about implementing social reforms, and one of its first achievements was the signing of the Matignon Agreements, which was publicly announced by Salengro.

The government was opposed by right-wing extremist leagues such as the Croix-de-Feu, by the anti-Semitic, monarchist Action Française and by the fascist terrorist group La Cagoule.

On 14 July, France's national day, celebrated with military ceremonies, the Action Française's newspaper published a libelous article claiming that Salengro had not been captured by German forces in 1915 but had instead deserted.