The Extreme Right in Interwar France: The Faisceau and the Croix de Feu

by Kalman,Samuel

• ISBN13: 9780754662402
• ISBN10: 0754662403
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-08-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

This book offers a new interpretation of the extreme right in interwar French politics, focusing upon the largest and most influential such groups in 1920s and 1930s, the Faisceau and the Croix de Feu. It explores their designs for extensive political, economic, and social renewal, a project that commanded significant attention from the leadership and rank-and-file of both organizations, providing the overarching goal behind their aspiration to power. Beyond persisting as mere political actors within the ubiquitous parliamentary framework, the Faisceau and CDF both attempted to overthrow the Third Republic in order to install a new regime through the 'renovation' of existing institutions and their replacement with an État Combattant and État social français. The book examines five components of these efforts: A renewal of politics and government, the establishment of a new economic order, a revaluation of gender and familial relations, the role of youth in the new socio-political construct, and the politics of exclusion inherent in every facet of Faisceau and CDF doctrine. In so doing it contributes to a historical understanding of the programmatic elements of the interwar extreme-right, while simultaneously situating its most prominent exponents within their broader historical context.

Author Biography

Samuel Kalman is Assistant Professor of History at St Francis Xavier University, Canada.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Vers un ordre politique nouveau: renovating state and government

Vers un ordre économique nouveau: the traditional and the modern in the new economy

La politique du foyer: the role of women and the family in the national community

Health, virility and patriotism: the physical and moral transformation of youth

The politics of exclusion: Jews and foreigners in the new nation and state

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.