Reconciling France Against Democracy : The Croix De Feu and the Parti Social Français, 1927-1945

Launched as a veterans' group, during the mid-1930s the Croix de Feu grew into a nationalist movement with half a million supporters. In Reconciling France against Democracy Sean Kennedy explores how the group, led by François de La Rocque, reshaped French politics and helped set the stage for the repressive Vichy regime. Kennedy describes how the Croix de Feu promised to restore patriotic unity to France but instead demonized the organization's enemies as unfit to be French; its successor, the Parti Social Français, professed a respect for democracy but actually promoted an authoritarian nationalist vision. Previous studies have focused on whether the Croix de Feu and the Parti Social Français should be considered fascist. Reconciling France against Democracy assesses them from a variety of perspectives and considers the extent to which they foreshadowed Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National Kennedy describes how the Croix de Feu promised to restore patriotic unity to France but instead demonized the organization's enemies as unfit to be French; its successor, the Parti Social Fran ais, professed a respect for democracy but actually promoted an authoritarian nationalist vision. Previous studies have focused on whether the Croix de Feu and the Parti Social Fran ais should be considered fascist. Reconciling France against Democracy assesses them from a variety of perspectives and considers the extent to which they foreshadowed Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National. Contents Tables Acknowledgments Abbreviations Illustrations Introduction 1 Vers le six février, 1927–1934 2 Against the Popular Front, 1934–1936 3 La Famille Croix de Feu 4 A Turbulent Transition, 1936–1937 5 Remaking the Republic? 1938–1939 6 Anticipating the État Social Français 7 War and Dispersion, 1939–1945 Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z "Previous studies of the Croix de Feu and the Parti Social Francais have focused on whether these groups should be considered fascist. In Reconciling France against Democracy Sean Kennedy considers them from a variety of perspectives and assesses the extent to which they foreshadowed Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National." --Résumé de l'éditeur "Previous studies of the Croix de Feu and the Parti Social Francais have focused on whether these groups should be considered fascist. In Reconciling France against Democracy Sean Kennedy considers them from a variety of perspectives and assesses the extent to which they foreshadowed Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National."--Jacket