The National Front and French Politics : The Resistible Rise of Jean-Marie Le Pen

'Jonathan Marcus...stands out from most of his colleagues in the media by making a case for the non-alarmists. His National Front and French Politics is a throughtful study, which in the end, provides a more effective refutation of the myths peddled by Le Pen than would an angry pamphlet.' - Henri Astier, Times Literary Supplement `Jonathan Marcus's comprehensive account provides plenty of analysis to go with the factual background to the rise of Le Pen and the NF. There are particularly good chapters on the many strands of far-right opinion, from collaborators to extreme Catholics who eventually found a home with the new party.' - Andrew Bell, BBC Worldwide 'I am convinced that the book will be extremely valuable to all English-speaking students of contemporary French politics.' - Stanley Hoffmann, Harvard University The extreme right-wing National Front is now France's fourth largest political party. At the 1988 Presidential election, its leader Jean-Marie Le Pen obtained over 14 per cent of the popular vote. Le Pen's xenophobic anti-immigrant message has attracted significant support in France. This book examines the rise of Le Pen's party, and its impact on the French political scene. How far is it a threat to French democracy? And is the National Front now a permanent feature of French politics? "Jonathan Marcus ... stands out from most of his colleagues in the media by making a case for the non-alarmists. His National Front and French Politics is a throughtful study, which in the end, provides a more effective refutation of the myths peddled by Le Pen than would an angry pamphlet."--Henri Astier, Times Literary Supplement `Jonathan Marcus's comprehensive account provides plenty of analysis to go with the factual background to the rise of Le Pen and the NF. There are particularly good chapters on the many strands of far-right opinion, from collaborators to extreme Catholics who eventually found a home with the new party.' - Andrew Bell, BBC Worldwide 'I am convinced that the book will be extremely valuable to all English-speaking students of contemporary French politics.' - Stanley Hoffmann, Harvard University The extreme right-wing National Front is now France's fourth largest political party. At the 1988 Presidential election, its leader Jean-Marie Le Pen obtained over 14 per cent of the popular vote. Le Pen's xenophobic anti-immigrant message has attracted significant support in France. This book examines the rise of Le Pen's party, and its impact on the French political scene. How far is it a threat to French democracy? And is the National Front now a permanent feature of French politics? "The extreme right-wing National Front is now France's fourth largest political party. In 1986 under a proportional electoral system it won thirty-five seats in the French National Assembly. At the 1995 Presidential election its leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, obtained fifteen per cent of the popular vote. Over the past decade it has won representation at virtually all levels of French politics." "Le Pen's xenophobic anti-immigrant message has attracted significant support in France. Indeed the National Front leader has had a major influence upon the terms in which issues like immigration, nationality and racism are debated in France." "This book examines the rise of Le Pen's party, and its impact on the French political scene. How far have the mainstream parties of both Left and Right faced up to Le Pen's challenge? How far is he a threat to French democracy? And is the National Front now a permanent feature of French politics?"--BOOK JACKET Front Matter....Pages i-ix Introduction: The National Front’s World....Pages 1-11 The Emergence of the National Front....Pages 12-26 Le Pen: The Man and His Party....Pages 27-51 The Electoral Rise of the National Front....Pages 52-72 Immigration as a Political Issue....Pages 73-99 The National Front’s Programme and Ideology....Pages 100-130 The Response of the Mainstream Parties....Pages 131-158 Conclusion: The National Front in a European Perspective....Pages 159-175 Back Matter....Pages 181-212 Om det franske højrefløjs-parti Front Nationales politik, historie og fremvækst Jonathan Marcus. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.