Conservatism in France

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Conservatism in France
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Conservatism in France refers to the political philosophy and ideology of

social hierarchy, and tradition. It stresses nationalism and has historically been associated with monarchism. It originated as a reactionary and counter-revolutionary movement in the Bourbon Restoration period following the French Revolution
, and it has been a prominent ideology in France ever since.

History

French revolution

Early conservatism in France focused on the rejection of the secularism of the French Revolution, support for the role of the

Roman Catholicism as the state religion of France, the Bourbon monarchy, social hierarchy, and census suffrage against popular will and the interests of the bourgeoisie and their liberal and democratic tendencies.[3]

Post-revolution

After the

Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870.[4] The Bourbon monarchist cause was on the verge of victory in the 1870s, but then collapsed because the proposed king, Henri, Count of Chambord, refused to fly the tri-coloured flag.[5]

The turn of the century saw the rise of

Third Republic of France, which was considered corrupt and atheistic by many of its opponents.[8]

World Wars

Tensions between Christian rightists and secular leftists heightened in the 1890–1910 era, but moderated after the spirit of unity in fighting World War I.[9]

An authoritarian form of conservatism characterised the Vichy regime of 1940–1944 under Marshal Philippe Pétain with heightened antisemitism, opposition to individualism, emphasis on family life, and national direction of the economy.[10] Révolution nationale was the official ideology promoted by the regime, which despite its name was reactionary rather than revolutionary as the program opposed almost every change introduced by the French Revolution.[11]

Post-war era

Conservatism has been the major political force in France since World War II, although the number of conservative groups and their lack of stability defy simple categorisation.[12] Following the war, conservatives supported Gaullist groups and parties, espoused nationalism, and emphasised tradition, social order, and the regeneration of France.[13] Unusually, post-war conservatism in France was formed around the personality of a leader—army general and aristocrat Charles de Gaulle who led the Free French Forces against Nazi Germany—and it did not draw on traditional French conservatism, but on the Bonapartist tradition.[14]

Gaullism in France continues under The Republicans (formerly Union for a Popular Movement), a party previously led by Nicolas Sarkozy, who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012 and whose ideology is known as Sarkozysm.[15]

Contemporary politics

In 2021, the French intellectual Éric Zemmour founded the nationalist party Reconquête, which has been described as a more rightist version of Marine Le Pen's National Rally.[16]

See also

References

  1. ISBN 9780714615295. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help
    )
  2. ISBN 978-0-691-17410-5
    .
  3. ^ Ultraroyalist. Dictionary of Politics and Government, 2004, p. 250.
  4. ISBN 978-1-137-60604-4
    .
  5. ISBN 978-0-521-84480-2
    .
  6. ISBN 978-1-85109-439-4
    .
  7. Académie française
    's website (in French)
  8. ^ Mayeur, Jean-Marie (1987). The Third Republic from Its Origins to the Great War, 1871–1914. Cambridge University Press. p. 298.
  9. ISBN 0521522706
    .
  10. ISBN 0670262358
    .
  11. ^ René Rémond (1982). Les droites en France. Aubier.
  12. ISBN 978-0-7658-0576-8
    .
  13. ^ Richard Vinen, "The Parti républicain de la Liberté and the Reconstruction of French Conservatism, 1944–1951", French History (1993) 7#2 pp. 183–204
  14. ISBN 978-0-19-878076-2
    .
  15. ISBN 978-0-495-50109-1
    .
  16. ^ "Eric Zemmour: Meet the right-wing TV pundit set to shake up France's presidential race". euronews.com. October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
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