Croix-de-Feu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Croix-de-Feu (Cross of Fire) was a French far right league of the Interwar period, led by Colonel François de la Rocque (1885-1946). After it was dissolved, as were all other far right leagues during the Popular Front period (1936-38), de la Rocque replaced it with the Parti social français (PSF).

Contents

[edit] Beginnings (1927-1930)

The Croix-de-Feu were primarily a group of veterans of the First World War — those who had been awarded the Croix de guerre. It was founded on 26 November 1927 by Maurice d'Hartoy, who led it until 1929; the honorary presidency was awarded to writer Jacques Péricard. Also in 1929, the movement acquired its own newspaper, Le Flambeau. At its creation, the movement was subsidized by wealthy perfumer François Coty, who supported Mussolini, and hosted in Le Figaro's building.

It benefited from the Roman Catholic Church's 1926 proscription of the Action Française which prohibited practicing Catholics from supporting the latter. Many conservative Catholics became members of the Croix-de-Feu instead, including Jean Mermoz and the young François Mitterrand.[1]

[edit] Under La Rocque (1930-1936)

Under Lieutenant colonel François de La Rocque, who took over in 1930, the Croix-de-Feu took their independence from François Coty, leaving the Figaro's building for the rue de Milan (Milan street) in Paris. It organized popular demonstrations in reaction to the Stavisky Affair, hoping to overthrow the Second Left-wing Coalition government. De la Rocque quickly became a hero of the far right, opposed to the influences of Socialism and "hidden Communism", but skeptical about becoming counterrevolutionary.

Under de la Rocque, the movement advocated a military effort against the "German danger," supporting corporatism and an alliance between Capital and Labour. It enlarged its base, creating a number of secondary associations, thus including non-veterans in its ranks. To counter the monarchist Action française and its slogan Politique d'abord! (First Politics!), de la Rocque invented the motto Social d'abord! (First Social!). In his book, Le Service Public (Public Service, published in November 1934), he argued in favour of a reform of parliamentary procedures; cooperation between industries according to their branches of activities; a minimum wage and paid holidays; women's right to vote (also upheld by the monarchist Action française, who considered that women, often devout, would be more favorable to their conservative thesis), etc. The Croix-de-feu and its satellite organizations gradually took on momentum, reaching 500 members in 1928, 60,000 end of 1933, 150,000 in the months following the 6 February 1934 riots and 400,000 end of 1935.

The Croix-de-feu did not participate to the 1932 demonstrations organized by the Action française and the far-right leagues Jeunesses Patriotes against the payment of the debt to the United States. It did take part in the massive rally of 6 February 1934 which led to the toppling of the Second Cartel des gauches (Left-Wing Coalition), but de la Rocque refused to engage in rioting (although parts of the Croix-de-Feu disagreed with him). They had circled the seat of the parliament (the Palais Bourbon), and remained grouped, several hundreds meters away from the others rioting leagues. As one of the most important paramilitary associations, and because of its nationalist position, the Croix-de-feu and de la Rocque were considered by the left to be among the most dangerous of the imitators of Mussolini and Hitler. However, as a result of de la Roque's actions during the riots, they subsequently lost prestige among the far-right, before being dissolved by the Popular Front government on 18 June 1936.

[edit] The Parti Social Français (1936-1940)

François de la Rocque then formed the Parti social français (PSF) as a successor to the dissolved league. Moderate estimates place the membership for the PSF at 500,000 in the buildup to World War II — making it the first French conservative mass party ; although its slogan Travail, Famille, Patrie ("Work, Family, Fatherland") was later used by Vichy France to replace the Republican slogan Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, the party had remained eclectic. The party disappeared with the Fall of France, without being able to profit from the immense popularity.

[edit] During World War II

Further information: Vichy France and Révolution nationale

[edit] Debate over the Croix-de-Feu

Some historians have questioned if the Croix-de-Feu were at times a French Fascist movement. [2][3]

However, most contemporary French historians (Pierre Milza, René Rémond, François Sirinelli, etc.) refuse to speak of a "French Fascism" in general, and in particular concerning the Croix-de-Feu. Israeli historian Zeev Sternhell, on the other hand, has upheld the opposite position concerning the existence of a French fascism, although he does not include the Croix de Feu in this category. While most scholars agree that the Croix de Feu was not fascist, there are some (like Robert Soucy and William Irvine) that continue to argue that the La Rocque and the Croix de Feu were, in fact, fascist. De la Rocque, however, if tempted by a paramilitary aesthetic and initially advocating collaboration with the Germans during WWII, finally came out against the more radical supporters of Nazi Germany.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Concerning François Mitterrand, see Pierre Péan, Une jeunesse française, pp. 23 à 35: Mitterrand arrived in Paris in autumn 1934, and the National Volunteers (Volontaires nationaux), a sub-section of the Croix-de-Feu, were dissolved in June 1936
  2. ^ Passmore, Kevin (1995). "Boy Scouting for Grown-Ups? Paramilitarism in the Croix de Feu and the Parti Social Francais". French Historical Studies 19 (2): 527-557. doi:10.2307/286787. 
  3. ^ Soucy, Robert J. (1991). "French Fascism and the Croix de Feu: A Dissenting Interpretation". Journal of Contemporary History 26 (1): 159-188. doi:10.1177/002200949102600108.