Far right leagues (Ligues d'extrême droite) gathered several French far right movements opposed to parliamentarism, which mainly dedicate themselves to military parades, street brawls, demonstrations and riots. The term ligue was often used in the 1930s to distinguish these political movements opposed to parliamentary parties. After having appeared first at the end of the 19th century, during the Dreyfus Affair, they were common in France in the 1920s-1930s, and famously participated in the 6 February 1934 riots which overthrew the second Cartel des gauches (a center-left coalition government). For a long time, the French left wing has been convinced that these riots had been an attempted coup d'état against the Republic. Although contemporary historians have shown that, despite the riots and the effective overthrow of the governing left wing, there had been no organized plan to overthrow Edouard Daladier's Radical-Socialist government, this political myth lead to the creation of the anti-fascist movement in France, and later to the dissolving of these leagues in 1936 by the Popular Front government headed by Léon Blum. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into far right. ... A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ... A man carries a sign at the September 24, 2005 anti-war protest, a demonstration in Washington, D.C. American Civil Rights March on Washington, leaders marching from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963. ... This section may stray from the articles topic into the topic of another article: List of notable riots. ... Politics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. ... A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... The History of France from 1789 to 1914 (the long 19th century) extends from the French Revolution to World War I and includes the periods of the First French Empire, the Restoration under Louis XVIII and Charles X (1814-1830), the July Monarchy under Louis Philippe dOrléans (1830... The Dreyfus Affair was a political scandal which divided France during the 1890s and early 1900s. ... The History of France from 1914 to the present, includes the later years of the Third French Republic (1871-1941), the Vichy Regime (1940-1944), the years after Libération (1944-1946), the French Fourth Republic (1946-1958) and the French Fifth Republic (since 1958) and also includes World War... The 6 February 1934 crisis refers to an anti-parliamentarist demonstration organised in Paris by far-right leagues (antiparliamentarian militias), which finished by a riot on Place de la Concorde, which is located on the Right Bank of the Seine, in front of the Palais Bourbon, seat of the National... After the French governments embarrassing failure to collect German reparations even after invading the Ruhr, the Bloc National was replaced by the Cartel des Gauches, a moderate socialistic coalition elected on May 11, 1924. ... A coup détat (pronounced ), or simply coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government through unconstitutional means by a part of the state establishment — mostly replacing just the high-level figures. ... The French Third Republic, (in French, La Troisième République, sometimes written as La IIIe République) (1870/75-10 July 1940) was the governing body of France between the Second French Empire and the Vichy Regime. ... French politician Édouard Daladier Édouard Daladier (June 18, 1884 - October 10, 1970) was a French politician, and Prime Minister of France at the start of the Second World War. ... The Radical-Socialist Party (Parti Républicain, Radical et Radical-Socialiste, more commonly called Parti Radical-Socialiste - Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party), was a major French political party of the early to mid 20th century, originally considered radical due to its anti-clericalism, a main trait of republicans during... Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideology, organization, or government, on all levels. ... The Popular Front was an alliance of left-wing political parties (the Communists, the Socialists and the Radicals), which was in government in France from 1936 to 1938. ... Léon Blum Léon Blum (9 April 1872 - 30 March 1950), was the Prime Minister of France three times: from 1936 to 1937, for one month in 1938, and from December 1946 to January 1947. ...

A "French fascism"?

The debate on a "French Fascism" is closely related to the existence of these anti-parliamentary leagues, of which many adopted at least the exterior signs and rituals of fascism (Roman salute, etc.) and explicitly imitated on one hand Mussolini's squadristis or, on the other hand, Hitler's Nazi party's organization — one should bear in mind, when analyzing "French fascism", international relations: in the 1930s, conservative president of the Council Pierre Laval initiated relations with Mussolini's Italy and the USSR against Germany, seen as the "hereditary enemy" of France. After Laval's meeting with Mussolini in Rome on 4 January 1935, this policy lead to the signature of the Stresa front in 1935 ^[1]. Thus, the French far right was split between Italian fascism, Nazism and nationalism, which forbade them from allying themselves with Hitler and pushed towards an alliance with Mussolini. Individual trajectories during Vichy France, when some far right members ultimately chose the Resistance against the German occupant, illustrate these ideological conflicts. The Oath of the Horatii, by Jacques-Louis David The Roman salute is a gesture in which the arm is held out forward straight, with palm down. ... Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945) was the prime minister and dictator of Italy from 1922 until 1943, when he was overthrown from power. ... The Blackshirts (Italian: camicie nere) were Fascist paramilitary groups in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the end of World War II. Inspired by Garibaldis Redshirts, the Blackshirts were organized by Benito Mussolini due to his disgust with the corruption and apathy of the... Hitler redirects here. ... The National Socialist German Workers Party (German: , or NSDAP), generally known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. ... International relations (IR), a branch of political science, is the study of foreign affairs of and relations among states within the international system, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multinational corporations (MNCs). ... Conservatism is a political philosophy that generally favors free markets, traditional values and strong foreign defense. ... Pierre Laval, prime minister of Vichy France Pierre Laval (28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician and four times Prime Minister of France, the final time being under the Vichy government. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Stresa Front was an agreement made between French foreign minister Pierre Laval, British prime minister Ramsay MacDonald, and Italian leader Benito Mussolini in April 1935. ... Italian fascism (in Italian, fascismo) was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... Eugène Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People, symbolizing French nationalism during the July Revolution. ... For other uses of Vichy, see Vichy (disambiguation). ... Bold textItalic textLink title // Headline text Headline text Headline text == The cross of Lorraine used by the French Resistance as a symbolic reference to Joan of Arc. ...

Leagues created in the 1920s from veterans' associations are usually distinguished from those created in the 1930s, such as Marcel Bucard's Francisme, which were more explicitly influenced by Fascism or Nazism — one of this reason being the common anti-militarism, pacifism and opposition to colonial expansion present in several veterans' associations. Leagues however quickly broke with this left wing anti-militarism and anti-colonialism. Both Cartel des gauches (Left Wing Coalition, the first one was from 1924 to 1926 and the second one from 1932 to the 6 February 1934 riots) saw the appearance of many leagues intent on overthrowing them through street demonstrations. Thus, Pierre Taittinger's Jeunesses Patriotes were founded during the first Cartel, headed by Edouard Herriot, in 1924, as well as Georges Valois's Faisceau (1925) and colonel de la Rocque's Croix-de-Feu, founded a year after Herriot's fall. On the other hand, François Coty's Solidarité française and Marcel Bucard's Francisme were both founded in 1933, during Edouard Daladier's left-wing government. Daladier was replaced after the 6 February 1934 riots by conservative Gaston Doumergue, whom included in his cabinet many right wing personalities close to the far right leagues, such as Philippe Pétain and Pierre Laval. A veteran (from Latin vetus, meaning old) is a person who is experienced in a particular area, and is particularly used to refer to people in the armed forces. ... Marcel Bucard (December 7, 1895, Saint-Clair-sur-Epte—March 13, 1946, Fort of Châtillon) was a French Fascist politician. ... The Mouvement Franciste (Francist Movement) was a French Fascist and Antisemitic group created by Marcel Bucard in September 1933; it edited the newspaper Le Francisme. ... Italian fascism (in Italian, fascismo) was the authoritarian political movement which ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... Antimilitarism is a doctrine commonly found in the anarchist and socialist movement, which may be both characterized as internationalist movements. ... Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence as a means of settling disputes. ... hey, frank the tank rocks ur mom. ... After the French governments embarrassing failure to collect German reparations even after invading the Ruhr, the Bloc National was replaced by the Cartel des Gauches, a moderate socialistic coalition elected on May 11, 1924. ... The 6 February 1934 crisis refers to an anti-parliamentarist demonstration organised in Paris by far-right leagues (antiparliamentarian militias), which finished by a riot on Place de la Concorde, which is located on the Right Bank of the Seine, in front of the Palais Bourbon, seat of the National... The Jeunesses Patriotes (Patriotic Youths) were a far right Fascist-inspired street brawlers group of France, recruited mostly from university students and financed by industrialists, founded by Pierre Taittinger in 1924. ... Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | 1872 births | 1957 deaths | Members of the Académie française | Prime ministers of France | Alumni of the École Normale Supérieure ... Georges Valois (real name Alfred-Georges Gressent; 1878–1945) was a French journalist and politician. ... The Faisceau was a short-lived French Fascist party. ... Croix de Feu was a French nationalist group of the Interwar period. ... François Coty (May 3, 1874 – July 25, 1934) was a French perfume manufacturer and the founder of the right-wing paramilitary group Solidarité Française. ... Solidarité Française (French) was a group of Rightist street toughs founded in 1923 by perfume manufacturer François Coty and commanded by Major Jean Renaud, they dressed in blue shirts, black berets, and jackboots, and shouted the slogan France for the French. They claimed a strength of 180,000... Marcel Bucard (December 7, 1895, Saint-Clair-sur-Epte—March 13, 1946, Fort of Châtillon) was a French Fascist politician. ... The Mouvement Franciste (Francist Movement) was a French Fascist and Antisemitic group created by Marcel Bucard in September 1933; it edited the newspaper Le Francisme. ... French politician Édouard Daladier Édouard Daladier (June 18, 1884 - October 10, 1970) was a French politician, and Prime Minister of France at the start of the Second World War. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Gaston Doumergue, French statesman Pierre-Paul-Henri-Gaston Doumergue (August 11, 1863 at Aigues-Vives, France-June 18, 1937 at Aigues-Vives, France) was a French politician of the Third Republic. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... Henri-Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain, was a French general, later Head of State of Vichy France, from 1940 to 1944. ...

Most of the debate on the existence of a "French fascism" in between the two wars period has focused on these paramilitary leagues, although most French historians agree in stating that as Fascism is by definition a "mass movement", these leagues don't qualify as such. This, of course, has been debated, since some of them, such as colonel de la Rocque's Croix-de-Feu were very popular and quite big. De la Rocque, however, who later went on to found the Parti Social Français (a predecessor of Gaullism ^[2]), has often been said not to be fascist, an assertion which based itself in particular on his respect for constitutional legality during the 6 February 1934 riots. Others observers may argue that both Fascism and Nazism formally respected legality, and that this factor, in itself, doesn't sufficiently set de la Rocque's movement aside from other types of fascism. Whatever the case, all far right leagues were dissolved on 18 January 1936 by Socialist leader Léon Blum, whom had recently been elected as president of the Council and lead the Popular Front government. A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. ... Croix de Feu was a French nationalist group of the Interwar period. ... Charles de Gaulle, in his generals uniform Gaullism (from French Gaullisme) is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Charles de Gaulle. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Sfio, or Safe/Fast I/O, is an I/O library developed by AT&T Research, with several improvements over the ANSI C stdio library. ... Léon Blum Léon Blum (9 April 1872 - 30 March 1950), was the Prime Minister of France three times: from 1936 to 1937, for one month in 1938, and from December 1946 to January 1947. ... The Popular Front was an alliance of left-wing political parties (the Communists, the Socialists and the Radicals), which was in government in France from 1936 to 1938. ...

Famous leagues and common denominators

Far right leagues were characterized by their nationalist, militarist, anti-Semitic, anti-parliamentarist and anti-Communist opinions. Beside, in particular in the 1930s, they often took model on Mussolini's Blackshirts and favored military parades, uniforms and display of their physical might. Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ... Militarism is the ideology that military strength is the source of all security. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... States currently utilizing parliamentary systems are denoted in red and orange—the former being constitutional monarchies where authority is vested in a parliament, and the latter being parliamentary republics A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in U.S. English), is distinguished by the executive branch of government... Anti-communism is opposition to communist ideology, organization, or government, on either a theoretical or practical level. ... Benito Mussolini created a fascist state through the use of propaganda, total control of the media and disassembly of the working democratic government. ... The Blackshirts (Italian: camicie nere or squadristi) were Fascist paramilitary groups in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the end of World War II. Inspired by Giuseppe Garibaldis Redshirts, the Blackshirts were organized by Benito Mussolini due to his disgust with the corruption and... This page describes uniform in the sense of clothing. ...

The most famous far right leagues included:

• Paul Déroulède's Ligue des patriotes (founded in 1882, revived in 1896 during the Dreyfus Affair and finally dissolved soon afterwards)
• Camelots du Roy, founded in 1908. Youth organization of the royalist Action française, which was involved in the 6 February 1934 riots.
• Jeunesses Patriotes, founded in 1924 by Pierre Taittinger. Claiming the legacy of Déroulède's Ligue des patriotes, it also took part in the February 1934 riots. Presenting itself as a movement in favor of more executive power and with official aims of "defending institutions from the left wing", the Jeunesses Patriotes adopted many ritual signs of fascism (Roman salute, etc.) but conserved, on the whole, a reactionary program distinct from fascism.
• Défense paysanne.
• Front paysan, founded by Henri Dorgères.
• Frontisme, founded by Gaston Bergery.
• Le Faisceau, founded in 1925 by Georges Valois. Heavily inspired by Mussolini's fascism, the Faisceau claimed to make the synthesis between socialism and nationalism, which is at the basis of the Nazi ideology. It was at its summum in 1926, with 25,000 "Blue Shirts" (on the model of the Blackshirts), before dissolving on internal dissensions ^[3].
• Croix-de-Feu. Veteran association, founded in 1927. Headed by Colonel de la Rocque, it made a calm rally in the 6th of february 1934 and didn't take part in the riots. It became more and more moderate, transforming into a democratic centre-right party, the Parti Social Français (1936-1940). During WWII, La Rocque used his party as an intelligence resistance network (Réseau Klan), linked with the british Intelligence service. It paved the way to gaullism and not to fascism.

• Solidarité française, founded in 1933 by wealthy perfumer François Coty, which imitated the Nazi party's organization.
• Francisme, founded by Marcel Bucard in September 1933. Partly funded by Mussolini, it dissolved in 1936 with the Popular Front's prohibition, only to reappear in 1941 under the Vichy regime. Its members were some of the most intent on collaboration with the Nazis.

Paul Déroulède (September 2, 1846 - January 30, 1914) was a French author and politician. ... The Ligue des Patriotes was founded by the French nationalist poet Paul Déroulède in 1882. ... 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Action Française is a French Monarchist movement and periodical founded by Maurice Pujo and Henri Vaugeois and whose principal ideologist was Charles Maurras. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Jeunesses Patriotes (Patriotic Youths) were a far right Fascist-inspired street brawlers group of France, recruited mostly from university students and financed by industrialists, founded by Pierre Taittinger in 1924. ... 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law. ... The Oath of the Horatii, by Jacques-Louis David The Roman salute is a gesture in which the arm is held out forward straight, with palm down. ... Reactionary (or reactionist) is a political epithet, generally used as a pejorative, originally applied in the context of the French Revolution to counter-revolutionaries who wished to restore the real or imagined conditions of the monarchical Ancien Régime. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Georges Valois (real name Alfred-Georges Gressent; 1878–1945) was a French journalist and politician. ... Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control. ... National Socialism redirects here. ... The Blackshirts (Italian: camicie nere or squadristi) were Fascist paramilitary groups in Italy during the period immediately following World War I and until the end of World War II. Inspired by Giuseppe Garibaldis Redshirts, the Blackshirts were organized by Benito Mussolini due to his disgust with the corruption and... Croix de Feu was a French nationalist group of the Interwar period. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Charles de Gaulle, in his generals uniform Gaullism (from French Gaullisme) is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Charles de Gaulle. ... Solidarité Française (French) was a group of Rightist street toughs founded in 1923 by perfume manufacturer François Coty and commanded by Major Jean Renaud, they dressed in blue shirts, black berets, and jackboots, and shouted the slogan France for the French. They claimed a strength of 180,000... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... François Coty (May 3, 1874 – July 25, 1934) was a French perfume manufacturer and the founder of the right-wing paramilitary group Solidarité Française. ... The Mouvement Franciste (Francist Movement) was a French Fascist and Antisemitic group created by Marcel Bucard in September 1933; it edited the newspaper Le Francisme. ... Marcel Bucard (December 7, 1895, Saint-Clair-sur-Epte—March 13, 1946, Fort of Châtillon) was a French Fascist politician. ... Vichy France (French: now called Régime de Vichy or Vichy; called itself at the time État Français, or French State) was the French state of 1940-1944 which was a puppet government under Nazi influence, as opposed to the Free French Forces, based first in London and later... Collaborationism, as a pejorative term, can describe the treason of cooperating with enemy forces occupying ones country. ...

References

1. ^ See for example "Laval meets Mussolini in Rome" on 4 January 1935
2. ^ See René Rémond's Les Droites en France, 1982, Aubier
3. ^ Zeev Sternhell, « Anatomie d'un mouvement fasciste en France. Le Faisceau de Georges Valois », Revue française de science politique, vol. 26, n°1, février 1976, p. 25-26. (French)

January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... René Rémond (born in 1918) is a French historian and political economist. ... Zeev Sternhell is the Léon Blum Professor of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. ...

See also

• Boulangisme
• Dreyfus Affair
• Both Cartel des gauches (1924-26, and 1932-34)
• February 6, 1934 riots organized by many far right leagues