French Popular party

The PF before war (1936-1940)

History: flight then falls (1936-1939)

The French Popular party is created June 1936 by Jacques Doriot (chief of the Communist youths (JC) (1923), appointed (1924), member of the central committee of the French Communist party (PCF), mayor of Saint-Denis (1931). Excluded from the PC in August 1934 because favorable to an alliance with SFIO before this one is not authorized. In fact also because it was the principal rival of Maurice Thorez.

On the level of the chiefs as of that of the militants the two stronger quotas of members of the PF come from the French Communist party and the nationalist Ligues (in particular of the Croix of wearied fire moderation of the Colonel of Rocque), French Action, French Solidarité and some people resulting from the Francisme of Marcel Bucard, like Vauquelin of Yveteaux, responsible for propaganda with the PF. Ultimately, “ At the origins of the PF, one thus finds the two currents of the fusion which characterizes the first Fascism: revolutionary extreme-left and unparliamentary nationalism ” according to the theory of Michel Winock.

More precisely, the first leaders of the PF will come from the following groups:

“clans” Doriot in Paris region and Sabiani in Marseilles.
hard core which knows each other since the “plot of the Acacia” (in second half of the year 1933), which joined together, around the néo-Socialists (who will leave it at the end of 1933), of old PCF (Paul Marion, Victor Arrighi) and of the members of extreme-right-hand side (Jean-Marie Aimot, Claude Jeantet) for a strong State.
of the dissidents of the Croix of fire, which have just been dissouts (Yves Paringaux, Pierre Pucheu, Bertrand de Maud' huy, Robert Loustau, Popelin).
of the renovating intellectuals of left and non conformist (Drieu La Rochelle, Bertrand de Jouvenel, Alfred Fabre-Luce).
then intellectuals of extreme-right-hand side such as the doctor eugenist Alexis Carrel, or the maurrassiens Paul Chack and Abel Bonnard, which takes part in the development of the economic program in 1937.

The PF knows a very fast starting in 1936-1937, doped by the increasing anticommunism in reaction to the Popular front. In 1937, Doriot then tries to be essential like the nationalist main leader by constituting a Front of freedom to be opposed to the Popular front, with the national and social Republican party, directed by Pierre Taittinger (misadventure of the patriotic Jeunesses, also dissolved in June 1936), the agrarian Parti and country French Fleurant Agricola and the republican Fédération, one of the two great right parties of the time. The French Action, without adhering to it formally, in is very close and supports the candidates of the Face to the elections, in particular at partial legislations the 1937,1938 and 1939. The gathering of the Front of freedom fails mainly by contradictory interests between the participating parties as by the question which Parti social French asks to the of which weakening is the true objective of the Face of freedom.

The PF then will integrate more and more militants resulting from the middle-classes (into the detriment of the workmen) and chiefs come from the nationalist right (whereas the chiefs resulting from the left dominated in 1936). Doriot does not go, indeed to develop a national communist program, but rather, under the influence of the young people Technocrate S, a program taking up the ideas of a technocratic company, Néo-Socialist and Planiste.

The PF is financed by the large-scale employers by the intermediary in particular of Pierre Pucheu and Gabriel Leroy-Ladurie (directing of the Banque Worms). The high bank is very present: “of which the Verne banks, Rothschild, Dreyfus, Lazard, the BNCI and the bank of Indo-China”.

Until 1938, the direction of the PF takes care not to pour in the Antisémitisme, explaining why the party has to better do than to be caught some to the Jews, or a fortiori to defend them - while letting the Algerian and Moroccan sections develop a racist and virulent anti-semitism. But starting from the autumn of this year, the positions evolve/move quickly: the influence of the Nazism and the hardest elements of the Italian Fascisme continues.

The success of the PF however seems to be only one fire of straw, this for two reasons:

In 1938, the PF calls wishes a Franco-German alliance against the the USSR and sinks in parallel in the Antisémitisme of which it was free at its beginnings. Of fascist, the PF becomes more and more pro-Nazi. Its Pacifist position “” (in the name of fascistic internationalism!) do not even hide its support for the Nazi Germany, which involves, in 1938-1939, the resignation of most of the staff (Henri Barbé, Paul Marion, Victor Arrighi, Alfred Fabre-Luce, Bertrand de Jouvenel, Drieu La Rochelle (which leaves in 1938 but returns since 1939), Bertrand de Maud' huy, Pierre Pucheu, Yves Paringaux, Robert Loustau, etc).

In March 1937 , on 130.000 members, the PF would have counted 35.000 former Communists (either 27% of the members) (Pascal Ory, collaborators). In fact whereas the former Communists are numerous in Paris region, the extension in province is done by recruiting members of the leagues. It is more particularly Net apart from the Paris and its suburbs. The section of the Coast-with Or, considered to be representative of the province, counted a half of militants resulting from the movement of Rocque, a third come the French Action, and only 10% come from the Communist party or SFIO.

2) Social origin of the members of the PF : With the Congress of 1936 :

working: 49%
middle-classes: 43% (of which employees: 21%; and engineers, contractors, liberal professions: 21%).
others: 8%

With the Congress of 1938 :

working: 37%
middle-classes: 58% (employees and civils servant, teachers, engineers, contractors liberal professions).
others: 5%

(source: idem). “ After 1936, the base of the PF in France and Algeria was more and more made up members of the middle-classes just like the executives of movement and the persons in charge of the political office and central committee ”. Mid-August 1944, the members of the PF flee in Germany where, on January 6th, 1945, Jacques Doriot becomes - finally - the chief of a “Committee of release of France" to which the other collaborationists chiefs unite. But Jacques Doriot is killed by a plane a few days later.

Profile and organization of the PF in 1940-1944

French popular Youths : in May 1942, the PF federates the youth organizations of the PF or close relations (UPJF, JIF, etc) within French popular Youths. Chief: Roger Vauquelin of Yvetots (reactionary, lower lira).

Press :

southern zone: national Emancipation . Editor association: Maurice-Yvan Sicard (with the PF since the years 1930).
northern zone: the Cry of the people . Editor association: Albert Clément (PCF, editor association of “Working Life” of the CGT of 1929 to 1939. After 1940: rejoin the PF. Cut down in 1942 in Paris by resistant Communists). The readers find there also the drawings of Dubosc, former caricaturist of Humanity .
the influence of the PF is also relayed in the press general public, with the Parisian Petit ( via Claude Jeantet) (which draws 500 to 600.000 specimens during the war) and with Paris-Evening ( via Pierre-Antoine Cousteau) (Pascal Ory, the Collaborators ).

Members of the PF collaborationnist : towards 20.000 (Handzourtel and Buffet) or 30.000 maximum in 1943 (Azéma in the book directed by Winock).

sociological Profile of the PF collaborationnist : workmen, urban middle-classes, reactionaries. Established well in North Africa. Party younger, violent, openly fascistic that the RNP.

political Profile of the PF collaborationnist : In 1942 (with the “Congress of the capacity” of Doriot), on 7.200 attending members (come from the Paris region):

old of the PF: 3010 (42%)
ex- Communist party: 1556 (21,6%)
ex- SFIO: 588 (8,2%)
ex- PSF: 782 (11%) and ex-VN: 318 (4,4%) (total: 15,4%)
ex- French Action: 420 (5,8%)

- others: towards 7%

Leaders and personalities of the PF during the Occupation

Directory of the PF in March 1943 : (9 members of the directory (except Jacques Doriot) in Lambert and Marec, page 12):

Chief: Jacques Doriot (to read higher),
General secretary: Victor Barthelemy (former member of the Communist party, one of the leaders of the red Help, then passes to the PF, LVF, general secretary of the PF of 1941 to 1944. After 1945: cofounder in 1972 and general secretary (in 1972 (or 1975) - 1978) of the National front of Jean-Marie Le Pen).
Simon Sabiani (to read higher),
Henri Lèbre (to read higher),
Marcel Marschall (to read higher),
Maurice-Yvan Sicard (ex-left) (to read higher),
Christian Lesueur,
Roger Vauquelin of Yvetots (extreme-right-hand side reactionary, in Francisme, then with the Hood, then with the PF).
Albert Beugras (wire of industrialist, engineer at Rhône-Poulenc, technocrat, chief of the information of the PF),
Jean Fossati (writer with the newspaper with “the Free press” of the Republican Federation, chief of the VN of the Cross of Fire of Algiers (1934-1935), goes with the PF (1936), secretary of the PF of Algiers. After 1943: secretary of the PF (1943). But joined the national revolutionary Face, created by RNP, competitor of the PF, therefore excluded from the PF be 1943).

Other leaders PF under the Occupation (according to Lambert and Marec)

Emile Nédelec (blind man of war, chair (or vice-president) republican Association of the war veterans (Arac), candidate of the Communist party to the local elections in Paris in 1935. After 1940: with the PF and the frank Face),
Fernand Soup (workman, member of the central committee of the Communist party, PCF mayor of Montreuil. After 1940: joined the PF in 1941. He escapes an execution by resistance),
Pierre Célor (member of the political office of the Communist party as from 1928, delegated near the Komintern, one of the four leaders of PCF in 1929-1930. Excluded from the PC in October 1932. After 1940: adhere in 1941 to RNP, then with the PF in 1942, member of the political office of the PF).
Pierre Thurotte (city council man SFIO of Saint-Quentin in 1927-1933, temporary member of the CAPE of the socialist party SFIO, national delegate with the propaganda of the pacifist movement and antifascist Amsterdam-Pleyel. After 1940: member of the political office of the PF, national secretary to propaganda).
Vincent (Emile Bougère known as) (collaborator of Humanity . Rejoin the PF and becomes chief of his Press Office under the occupation).
Andre Dufraisse (member of the Communist party, then PF and LVF. After 1945: cofounder in 1972 of the National front of Jean-Marie Le Pen, national secretary of the FN, federal secretary (1983).

Other personalities members of the PF under the occupation (The over-representation of the former Communists in this list is not representative of the whole of the PF).

Edmond Chambon (member of the Communist party and secretary of CGTU of the the Rhone. 1941: joins itself the PF).
Raymond Dirr (assistant with the PCF mayor of Pierrefitte. Member of the PF. Killed by the French interior Resistance in May 1943).
Lucien Larbaudière (assistant with the mayor of the Communist party of Pierrefitte. Member of the PF).
Marcel Gire (responsible for the international red Help, then candidate of the Communist party to Gannat with legislative of 1936. After 1940: regional inspector of the PF. Killed by the communist resistance in 1944).
Henri Jacob (member of the central committee of the Communist party, delegated to the executive committee of the International Communist. After 1940: to RNP in 1941, then passes to the PF in 1943, writer with the “Cry of the People”).
Maurice Laporte (1st general secretary of the Communist youths in 1920-1923. Leave the PC in 1925. Becomes very anticommunist in the years 1930. After 1940: collaborator of the press doriotist but would not have adhered to the PF).
Roger Matéo (administrative secretary of the section of the Communist party of Seine-et-Marne. After 1940: with the PF).
Oscar Mérieux (first assistant of the mayor of the Communist party of Stains. After 1940: rejoin the PF and collaborates in the Cri of the people ).
Henri Renaut (Jacob known as) (delegate of the International Communist. After 1940: joined the PF and collaborates in the “Cry of the people”).
Ralph Soupault (large caricaturist with Humanity , then with the the French Action , then with the royal Mail (rival of the French Action ). Then member of the PF. General secretary of the PF of Paris. Also with I am everywhere).
Paul Malagutti (Member of youths PF of Cannes. After 1972: associated national treasurer of the National front of Jean-Marie Le Pen.

See too

References

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