Action Française Action française | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | AF |
| General Secretary | Olivier Perceval |
| Founders | Maurice Pujo,Henri Vaugeois |
| Principal ideologist | Charles Maurras |
| Founded | 1947; 78 years ago (1947) (reorganized) |
| Preceded by | Action Française (1899–1944) |
| Headquarters | Paris,France |
| Newspaper | Aspects de la France |
| Think tank | Institut d'Action Française |
| Student wing | Action Française étudiante |
| Youth wing | Camelots du Roi |
| Women's wing | Ladies of the French Action |
| Membership | 3,000 (as of 2018)[1] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
| International affiliation | International Monarchist Conference |
| Colors | Royal blue Yellow |
| Anthem | La Royale |
| Website | |
| actionfrancaise.net | |
Action Française is a Frenchroyalist andnationalist political movement that restructured in 1947 after itspre-war iteration was disbanded following theLiberation of France. Revived under the leadership ofMaurice Pujo, it launched the newspaperAspects de la France and the counter-revolutionary organizationRestauration Nationale. Despite the death of its prominent leaderCharles Maurras in 1952, the movement persisted, although it struggled to maintain relevance as monarchism waned in popularity and French far-right politics evolved.
In the decades following World War II,Action Française saw internal divisions, leading to splinter groups like theNouvelle Action Royaliste in 1971, which sought to modernize royalist ideology. While its influence diminished, the movement continued through various publications and associations, with figures such asPierre Pujo leading efforts to preserve its legacy. By the late 20th century, the movement’s focus onCatholic social teaching, traditionalFrench culture, andEuroscepticism allowed it to influence broader far-right currents, including theNational Rally. Today,Action Française positions itself as athink tank advocating for a decentralized monarchy, French sovereignty, and resistance toEuropean federalism.[2][3]
Founded in 1899 byMaurice Pujo andHenri Vaugeois,Action Française emerged as a reaction to theDreyfus Affair, promoting a blend ofroyalism,nationalism, andanti-parliamentarianism. Under the leadership ofCharles Maurras, who joined shortly after its inception, the movement championedintegral nationalism,Roman Catholicism, and a vision of a decentralizedmonarchy that upheld traditional French values. Throughout the interwar period,Action Française gained significant influence, attracting intellectuals, publishing a prominent daily newspaperL'Action Française, and mobilizing through its youth wing, theCamelots du Roi. However, the movement faced setbacks due to its condemnation by theCatholic Church in 1926 and growing competition from other far-right movements such as theCroix de Feu.[4][5]
After thefall of the Vichy Regime, itsnewspaper was banned and Maurras was sentenced tolife imprisonment in 1944, although he was reprieved in 1952. The movement nevertheless continued in new publications and political associations, although with fading relevance as monarchism lost popularity, and French far-right movements shifted toward an emphasis onCatholic values and defense of traditionalFrench culture. It is seen by some as one progenitor of the currentNational Rally political party.[6][7]
Action Française reformed itself in 1947, under the influence ofMaurice Pujo, who created the newspaperAspects de la France (AF) and the counter-revolutionary movement, "la Restauration Nationale" ("National Restoration"). After the death of Maurras in 1952, two rival newspapers,Aspects de la France andPierre Boutang'sLa Nation Française revived the Maurrassian legacy, until the demise ofLa Nation Française in 1967.
In 1971, a breakaway movement called "Nouvelle Action Française" was formed byBertrand Renouvin,Georges-Paul Wagner, and others. It subsequently became theNouvelle Action Royaliste (NAR), which supported the heir of theHouse of Bourbon-Orléans (although in his 1968 reprinting of his study on the three French right-wing families,René Rémond still classified it in thelegitimist movement because of itscounter-revolutionary ideology). The movement called for the support ofFrançois Mitterrand in the1981 presidential election, instead of supportingJacques Chirac's "neo-Gaullist" movement (theGaullists are classed by René Rémond asBonapartists) orValéry Giscard d'Estaing's "Orléanist" movement (because of his support ofeconomic liberalism).
In the beginning of the 1980s, various AF figures, such asGeorges-Paul Wagner orPhilippe Colombani [fr] joined the ranks ofJean-Marie Le Pen'sNational Front (FN). Until the 1999 breakaway of theNational Republican Movement (MNR) led byBruno Mégret, Jean-Marie Le Pen's success was partly explained by his unification of the various far right families (such asFrench royalists,traditionalist Catholics,neo-fascists, etc.) which share few ideals apart from a distrust ofliberal democracy and a staunchanti-communism.
In the 1990s, the leader of the movement wasPierre Pujo (Maurice Pujo's son), who died in Paris on 10 November 2007.[8] The AF student movement, calledAction Française étudiante, has approximately 15 local delegations in places such as Paris,Normandy,Rennes,Bordeaux, andForez, and an official newspaper,Insurrection. Its president is Olivier Perceval.
Action Française has 3,000 adherents in 2018, grew by 18% in 2017 and 53% between 2013 and 2018. The movement stands for atraditional,hereditary,anti-parliamentary, anddecentralizedmonarchy, and isstrongly opposed to the European Union. The organization considers itself as athink tank and not a political party. The movement presents ideas to answer to all issues regarding the national interest of France, such as sovereignty, ecology, and globalization.[1]
Politically,Action Française remains aroyalist,nationalist, andcounter-revolutionary (objecting to the legacy of theFrench Revolution) political movement. Its objective is to restore "a sovereign state fully exercising its regalian functions" in France through the establishment of a decentralized and representative monarchy that guarantees the "just exercise of lasting power". Politically, the movement advocates the establishment of a monarchy "adapted to our times that is not a return to an ancient order but a serious response to current issues" with theHouse of Bourbon-Orléans at its head. The movement also supports the idea of a "royalist compromise around the monarchy".[1]
The official entity of the organization is called "Centre royaliste d'Action Française", even if the forbidden name is used in the communication of the movement. It publishes a magazine calledLe bien commun.
Action Française is organized in region federations, in which stand local school, student, and workers' sections. Those sections circulate their ideas and debate in circles. The most known is the Parisian literary circle, "Cercle de Flore", which frequently invitesFrench conservative andright-wing authors and political activists. Most of the circles are internal and are designed to train young members to the ideas of the movement. This is the case of the ParisianCharles Maurras circle which gathers the Parisian students.
Following its tradition, the movement edits a newspaper which is sold by its supporters in the street. This allows the young adherents to learn how to debate and publicly defend their ideas. Each year, on the second Sunday of May, a traditional cortege in honour ofJoan of Arc is organized.[9] The students of the movement have organized a summer university called "camp Maxime-Real del Sarte" since 1953, gathering approximately 200 activists.[10]
During and after the anti-LGBT manifestationsLa Manif pour tous (2013–2014) opposing thelegalization of same-sex marriage in France,Action Française created "le Printemps français", an activist submovement, and recruited several new members from younger generations.[11]
Action Française is active onsocial media websites and is followed by 31,000 accounts onTwitter and 27,000 people onFacebook.[12] The movement usesYouTube videos and memes to spread its ideas.[12]
