Not to be confused with Not to be confused with the Action française political movement, of which it was the official newspaper..
 | |
| Publisher | Charles Maurras |
|---|---|
| Editor | Léon Daudet |
| Founded | 1908 |
| Language | French |
| Ceased publication | 1944 |
| Headquarters | Paris |
| Circulation | (as of 1908–1944) |
L'Action française, organ of Integral nationalism, was a royalist French newspaper founded in Paris on 21 March 1908. It was banned during the Liberation of France in August 1944.
The newspaper succeeded the Revue d'Action française of Henri Vaugeois and Maurice Pujo. Based on Rue de Rome in Paris, its director was Charles Maurras, the leader of the monarchist Action française movement. Its editorial line is classified as far-right due to its violent anti-parliamentarianism, anti-republicanism, and antisemitism. For a brief period, it also published a weekly edition titled L'Action française du dimanche.
Official Organ of the Action française Movement
This newspaper was the official organ of the Action française movement. It was a nationalist, monarchist, anti-Dreyfusard, and antisemitic daily.
L'Action française was a fierce opponent of the policies of the Third Republic, as well as of liberalism and democracy. Uniting collaborators from various nationalist and traditionalist movements, the newspaper became the crucible for the major currents of far-right ideology in France during the 1930s. Through denunciation and personal attacks, its journalists, led by Léon Daudet, conducted intense royalist and anti-republican propaganda during World War I and the interwar period. This culminated in the 6 February 1934 crisis and the Stavisky Affair. The newspaper also waged relentless campaigns against the Soviet regime, communism, Jews, and Freemasonry.
The newspaper was known for defamation, the use of forged documents, and incitement to violence. It also served as the intellectual and literary hub of the Action française movement, gathering philosophers, historians, poets, and novelists around publications such as the Revue critique des idées et des livres (1908–1924) and the Revue universelle (1920–1941).
Sponsorship
The first issue was published on 21 March 1908, with the motto "All that is national is ours." It was sponsored by twelve figures, including Henri Vaugeois, Léon Daudet, Charles Maurras, Léon de Montesquiou, and Jacques Bainville.
The wider Maurrassian press gained a measure of success from 1908 onwards.
References
- "Front page of the first edition of L'Action francaise". Gallica.Bnf.fr. 21 March 1908. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
Integral nationalism
For years, Action française has worked tirelessly: it has continually addressed the entire French people.
It expressed this in its "Review." It taught this in its Institute. At the forefront of the newspaper created to propagate its ideas daily, Action française has an obligation to reiterate that it has never appealed to a single party.
Down with the Republic! And, for the sake of France, long live the King!
Henri Vaugeois, Léon Daudet, Charles Maurras, Léon de Montesquiou, Lucien Moreau, Jacques Bainville, Louis Dimier, Bernard de Vesins, Robert de Boisfleury, Paul Robain, Frédéric Delebecque, Maurice Pujo - Weber 1985, pp. 110, 115, 410. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWeber1985 (help)
See Also
- Action française
- Aspects de la France
- Charles Maurras
- Maurrassism
- Nouvelle Librairie nationale
- Restauration nationale
- Revue critique des idées et des livres
- Revue d'Action française
- La Nation française
- La République lyonnaise
Bibliography
- Weber, Eugen (1962). Action Française; Royalism And Reaction In Twentieth-Century France. Stanford University Press.
- Eugen Weber (1985). L'Action française. Fayard. ISBN 978-2-213-01678-8.
External Links
- L'Action Française, at Gallica
