Elusive Fascism: Reflections on the French Extreme Right at the End of the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

What can historians contribute to the understanding of the extreme right wing in France? If they were only to bring just another political saga, their contribution would be of little use. It is clear that for a researcher to attempt to understand the extreme right wing, he or she must firstly endeavour to set down procedures which will help to fight it. This attitude, however, must not be incompatible with the liberty which underpins a scientific approach to research. Historians, as with other researchers in the social sciences, can implement explanatory models which do not always follow a logic of indignation (which, in fact, may be perfectly legitimate) and they also often propose analytical frameworks which are too simplistic. For several years, we have been able to gauge to what extent these frameworks have been shown to be completely ineffective. Today, historians have intellectual tools which can help them to analyse complexity. So why should they not do so?