Les nationalistes français et le milieu sportif, de l’entre-deux-guerres aux années 1960 : Une relation privilégiée

Abstract

Nationalism, a political trend born in Europe at the end of the 19th century, operates in the classical political field through leagues and parties, but also spreads throughout society. During the interwar period, many French nationalist activists became involved in sports federations and the Olympic movement. They formed genuine networks which they mobilised as a political resource. Some of these even managed French sport during the Second World War. After the Second World War, the sports movement played a significant role as a refuge for leaders compromised with the regime set up by Philippe Pétain and even with the occupying forces. From the 1920s to the 1960s, many federations were presided over by nationalists (cycling, fencing, swimming, Basque pelota, motor sports, tennis), as was the French Olympic Committee, where Armand Massard and then Jean de Beaumont succeeded each other between 1933 and 1967. This article illustrates that sport and politics are often linked: it shows how, through the itinerary of a group of leading figures in the sports movement, the privileged link between French nationalism and certain sports was established over a period of about half a century.