Reconsidering Fascist Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia in 1920s France: The Doctrinal Contribution of Georges Valois and the Faisceau

Abstract

Work on the subject of fascism in interwar France has generally prioritized the issues of anti‐Semitism and xenophobia, seeking to effectively link the two phenomena. Yet the Faisceau, the largest fascist group in 1920s France, is commonly excluded from such discussions, portrayed as uninterested in adopting such a programme. This article seeks to redress this omission, presenting evidence that various Faisceau leaders and members argued for the immediate exclusion of Jews and foreigners, whom they perceived as a threat to both nation and race. At a time when the French public and their leaders largely abandoned such discourse, the group thus provided a link between pre‐war anti‐Semitism and the renewed xenophobia which characterized the 1930s and the Vichy years.