French Combat Legion of the Francisque

The **French Combat Legion of the Francisque** (French: *Légion française de combat pour la Francsique*),aslo name **The Francisque**, is a French political party created by Marcel Bucard in 1928. Composed of members of the Fasces and organization of Far-ights, the Francisque, claims of *Francisme* and *Socialisme-national*, a doctrine mixing French socialism, French nationalism, Italian Fascism and also by some aspect of German Volkish thought.

## History of the Francisque

### Origins of the Francisque

The French fighting legion of the Francisque originated from the Legions of Combattants, paramilitary organization of the Fasces. These legions used to take as their logo, objects in connection with the war, the history of France. One of the legions founded in the department of Yvelines in December 1925, had for headquarters the city of Versailles founded by a group of veteran led by Jean-Auguste-Gustave Binet a Franco-Swiss maurassian and joined by a member of the French Action and veteran of the great war Marcel Bucard. The legion takes the Francisque as sign and is known in his battles against the CGTists, socialists and communists in full white terror that emerged after the Coup of 25 May.

With the total takeover of the military in France and the innovative discourse offered by the Fasces, its legions grow and grow. The direction of the Legion at Versaille was transferred to Bucard in August 1927 and thus increased Bucard's power in the Fasces.

In 1928, the Legion of Combattants of the Francisque count 15,000 members in all France.

### Foundation of the Francisque

The abandonment of the Fasces in 1928 by Valois leaves to Bucard the total control of the organization. Supported by the financiers, Bucard renames in December 1928, the Fasces as French Combat Legion of the Francisque.

His management brought Marcel Bucard as Chief and leader of Legionnary Order Service the paramilitary organisation, Philippe Barrès (propaganda delegate) and Jacques Doriot (chief of Francist Youths ).

The second year after its creation, the Francisque brings together nearly 80,000 "Blue Shirts". The majority come from the Fasces.

### Organization of the Francisque

Taking over the organization of Fasces, the Francisque is divided into 4 "Corps":

* the "Legionary Order Service" (French: *Service d'ordre légionnaire*);
* the "Francist Youths" (French: *Jeunnesses francistes*);
* the "Universities League of the Francisque" (French: *Ligue universitaire de la Francisque*);
* the "Associations of women friends of Bucard and Francisque" (French: *Associations des femmes amis de Bucard et de la Francisque*)

The Francisque had a newspaper *Le Franciste*, founded on 11 December 1928, and an "intellectual" newspaper *L'Ordre nouveau* in March 1929.

## Ideology of the Francisque

Although there is no written and claimed political program of Francisque, perceived by Bucard as "a bad reflex" peculiar to the "old parliamentary regime", the Francisque claims on the other hand "A Mystic" and "A Doctrine ", which replace and remove" The Politics ".

This "Mysticism and Doctrine" are clearly claimed, by the contents of the many speeches of Bucard, the writings of the gray eminences of the Francisque as well as the writings treating the subject in the "intellectual" newspaper *L'Ordre nouveau*.

Francisme as Francisque mystic appears for the first time in a speech by Marcel Bucard made at the 3rd congress of the Francisque, 12 November 1931, at the *American Park,* in Paris. Describe as a doctrine rejecting any materialist interpretation of the world, Francism would not be a political or economic thought but a thought "of the New Man". This thought is embodied by Marcel Bucard himself, by great figures (Marshal Petain was cited) but more broadly by the "Generation of Fire", this generation of man who fought in the trenches during the Great War. These men by their courage, their devotions as well as by the years spent together would have developed a healthy, exemplary way of life;

> "The new man of the XXth century was born in the trenches of Verdun, this man back from the heat of the fighting had found a company frozen in time and submitted to the plutocracy of the parliamentary system. He then overthrew the table in 1925, and made sure to shape a France in his own image but especially to extend the life of the new man: the taste of risk, self-confidence, the sense of the group and the taste of collective impulses - Speech ot *American Park, 12 November 1931.* "
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But this new French man must not rest on these laurels. Inaction is a generator of decadence if it is not moderate, to avoid it, a social but above all national revolution must happen to complete and especially to end the 150 years of perpetual change, revolution and counter-revolution experienced by the France during the 19th century. This national revolution will see the advent of a Francist regime (the term republic is used without being official), this regime will combine the good sides of the Jacobin Republic and French royalty. For the Francisque, the French National and Social Republic founded in 1927 would not go far enough and would still be infected by the remains of parliamentary plutocracy (observation already present at Georges Valois).

To allow and fuel this revolution, a Doctrine is necessary.

This doctrine is the *Socialisme national* (National Socialism). Drawing from French socialism, that of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and the Communards who became anti-Dreyfusard and / or Boulangiste, who were the first to speak about "national socialism". National socialism developed by the Francisque is positioned as fundamentally anti-Marxist, xenophobic and corporatist. This doctrine models an authoritarian, hierarchical and centralized power, from an economic point of view, of state-run corporations and of the state. The creation of large economic consortiums and which through economic planning should allow the over-militarization of France to prepare it for an inevitable war against the communist bloc.  This national socialism also has a clearly exponential purpose. Because the war against communism will require a more basic either by anti-communist alliances or by the acquisition of territory. France must then claim French-speaking territories (Wallonia, French-speaking Switzerland etc..) as well as colonial territories.

The racial question is also present in Francism and National Socialism. Borrowing from volkish thought, itself drawing from the writings of Houston Stewart Chamberlain, France by its central and cardinal position of Western Europe but especially by its victory against Germany makes the French the superior race while rejecting any "superiority genetic", but a" superiority of acts, facts and logic ". Bucard and Francisque making the difference between Jewish patriots and Jewish sionnists.

All this explanation is drawn from the writings of the gray eminences of organization (Gustave Hervé, Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, Bertrand de Jouvenel etc..) and the undisguised influence of Italian fascism on Francism (Giusseppe BotMai, Giovanni Gentile etc..).

## Personalities related to the Francisque

* Marcel Bucard, former member of Action française and Faisceau.
* Philippe Barrès, son of the nationalist writer Maurice Barrès.
* Gustave Hervé, former left anti-militarist who become nationalist with the Great War and theorist of National Socialism.
* Pierre Drieu La Rochelle, writer and romancier, former supporter of Clemenceau who converted to Fascism.