"How the Le Pen family built the postwar French far right, and rules it to this day"

political scientist Catherine Fieschi
in conversation with Simon Kuper

This class is co-sponsored by the Federation of Alliances Françaises USA (Afusa.org) and by the American Library in Paris (americanlibraryinparis.org)

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS VIDEO PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO PANDEMONIUM U's YOUTUBE CHANNEL

How did the Le Pens build and change the French far right? What French historical traditions are they drawing on, and might their party ever win power?

In 1972, Jean-Marie Le Pen founded the far-right Front National party. He led it until 2011, gaining a reputation for Holocaust denial and enmity to Islam. In 2002 he reached the run-off of the French presidential election. His daughter Marine succeeded him as leader; she reached the run-off in 2017. Jean-Marie was eventually expelled from the party, after refusing to attend his disciplinary hearing for having described the gas chambers as a "detail" of history. Jean-Marie’s granddaughter, Marion Maréchal, is tipped as the next leader of the party, which is now called Rassemblement National.

Catherine Fieschi is a leading expert on European politics and the French far right. She has followed the Le Pens since her PhD, for which she conducted many hours of interviews with Jean-Marie Le Pen in the family château outside Paris.

Fieschi is the Director of Counterpoint, a London-based research and advisory group that advises businesses, governments and NGOs on social and political risk. She is also a longstanding adviser to European political leaders and campaigns, the author of Populocracy, and a native speaker of French, Italian and English.

www.pandemoniumu.com

Видео "How the Le Pen family built the postwar French far right, and rules it to this day" канала Pandemonium U