Action française

Action française is a French monarchist and nationalist movement founded in 1899. It advocated restoration of the monarchy and became known for integral nationalism, antisemitism, and political activism.

Dreyfus Affair: A political scandal beginning in 1894 over the wrongful conviction of French Jewish army officer Alfred Dreyfus for treason. The affair drew nationalists into a movement that later supplied Action française’s early leadership.
Orléanism: A French monarchist tradition supporting the House of Orléans and a constitutional monarchy. Action française ultimately favored the Orléanist claimant to restore hereditary monarchy.
Léon Daudet: A French writer, journalist, and politician who became a prominent Action française leader and polemicist. His journalism and parliamentary activity made him one of the movement’s most visible advocates.
Papal condemnation of Action française: The 1926 Vatican condemnation of Action française, which prohibited Catholics from reading several of its publications. The decree tested the movement’s authority among Catholic adherents and divided its supporters.
Republicanism in France: The political tradition supporting France as a republic rather than a monarchy. Its commitment to popular sovereignty directly opposed Action française’s hereditary political order.
Henri Vaugeois: A French teacher and political activist who helped found Action française in 1899. His initiative established the group before Charles Maurras shaped its doctrine.
Decentralization: The transfer of political authority from a central government to regional or local institutions. Maurras presented decentralization as a remedy for the centralized state he opposed.
Jacques Bainville: A French historian and journalist associated with Action française, known for conservative interpretations of European history. His historical writing supplied the movement with arguments about national power and foreign policy.
French Third Republic: The republican regime that governed France from 1870 until the German invasion of 1940. Action française sought to replace this republic with a hereditary monarchy.
French Bonapartism: A French political tradition favoring a powerful executive and dynastic rule associated with Napoleon Bonaparte. Both currents rejected parliamentary weakness, but Bonapartism favored a different dynasty and political model.

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