Charles Maurras

Charles-Marie-Photius Maurras was a major French intellectual of the 20th century.

He was an author, a poet, and a political critic. Maurras is best known as the principal philosopher of Action Française. This was a political movement that promoted monarchism and nationalism. His specific political doctrine became known as Maurrassisme. This system combined integral nationalism with many traditionalist and conservative ideas. His work influenced right-wing thought across Europe for many decades. Even today, his legacy remains a subject of intense debate among historians.

Maurras developed a complex set of political views. He was a monarchist who supported the Orléanist line of French kings. His ideology, integral nationalism, sought to protect the national heritage through traditional structures. He was also a corporatist and a traditionalist. However, his views were often exclusionary and controversial. He held anti-capitalist and anti-communist positions. He was also anti-liberal and anti-Masonic. Most notably, he held anti-Protestant and antisemitic views. He even advocated for what he called "state anti-Semitism" during the Dreyfus affair.

His political career grew through various stages of activism. He began his professional life in Paris writing literary criticism. In 1887, he started writing for the Orleanist review, the Observateur. He later became a leading anti-Dreyfusard during a major political crisis in France. In 1899, he helped found the review Action Française. This publication helped shift nationalist ideology toward the political right. He later turned the movement's review into a daily newspaper. Maurras also theorized the use of extra-parliamentary leagues to achieve political change. He believed these groups could potentially carry out a coup d'état.

Maurras's relationship with the Catholic Church was complicated. He was raised in a Catholic environment by his mother and grandmother. However, he became deaf in his youth and became an agnostic. Despite his lack of personal faith, he remained strongly anti-secularist. He supported the Catholic Church primarily for political reasons. This caused significant tension with religious leaders. In 1926, Pope Pius XI issued a formal papal condemnation of Action Française. By 1927, several of Maurras's books were placed on the Index of Forbidden Books. Members of his movement were even forbidden from receiving the sacraments. This religious ban lasted until Pope Pius XII lifted it in 1939.

The middle years of his life were marked by legal trouble. In 1936, Maurras voiced death threats against the socialist politician Léon Blum. Because of these threats, he was sentenced to eight months in La Santé prison. He was also elected to the prestigious Académie Française in 1938. However, his political stances during the Second World War led to further conflict. While he opposed Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, he supported the Vichy government. He believed the Free France movement was a puppet of the Soviet Union. He argued that the monarchy could only be restored if the national heritage was saved.

After the collapse of the Vichy regime, Maurras faced severe consequences. He was arrested and accused of being complicit with the enemy. During a political trial, he was convicted of incitement to murder. The court handed him a life sentence and the status of Indignité nationale. This status stripped him of certain civil rights. In 1951, his health declined, and he was transferred to a hospital. He eventually received a medical pardon. In his final days, he returned to the Catholic faith and received the last rites. He died on 16 November 1952.

The influence of Maurras on modern politics is significant. He is considered a major right-wing intellectual of 20th-century Europe. Some historians say his ideas anticipated the rise of fascism. His work has influenced many politicians, theorists, and writers on both the left and the right. His reputation is highly polarized. Some critics describe him as a "fascist icon." Conversely, some supporters, such as Georges Pompidou, have praised him as a prophet. Even modern leaders like Emmanuel Macron have addressed his legacy. Macron has stated that he fights Maurras's antisemitic ideas while arguing that Maurras's intellectual history should not be ignored.