FR256 The Right in France from the Dreyfus Affair to the Present
| Module Code: FR256 |
|---|
| Module Name: The Right in France from the Dreyfus Affair to the Present |
| Module Coordinator: Dr Jessica Wardhaugh |
| Term 1 |
| Module Credits: 15 |
N.B. Students taking this module should have French at A-Level (or equivalent) standard
Module Description
France is a country of revolution, deeply associated with left-wing political ideals and activism. Yet the right is often in power, and the far right exceptionally strong. The Rassemblement National — originally founded by Second World War collaborators — now achieves some of the highest vote shares in legislative, presidential, and European elections. An IPSOS poll of September 2026 even predicts that Marine Le Pen will lead the first round of the presidential elections in April 2027. How is this possible?
This module explores the ideas, culture, and engagement of the French right, from the centre to the extremes. We'll be examining ideology and leadership, strategies and supporters, as well as the complex, evolving and antagonistic relationship between right and left, mainstream and marginal. This module thus offers an opportunity to trace and debate some of the most controversial aspects of modern French history and politics, and to engage in research on a wide range of primary material. It will help you advance your analytical skills, historical awareness, and understanding of contemporary French politics.
- How does the French right imagine society and politics, nation and Empire? How does this change?
- What role has the right played in moments of crisis and controversy, such the Dreyfus Affair, the Great Depression, Vichy France, the Algerian War of Independence, May 1968, and the gilets jaunes protests?
- How does the right target specific categories of supporters, such as workers, women, and young people?
- In what ways have charismatic leaders such as Pierre Poujade, Charles de Gaulle, Jean-Marie and Marine Le Pen used the media to seek power, legitimacy, and support?
- Why has the extreme right remained so vigorous? How can we explain the influence of figures such as Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella?
One week of the module normally includes a visit to the Modern Records Centre for hands-on experience with their archival collections on the 1930s, the Resistance, and May 1968. You can find out more by viewing our short film, made with previous students on this module.
Advice and support are always available from the module tutor on how to include original research in your formative and summative work, whether you would like to work in the Modern Records Centre or to explore digital resources on Gallica and the Institut National de l'Audiovisuel.
Students taking the module in 2025–26 said:
- 'It has been really interesting to look at French politics over time and to track it from the 1880s to the present day'
- 'Really interesting and engaging lectures, as well as a broad range of primary source material'
- 'The worksheets are always well organised and easy to follow, the slides being available long in advance really helps with planning/learning before the lecture itself'
- 'The interactive seminars were very helpful for my personal development'
- 'The sources used in class were really helpful in understanding the topics'
- 'The module sourcebook has been really useful, I've liked having the extra sources in there to do further reading and understand the topic more broadly'
- 'The amount of resources available have been very useful, we were given lots of primary and secondary sources to study, as well as lots of useful questions alongside them that helped focus analysis of the sources'
- 'Very good feedback and advice from lecturer'
- 'Submitting a plan for my summative work was incredibly helpful, I'm so glad that this is a possibility and the feedback I received was very constructive'
Preparatory/vacation reading:
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We develop our analytical skills by exploring a wide variety of primary material, including posters, speeches, songs, broadcasts and archival sources. Click on the following links to sample some of this material and think about what you would like to explore further:
- I would recommend having access to at least one print / electronic textbook on the history of the right as a point of reference throughout the module. Particularly helpful are Chris Millington, A History of Fascism in France, from the First World War to the National Front (2020), J.G.Shields, The Extreme Right in France from Pétain to Le Pen (2007), and Peter Davies, The Extreme Right in France, from 1789 to the Present (2002).
- It's also useful to have a general textbook on modern French history and politics so that you can contextualise the themes and periods we study, such as Charles Sowerwine's France since 1870 (2018) and Robert Gildea's France since 1945 (2025).
- You will find full details on recommended reading via the Module Reading List on Talis aspire.
Assessment Method (2026–27):
One 2250-2500-word essay (70%) + one 1250-1500-word close analysis (30%). You are welcome to write on your own choice of question or source, provided that you agree your choice with the module tutor.
Seminars include group work on strategies for writing essays and close analyses. Students are always welcome to consult the module tutor for advice, especially if they are less familiar with working on political and historical material. Sample essays and analyses from previous years are also available for consultation on the Moodle page.
