A-Infos (en) France, Monde Libertaire - Combating Populism (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The institutional, economic, social, and societal confusion we are 
experiencing in a chaotic and uncertain international context provides 
fertile ground for far-right movements with populist rhetoric. Be 
careful with the term; it refers to the discourse of those who speak in 
the name of the people to denounce the "elites," particularly political, 
media, and cultural elites, of which they are nevertheless a part, as 
Gérard Noiriel points out in his recent book, *The French People: 
History and Polemics*, published by Tallandier. These populists now 
oppose the will of the people to the rule of law. They denounce the 
decline of a sick France. They reject the domination of the powerful 
over the people... What domination is the author talking about? Social 
domination? Symbolic domination? Let us note that those in power 
contribute to this contempt for the unemployed, the poor, and all those 
who are not part of their own group.

As a historian, Gérard Noiriel traces the history of our country and 
places the problems and the pronouncements of populists within a very 
long historical context. The reader will undoubtedly find arguments to 
counter these sorry figures.

Thus, the people grumble and demonstrate. Revolts are frequent 
throughout history. Always a dominant theme: contempt. They are called 
"croquants" (peasants), "jacques" (hence the word "jacquerie," meaning 
peasant revolt), or "beggars." In the 19th century, a journalist called 
them barbarians: "They are in the suburbs of our manufacturing cities." 
Adolphe Thiers would follow the same line of thought when he massacred 
the Parisian people. However, this same people formed organizations such 
as the CGT (General Confederation of Labour) in 1895. When discontent 
and social struggles emerge, the power of the elites creates sensational 
news stories or highlights them through the subservient media.

Populists always seek to oppose the sovereignty of the people to the 
rule of law. Through representative democracy, the people have become 
mere consumers of politics, but they are being stripped of their values. 
The positions and statements made in recent months demonstrate how 
fragile civil liberties and fundamental rights are.

Seeking the Truth

When the people are consulted, referendums have often resembled 
plebiscites, both historically and in our recent experience. 
Communication between the people and the elites, via the media, has had 
its ambiguous phases. The official press, censorship, caricature... but 
the 19th-century press is also known for its excesses, and Drumont, the 
champion of antisemitism, cloaked himself in a victim mentality. Others, 
such as Hervé and Barrès, engaged in propaganda during the First World 
War. Today, the saturation of social media through digital advancements 
and the manipulation of opinion polls serve the same purposes. The prime 
example is the exploitation of external and internal insecurity. Gérard 
Noiriel, with supporting data, refutes the rhetoric of the mainstream 
right. He emphasizes that "every political cause presents contradictory 
aspects that conservative forces can exploit." As I mentioned earlier, 
each chapter deals with an issue manipulated by these groups. Women's 
rights, immigration, the language question, racism, the rejection of the 
other, and education are all distorted to denounce the "living together" 
of any society. The most egregious example is certainly the use of 
secularism, its subversion. This secularism, described as "new" by 
certain media outlets, is in reality an intolerance towards religions. 
Yet secularism is not intolerant. It is intolerance that generates conflict.

Gérard Noiriel concludes his book with what I consider the most 
interesting chapter, the one devoted to the work of Marc Bloch. Beware 
of historical narratives that embellish facts and manipulate minds to 
create our identity. He draws on historical scholarship without 
retreating into an ivory tower, taking popular education into account. 
For instance, a reference to the historian Thucydides: "Most men, rather 
than seeking the truth, which is indifferent to them, prefer to adopt 
ready-made opinions." For him, "we can help those who strive for a 
better world to develop more effective forms of action than those that 
exist today." This book contributes to that goal.

* Gérard Noiriel
The French People,
History and Polemics
Tallandier, 2025

https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8694
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