Révolution nationale

The Révolution nationale (French pronunciation: [ʁevɔlysjɔ̃ nɑsjɔnal], National Revolution) was the official ideological program promoted by Vichy France (the "French State") which had been established in July 1940 and led by Marshal Philippe Pétain, after whom the ideological underpinning of Vichy France has also been referred to as Pétainism, also referred to as Vichyism (Vichyisme). Pétain's regime was characterized by anti-parliamentarism, personality cultism, xenophobia, state-sponsored anti-Semitism, promotion of traditional values, rejection of the constitutional separation of powers, and state corporatism, as well as opposition to the theory of class conflict. Despite its name, the ideological policies were reactionary rather than revolutionary as the program opposed almost every change introduced to French society by the French Revolution. Vichy France is often described as traditional right-wing and authoritarian conservative as opposed to fascism; at the same time, the regime featured characteristics of fascism, and the definition of Vichy as fascist has been advocated by some historians.

As soon as it was established, Pétain's government took measures against the “undesirables”, namely Jews, métèques (foreigners), Freemasons, and Communists. The persecution of these four groups was inspired by Charles Maurras’ concept of the "Anti-France", or "internal foreigners", which he defined as the "four confederate states of Protestants, Jews, Freemasons and foreigners".^{[citation needed]} The regime also persecuted Romani people, homosexuals, and left-wing activists in general. Vichy imitated the racial policies of the Third Reich and also engaged in natalist policies aimed at reviving the "French race" (including a sports policy), although these policies never went as far as Nazi eugenics.

Although Pétainism ended with the dissolution of Vichy France, such terms as Neo-Pétainism have been used to describe modern French far-right movements.

The ideology of the French State (Vichy France) was an adaptation of the ideas of the French far-right, including monarchism and Charles Maurras’ integralism, by a crisis government that was a client state, born out of the defeat of France against Nazi Germany. It included:

None of these changes were forced on France by Germany. The Vichy government instituted them voluntarily as part of the National Revolution, while Germany interfered little in internal French affairs for the first two years after the armistice as long as public order was maintained. It was suspicious of the aspects of the National Revolution that encouraged French patriotism, and banned Vichy veteran and youth groups from the Occupied Zone.

Vichy was intensely anti-communist and generally pro-German;^[vague] it also exhibited certain characteristics of fascism. Among historians, there have been different views whether to call Vichy France fascist. Its ideology is often presented as traditional right as opposed to fascism. Some historians believe that fascism may be a proper definition of Vichy France.

There is evidence for both views, and it has been noted that the features described as conservative were shared by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy as well. The proponents of the approach of defining Vichy as authoritarian conservative as opposed to fascist also emphasized the absence of fascist mass mobilization and relative freedom of traditional and economic authorities; the opposing argument is that although the regime did not display the same desire for a mobilized national community as Germany and Italy did, it still had aspirations of mobilization, while in Germany and to a greater extent in Italy, the traditional and economic elites similarly preserved their "latitude".

American historian Stanley G. Payne found that it was "distinctly rightist and authoritarian but never fascist". Similarly, French historian Olivier Wieviorka rejects the idea that Vichy France was fascist on the grounds that "Pétain refused to create a single party state, avoided getting France involved in a new war, hated modernization, and supported the Church."