A critical assessment of the available explanations of the rise of the National Front and its impact on French politics.
This paper examines a variety of theories that individually explain background events that have allowed more extreme parties to gain public support in France. It also looks at factors that enabled the French National Front or Front National (FN) to gain a foothold in terms of votes and political recognition as well as the processes and strategies that the FN have used to further expand its support. It assesses the impact of the FN on French politics in terms of the FN’s influence on rival parties, policies and strategies and its effect on the operations of French democracy.
One of the key theories put forward to explain the rise of the FN is the Underground River theory, which suggests that seemingly sporadic surges in the popularity of French extreme Right-wing politics are, in fact, connected by a number of common underlying factors. Proponents of this theory contend that such developments as the Vichy regime, the pro-Algerian War movement and the emergence of the FN are linked by a shared ideology, personnel and support, and that despite the current problems for the FN, the extreme Right will once again experience a resurgence in power and popularity in the near-future. The usefulness of this theory can be seen in several areas. For instance, the Underground River theory does point out the lack of legitimacy of the political system in France, which will inevitably lead to outbursts of discontent at various times.