national identity

The fact that a party that did not even exist just over a year ago has just won an absolute majority in the French National Assembly has inevitably excited surprise among commentators. But, argues Hubert Huertas, one remarkable aspect of the recent presidential and legislative votes has largely gone unnoticed: the death of the notion that French society was on some inevitable path towards the far right. This theory, which was enthusiastically adopted by Nicolas Sarkozy and exemplified by the Front National, has been comprehensively demolished, he says.

Plans for a Maison d'histoire de France were unveiled by former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to a storm of protests, including criticism from many historians. Opponents feared that a museum focussed squarely on France's history would become a political vehicle as Sarkozy sought to use the issue of “national identity” in France to boost his appeal with the voters. But now that the museum's chief supporter has gone, the project appears to have gained in respectability among its former detractors. Antoine Perraud wonders what lies ahead for this once deeply controversial museum.