For a party of the intelligence

For a party of the intelligence is the title of a Manifeste written by Henri Massis and published in Le Figaro of July 19th, 1919. Strongly impregnated by the Maurrassisme of the French Action, it constitutes the response of the intellectual of right to the “Déclaration of the independence of mind” written by Romain Roland and published on June 26th of the same year in the daily newspaper Humanity . According to the specialist in the French Action Eugen Weber, the Proclamation had much success and obtained the considerable signature on the one hand French preserving intelligentsia of the time.

Context

The “declaration of the Independence of mind” of Romain Roland exhorted the intellectuals to give up the attitude which had been theirs during the First World War, during which they had, each one in its camp, joined the patriotic union, and defended the effort of war. By doing this they had, according to Roland, “degraded” the thought, by making it serve the “egoistic interests of a political or social clan, a State, a fatherland or a class. ” Thus Inviting the intellectuals to learn the lessons from the past, Roland exhorted them to work to carry out the fraternal union of the “People of all the men. ”

Three weeks later, in the literary supplement of the Barber , a text is published, is presented like the answer to the statement made previously by “certain intellectuals”, whose signatories of the text of the Figaro estimate that it is likely to disturb the public opinion, that they are given for objective “to guide” and “to protect” from what they describe as “Bolchevism of the thought. ”

The proclamation

To restore the Nation to federate Europe

Against the Internationalism asserted by Romain Roland, Henri Massis and the co-signatories of proclamation intend to defend “the French spirit”, which only must allow sprituelle regeneration, moral and social of the Occident, the German defeat having to replace France like centers intellectual radiation of Europe: We believe - and the world believes with us - that it is in the destiny of our race to defend the spiritual interests of humanity. Victorious France wants to take again its sovereign place in the order of the spirit, which is the only order in which is exerted a legitimate domination.

This historical role of avant-garde of the defense of civilization assigned in France obliges the French intellectuals, if they want to take part in this civilizing combat, “to be based on a quite sitted fatherland”, and thus “to join of all their reason and all their heart to the doctrines which protect and maintain the existence of France, with the preserving ideas of its immortal substance. ” The internationalism of the thought must be based on a national base, because “isn't while being nationalized that a literature takes a more universal significance, an interest more humanly general? ” While working with the national restoration “it is in Europe and all that remains of humanity in the world which goes solicitude” of the signatories of proclamation.

Spiritual restoration

Massis sees like an obstacle with the safeguard of “the French spirit” the primacy granted to the industrial development and commercial of the country, and the ideology materialist which underlies it: although they also call their wishes “this economic reform and material”, the signatories of proclamation do not want it that it is done “with the detriment of the spirit”: “here like elsewhere, it is the intelligence which precedes all”, because it is it the guarantor of the safeguard of the culture and the morals, which “practical people”, holding of the “industrial modernism”, hold for negligible quantity.

This moral reform essential to the happiness of the man and who must accompany the social reform, must necessarily be of catholic inspiration : Believers, we judge that the Church is the only legitimate moral power and that it rests only on it to form manners; incroyants, but concerned about the fate of civilization, catholic alliance appears essential to us.

Against “plutocracy” and the “Bolchevism”

Inspired by “principles of organization incomparable” that “the French nation has in its past”, and by Catholic church, of which one of missions more obvious “during centuries, has be to protect intelligence from its clean mistakes, to prevent spirit human to destroy itself, doubt to attack with reason”, “elite intellectual” becomes suited to achieve mission with which it is charged, which consists in lighting and defending the people against “the furious rush of a plutocratie which is posed like the party of the ignorance organized” like against “this Bolchevism which, as ofaccess, attacks with the spirit and the culture in order to better destroy the company, nation, family, individual. ”

Signatories and reactions

The proclamation “For a party of the intelligence”, which marks the point of result of conversion to the Maurassisme of Henri Massis (before nearer to Maurice Barrès), is signed by 54 personalities, in particular, in addition to Maurras itself, Jacques Bainville, Eugene Marsan or Georges Valois, all members or close to the French Action. But are also old signatories supporter of Dreyfus S like Daniel Halévy and Jacques Maritain (also sensitive to the ideas of Maurras). They are actually representatives of all the tendencies of the right-hand side and Extrême right-hand side who are found in the support for the “party of the intelligence. ” By a feature characteristic of the time, and with the difference of what will occur after the Second world war, they are then the intellectuals of extreme right-hand side who dictate the topics which will become “the intellectual line pool” various.

Stormy debates take place with the drafting of NRF in order to know if the review of Jacques Rivière must support proclamation of Henri Massis. These tensions are explained in particular by the fact why Massis had already criticized severely certain authors of the NRF of which André Gide, Romain Roland and Jacques Rivière.

Finally Henri Ghéon (which, engaged as doctor on the face of Belgium, had found the catholic faith) the sign with in an individual capacity, while Jean Schlumberger, after having hesitated, refuses to him its support because of its constant reference to Catholicism, Schlumberger being of Protestant origin. He decides nevertheless in favor of proclamation and precise: “if I were catholic, I would have signed proclamation of the party of the intelligence. ” Jacques River, as for him, devotes a report, unfavourable but courteous, with the text of Henri Massis in the number of September 1st, 1919 of the NRF. River had not been mistaken there when he wrote in this same article that “the party of the intelligence it is, camouflaged for the circumstance, eternal French Action”

Maurice Barrès decides not to join its name to that of the signatories of proclamation, while indicating that he “applauds” the initiative.

July 30th, 1919, a critic of the newspaper the Pays “objected to Proclamation that no country enjoyed the intellectual monopoly supposed by Massis”. The French Action included/understood this criticism which it clearly revealed the line of demarcation between patriots and intellectuals of left, i.e. “those which did not rely on their fatherland”.

The program outlined in proclamation finds its prolongation the following year in the creation of the universal Revue (appears starting from April 1st, 1920) founded by Bainville and Massis, and in which Jacques Maritain collaborates (it is withdrawn some in 1926, following the judgment of the French Action by the pope Pie XI). The required funds with creation of this periodical came from part of the left million in Maurras and Maritain by the royalist rich person Pierre Vilard. Contributions were also requested from the signatories of proclamation.

On the topic of the “defense of the Occident”, Henri Massis will publish a test of the same name in 1927, then will write in 1935 a proclamation: “For the defense of the Occident and peace in Europe”, intended to support the invasion of the Ethiopia by the fascistic Italy .

List signatories

Paul Le Bourget, Louis Bertrand, Andre Beaunier, Camille Bellaigue, Jacques Bainville, Binet-Valmer, Gabriel Boissy, Charles Briand, Pierre Champion, Jean of Cognets, H. Charansson, Maurice Denis, Georges Desvallières, Georges Deherme, Lucien Dubech, Charles Derennes, Fagus (Félicien Fagus), Joachim Gasquet, Georges Bunch, Henri Ghéon, Jacques of Let us waste, Charles Grolleau, Daniel Halévy, Pierre Hepp, Francis James, Jealous Edmond, Rene Johannet, Pierre Lalo, Charles Goffic, Louis Cardonnel, Henri Longnon, Rene Lote, Pierre de Lescure, Charles Maurras, Camille Mauclair, Henri Massis, Eugene Marsan, Marius Andre, Rene de Marans, Charles Moulié, Xavier de Magallon, Emile Massard, Jean Nesmy, Edmond Rammer, Jean Psichari, Marcel Provence, Antoine Redier, Firmin Roz, Rene Salome, Louis Sonolet, Jean-Louis Vaudoyer, Robert Vallery-Radot, Georges Valois.

Internal bonds

the French Action , daily newspaper directed by Charles Maurras
critical Anticommunism
Nationalitarisme
Re-examined of the ideas and the books , Eugene Marsan

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