Kacper Kita "The House of Le Pen Saga"

This book is a family biography as well as a history of a political party, as it focuses on Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder and longtime leader of Rassemblement national (for a time known as Front National), and his daughters, especially Marine Le Pen, to whom he eventually handed over the leadership of the party. The party is usually described as “far-right,” although, in the author’s view, this is not entirely justified. It is true that in its early days, the National Rally defended the existence of the French colonial empire, as well as the Vichy regime, which is often portrayed as having collaborated with Hitler (although this book, as well as Jacek Bartyzel’s "Chronology of Action Française", presents the story somewhat differently). It later adopted nationalist and anti-immigration positions, to which it remains committed to this day. In other respects, however, one can sometimes wonder whether the Le Pens’ party should be described as right-wing at all. Even under Jean-Marie, it included both Catholics and neo-pagans, solidarists and free-market liberals. Under Marine, a fairly influential gay wing emerged, while she also expanded the party’s social-welfare programme. Moreover, one would look in vain for opposition to abortion in today’s National Rally, while the Catholic activists who have remained members have been marginalised (unless they were needed to compete with Éric Zemmour, who occupies an even more right-wing position).

The book’s biographical elements are also interesting. Contrary to what the title might suggest, the Le Pens did not belong to any aristocratic family; on the contrary, Jean-Marie was born into a poor peasant family. We can read about his participation in the Indochina War as a trooper, the mysterious inheritance left by a teenage millionaire who bequeathed his fortune to the party, and an assassination attempt against the Le Pen family, which Marine survived at the age of eight. There are also accounts of family quarrels, including how Marine expelled Jean-Marie from the party because of his controversial statements. If the author speaks of a “dynasty,” it is because three generations of the family have been involved in politics, while the National Rally has in a sense become a family business. The book also offers an insight into how French politics works in general. I heartily recommend reading.