The interest in looking at the group derives in the first instance from a general historiographical neglect of the idea of Europe on the political far-right. Moreover, in studies of ideas of Europe it is more common to look at hegemonic ideas of Europe – those that shaped the emergence of the European political community, or those of predominant cultural figures. There is therefore a certain interest in analyzing historical actors like the FEN, who formed and advocated an idea of Europe very much against ‘the tide of history’, to borrow a much used contemporary term.
The paper aims to theorize and explain the importance the group placed on Europe. It locates the group’s understanding of what Europe was or should be within the debates of the broader contemporary far-right in France. As such, it analyzes the connections between the FEN’s anti-Enlightenment convictions and its positions on nationalism, imperialism and Europe, a Europe characterized by hierarchy, and a Europe defined by rejection of materialist values that were seen to be embodied by the USSR and the United States.
