Talk:Jean-Louis Tixier-Vignancour

Supported Mitterand?
It'd be nice if someone with some more knowledge (and sources) could add a bit more about why he supported Mitterand over de Gaulle in the 1965 second round. Given his nationalist views, association with Le Pen, etc., it sounds like Tixier-Vignancour would be considered a right-wing politician, so why did he endorse the left-wing candidate? --Delirium 23:07, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

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There are several factors which explain this.

-Nationalist right-wing movements hated de Gaulle during the War of Algeria, considering that he had betrayed them by allowing the independance of Algeria, while he had initially been called to power in 1958 (outside any legal framework) by nationalists militars with a anti-democratic stance such as Salan (whose Tixier-Vignancourt had been the advocate during his process in 1964). The later acceptance of Algerian independance by de Gaulle and its loyalty towards democracy were an unexpecetd surprise for many of those who called him to power in 1958.

-When War of Algeria broke out, France was ruled by a left-wing governement (led by Guy Mollet and including Mitterrand, which was responsible for the French policy in Algeria as Ministre de l'Intérieur). This governement gave the full powers to the army in Algeria. This decision triggered the general use of torture and summary executions against alleged Algerian independantists. There was a kind of objective alliance between the SFIO-goverment (although Mitterrand was in favour of a more liberal and respectful policy from the French govermnt towards its colonies, he was against Algerian independance) and some of the high-officer of the Army and far-right politicians who were determined to keep Algeria under French rule.

-Last but not least: Mitterand and Tixier Vignancourt had both been compromised in the collaboration with the Vichy governement (at various degrees Mitterrand: became also a resistant in the later years of the war, while Tixier Vignancourt became a high executive with an ideological role of the Vichy regim since its beginning). Tixier-Vignancourt and Mitterand shared objective reason to fight de Gaulle (it was a political rival for Mitterrand, while for Tixier Vignancourt, on top of its cold-blooded politicy in Algeria he represented an icon proving that the right-minded poltician could avoid collaboration with the Nazi during WWII). Although a socialist (and having written texts against fasism before WWII), Mitterand also shared parts of its cultural background with many nationalists politicians (he came from a provicial conservative wealthy family, and was fascinated by nationalist writers whih professed a nationalism of th soil, such as Jaques Chardonne. So they are many objective ties between Mitterrand and far-right movements (when ha was a president the PS also indugently exploited both antiracist leagues and the Front National in order to weaken the RPR which had a Gaullist heritage). --User:SmallBigM 23:07, 6 May 2007 (UTC)