User talk:LauraDoland

The author of the article “Action Francaise” proposes that the Action Francaise was an important political group until the conclusion of World War II. However, according to the information presented, the Action Francaise succeeded only in producing a newspaper, gaining one representative once, and meriting papal condemnation. Its most notable achievement appears to have occurred in 1981, when, reincarnated as the Nouvelle Action Royaliste, it supported the successful Francois Mitterand in the presidential election. While the article repeats that the “Action Francaise became a significant actor in French politics,” the author never elaborates on any specific political or ideological accomplishments to support this claim. This article contains large-scale assumptions and generalizations without sufficient evidential justification. In describing Maurras’ ideology, the author states, “of course he was also opposed to the Communists and the left in general, but antagonism against them did not have to be constructed or marshaled.” While the author previously states that the formation of the Action Francaise was due “partly in reaction to the left wing revitalization,” the use of the phrase “of course” assumes that the reader fully understands both why the members of the Action Francaise would obviously be opposed to the left, and why feelings hostile to them would not need further encouragement. In addition, the author groups all French nationalists into the category of being anti-German without explaining why the Action Francaise would be “delighted” at the rise of fascism in Italy and Spain but not in Germany. These claims assume a level of historical knowledge in the general wikipedia audience that is not necessarily present. “Action Francaise” contains several date confusions and questionable wording. First, the article states that the Action Francaise was created in 1898, yet the link to the Action Francaise website states its founding date as 1899. The article also states that while the papal condemnation was lifted in 1938, the Pope did not decide to lift the condemnation until 1939. The author claims that Francois Mitterand was “forced to look for a different path in politics” after the papal condemnation, however he was later supported in his presidential election by the successor of the Action Francaise, and thus must not have strayed but so far from his previous path. The author also claims that the Action Francaise “ceased to exist in 1944,” yet alleges that it was reformed three years later, forcing one to question how to reform something that no longer exists. While the author’s division of material on the Action Francaise is generally logical, the final two categories remain questionable. In the section “Judgement of Political Scientists,” the author provides only one opinion on the Action Francaise. In addition, the author does not place Nolte’s opinion within any context other than to remark that it is considered to be extreme. It would be considerably more helpful to provide several political judgements, particularly those that are well accepted or at least show a range of opinions. Much to the detriment of his stance that the Action Francaise was politically significant, the author contradicts himself by saying that the party was of a lesser “historical importance” than other, power holding fascist parties. The final section in this article, entitled “Fictional Accounts” has little relevance to the non-fictitious Action Francaise. While the existence of a fictional history book that includes the Action Francaise is somewhat interesting as a side note, an account of an alternative past does little to help the reader to understand what the Action Francaise. The author provides a scant overview of chosen portions of the history of the Action Francaise. While the author does a decent job trying to explain the ideology and major events of the Action Francaise, the article is primarily incomplete. The assertion that the Action Francaise was a politically significant party remains unsupported, to an even greater degree by the complete lack of sources cited in the argument. The sole link to the Action Francaise website only exposes the discrepancies in the article’s information. While the wikipedia article “Action Francaise” provided a general overview comprehensive enough to give the reader a basic idea of what the group was and is, it, like many other articles in wikipedia, lacks substantial evidence and documentation to serve as a reliable source of specific information.