New Books in European Politics Chris Millington, "A History of Fascism in France: From the First World War to the National Front" (Bloomsbury, 2019)
Aug 31, 2025
Chris Millington, an expert in political extremism and author of *A History of Fascism in France*, delves into the complex relationship between fascism and France. He shares his personal journey into this intriguing subject, discussing the evolution of fascism from post-World War I to the rise of the National Front. Millington navigates diverse fascist movements, examining their ideologies and the socio-political factors that shaped them. He also reflects on contemporary implications, including the influence of historical narratives on the 2022 elections.
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How Millington Got Into French History
- Chris Millington traced his interest in French history to learning the French language in school rather than history classes alone.
- He began studying fascism as an undergraduate and developed it further during his PhD under Kevin Passmore.
Move Beyond The Binary Debate
- The historiography divides into two camps: those who argue France was 'immune' to fascism and those who see strong French fascist roots.
- Millington aims to move beyond this binary and focus on meanings and examples rather than rehashing definitions.
Definitions Come From Contemporary Discourse
- Millington refuses to impose a strict own definition of fascism and instead studies how contemporaries used the term.
- He argues that before people called something 'fascism', there was no fascism in meaning or discourse.
