French Fascism: An American Obsession?

If it is true, as Susan Sontag said, that Fascism is fascinating, ¹ and if that applies to French Fascism as well, why is it that only Americans–so it seems–find it fascinating? How do French critics and historians resist its fascination? While there has been a plethora of articles, books and theses written about it in the United States in the last ten years, ² in France there have been only a few sporadic texts. ³ Why this transatlantic gap between American obsession with French Fascism and the complete lack of interest in it in France? This is what I would like to investigate. Since this question is wide-ranging, I can only sketch out the major influences in the two countries’ very different approaches to French Fascism. I will first look into the history of American French “fascistology”–a word coined by Stanley G. Payne–in order to point out which work, theory, group or event brought about the recent obsession. This history unfolds like a play in four acts, with a growing number of characters. If the stage at first had an avant-garde appearance–almost deserted and preoccupied with a gloomy idea–nowadays it is as crowded and verbose as a musical comedy. I will try to explain why there is so little interest in fascist studies in France, examining what were and are the major obstacles preventing its expansion, and which school of thought dominated and restricted it. Far from being as rich in new developments as its American counterpart, it has taken on the role of a “ressassement éternel.”