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The National Front Analysis

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The main far right party in France is the National Front (FN), founded in 1972 by Jean-Marie Le Pen and some of his far right acquaintances who were outraged at the declining power of France within Europe and around the globe. Le Pen made the FN a tight focused organization. He focused the FN mainly on anti-immigration issues as well as re-establishing a sense of law and order. The routine failure of the traditional political parties in tackling the economic and immigration issues of France led to the rise of the FN. Le Pen’s anti-elitist message, however, became overshadowed by the anti-Semitic and hate filled rhetoric that he used to draw huge crowds. These remarks ostracized many in France, especially those in the Jewish community and most …show more content…

Since this time, Marine Le Pen has embarked on a mission to revolutionize the party her father characterized as being hate filled and racist. In order to do this, she sacked most of her father’s closest allies as well as all members who held xenophobic or anti-Semitic views. It was important to her that she regain the support of the Jewish community in France because they are powerful and aid the legitimacy of the FN. Le Pen coined this her “de-demonization” strategy which she hoped would ease tensions between the FN and the French. Marine Le Pen launched a campaign to change the platform of the FN and redefine them as more than an anti-immigration party. In order to do this, she wrote a platform that presented the FN as a populist party. Aspects of this new platform include economic protectionism, a break from the EU, and a halt to immigration. In doing so, she has transitioned the image of the FN from a hateful party to one that is meant to preserve the national identity of France and end the decline in the quality of life for the citizens of France. This echoes many other far right parties as well as the rhetoric of president-elect Donald Trump. While the FN had been successful on a local scale, Marine Le Pen wanted the FN to be a serious contender for national political office. This shift in the FN’s image was necessary in order for Le Pen to change the FN from a party that was on the decline to one which has a serious chance of advancing into the second round of the upcoming presidential

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