Initiative and Liberty Movement
Encyclopedia
The Initiative and Liberty Movement is a French
Gaullist political association
.
(RPR) and president of the National Inter-University Union
(UNI). General Alain de Boissieu
, Pierre Messmer
and Jacques Foccart
also participate in the establishment of the MIL.
The MIL born before the victory of the left in 1981. It tried "to prevent that, after having seized political power, the socialist-communists definitely put their hands on and minds on the structures of France", according to its terms.
The MIL does not consider itself officially as a "resurgence" of the Service d'Action Civique
(SAC), as Pierre Debizet said on TF1 on July 25, 1985.
From 1986 on, its new cause was to liberate France from the "socialist stagnation. Pierre Debizet compared, in 1985, socialism to AIDS
.
However, the MIL struggled to take off, even if it had a few thousand members, including Alain Peyrefitte
and the former Chief of Staff of the Army, General Jean Delaunay. Yet one thing was certain: despite low name recognition, everybody on the right knew the MIL.
About the ideas of MIL in the 1980s, the historian François Audigier said: "The MIL is a kind of ideological laboratory, which crossed the diverse influences of the liberal
right, a reactionary Catholicism and a rigid Gaullism
. It used a anti-immigration, pro-life
, defense of private schools and the rejection of left-wing values, a package that had nothing to envy to the National Front's program"
. This movement is associated to the Union for a Popular Movement
(UMP). It is part of the UMP's right-wing and is a "Gaullist loyalist" organization as opposed to neo-Gaullism, which integrates neoliberalism
and moderate centre-right ideas.
The MIL is a "movement of thought" out of defending the common civic values (primacy of individual freedom, responsibility, duty and cohesion of society). Gaullism is for the MIL an inspiration.
He considers that communitarianism
, immigration
and Islamism
threaten the national identity of France, and that resistance is a civic duty.
Pierre Clostermann
, a Companion of the Liberation
; Jacques Foccart
, former head of Free France network and former General Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic between 1959 and 1974; Michel Habib-Deloncle, former minister of General de Gaulle; Pierre Messmer
, a Companion of the Liberation
and former Prime Minister
and Maurice Schumann
, a former minister and a Companion of the Liberation
, now dead, were members of its honorary committee.
Are also members of the honorary committee of the MIL
In the French presidential election, 1995
it supported Jacques Chirac
to "escape from socialism" and repeated its support for Chirac in the 2002 election
("Chirac, the true Gaullist") and it supported Nicolas Sarkozy
in the 2007 election
. It opposed the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
in 2005.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Gaullist political association
Voluntary association
A voluntary association or union is a group of individuals who enter into an agreement as volunteers to form a body to accomplish a purpose.Strictly speaking, in many jurisdictions no formalities are necessary to start an association...
.
History
First called GIL (Initiative and Liberty Groups), it was established in March 1981 and became the Initiative and Liberty Movement on November 17 1981. It was chaired by Jacques Rougeot, who was close to the Rally for the RepublicRally for the Republic
The Rally for the Republic , was a French right-wing political party. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic , it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaullism...
(RPR) and president of the National Inter-University Union
Union Nationale Inter-universitaire
Union Nationale Interuniversitaire or "Inter-University Union" is a French right-wing union of university students, created in February 1969 under the initiative of the Service d'Action Civique, a secret service used by the right-wing gaullist movement, in particular by Robert Pandraud, Charles...
(UNI). General Alain de Boissieu
Alain de Boissieu
Alain de Boissieu was a French general, Free French, Compagnon de la Libération, Army chief of staff and son-in-law of general Charles de Gaulle.-Life:...
, Pierre Messmer
Pierre Messmer
Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Minister of Armies under Charles de Gaulle from 1960 to 1969 – the longest serving since Étienne François, duc de Choiseul under Louis XV – and then as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1972 to 1974...
and Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart was a chief adviser for the government of France on African policy as well as the co-founder of the Gaullist Service d'Action Civique in 1959 with Charles Pasqua, which specialized in covert operations in Africa.From 1960 to 1974, he was the President of France's chief of staff...
also participate in the establishment of the MIL.
The MIL born before the victory of the left in 1981. It tried "to prevent that, after having seized political power, the socialist-communists definitely put their hands on and minds on the structures of France", according to its terms.
The MIL does not consider itself officially as a "resurgence" of the Service d'Action Civique
Service d'Action Civique
The SAC , officially created in January 1960, was a Gaullist militia founded by Jacques Foccart, Charles de Gaulle's chief adviser for African matters, and Pierre Debizet, a former Resistant and official director of the group...
(SAC), as Pierre Debizet said on TF1 on July 25, 1985.
From 1986 on, its new cause was to liberate France from the "socialist stagnation. Pierre Debizet compared, in 1985, socialism to AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
.
However, the MIL struggled to take off, even if it had a few thousand members, including Alain Peyrefitte
Alain Peyrefitte
Alain Peyrefitte was a French scholar and politician.He was a confidant of Charles De Gaulle and had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland....
and the former Chief of Staff of the Army, General Jean Delaunay. Yet one thing was certain: despite low name recognition, everybody on the right knew the MIL.
About the ideas of MIL in the 1980s, the historian François Audigier said: "The MIL is a kind of ideological laboratory, which crossed the diverse influences of the liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
right, a reactionary Catholicism and a rigid Gaullism
Gaullism
Gaullism is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Resistance leader then president Charles de Gaulle.-Foreign policy:...
. It used a anti-immigration, pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
, defense of private schools and the rejection of left-wing values, a package that had nothing to envy to the National Front's program"
Today
The MIL, now chaired by Christian Labrousse, who claims to be on the "civic right" a Gaullist and a patriot. Its emblem is the Cross of LorraineCross of Lorraine
The Cross of Lorraine is originally a heraldic cross. The two-barred cross consists of a vertical line crossed by two smaller horizontal bars. In the ancient version, both bars were of the same length. In 20th century use it is "graded" with the upper bar being the shortest...
. This movement is associated to the Union for a Popular Movement
Union for a Popular Movement
The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party...
(UMP). It is part of the UMP's right-wing and is a "Gaullist loyalist" organization as opposed to neo-Gaullism, which integrates neoliberalism
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
and moderate centre-right ideas.
The MIL is a "movement of thought" out of defending the common civic values (primacy of individual freedom, responsibility, duty and cohesion of society). Gaullism is for the MIL an inspiration.
He considers that communitarianism
Communitarianism
Communitarianism is an ideology that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. That community may be the family unit, but it can also be understood in a far wider sense of personal interaction, of geographical location, or of shared history.-Terminology:Though the term...
, immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
and Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
threaten the national identity of France, and that resistance is a civic duty.
Pierre Clostermann
Pierre Clostermann
Pierre Clostermann was a French flying ace, author, engineer, politician and sporting fisherman. Over his flying career he was awarded the Grand-Croix of the French Légion d'Honneur, French Croix de Guerre, British DFC and bar, Distinguished Service Cross , Silver Star , and the Air Medal .-Early...
, a Companion of the Liberation
Ordre de la Libération
The Ordre de la Libération is a French Order awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is an exceptional honor, the second highest after the Légion d’Honneur and only a small number of people and military units have received it, exclusively for deeds accomplished...
; Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart
Jacques Foccart was a chief adviser for the government of France on African policy as well as the co-founder of the Gaullist Service d'Action Civique in 1959 with Charles Pasqua, which specialized in covert operations in Africa.From 1960 to 1974, he was the President of France's chief of staff...
, former head of Free France network and former General Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic between 1959 and 1974; Michel Habib-Deloncle, former minister of General de Gaulle; Pierre Messmer
Pierre Messmer
Pierre Joseph Auguste Messmer was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Minister of Armies under Charles de Gaulle from 1960 to 1969 – the longest serving since Étienne François, duc de Choiseul under Louis XV – and then as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1972 to 1974...
, a Companion of the Liberation
Ordre de la Libération
The Ordre de la Libération is a French Order awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is an exceptional honor, the second highest after the Légion d’Honneur and only a small number of people and military units have received it, exclusively for deeds accomplished...
and former Prime Minister
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
and Maurice Schumann
Maurice Schumann
Maurice Schumann was a French politician, journalist, writer, and hero of the Second World War who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs under Georges Pompidou in the 1960s and 1970s...
, a former minister and a Companion of the Liberation
Ordre de la Libération
The Ordre de la Libération is a French Order awarded to heroes of the Liberation of France during World War II. It is an exceptional honor, the second highest after the Légion d’Honneur and only a small number of people and military units have received it, exclusively for deeds accomplished...
, now dead, were members of its honorary committee.
Are also members of the honorary committee of the MIL
- Jacques Boyon, Chairman of the Board of Directors of IRIS
- Bernard DebréBernard DebréBernard Debré is French urologist at Hôpital Cochin in Paris and a member of the National Assembly of France. He's one of the representants of the city of Paris, and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement. He is a son of Michel Debré and twin-brother of Jean-Louis Debré.-References:...
, UMP deputy - Xavier Deniau, former minister
- Robert Galley, Companion of the Liberation
- Philippe de GaullePhilippe de GaullePhilippe de Gaulle is a French admiral and politician. The son of General Charles de Gaulle, he is a former Senator and was Inspector-General of the French Navy. He married Henriette de Montalambert de Cers in 1947 and had four children including Dr. Charles de Gaulle, Yves de Gaulle and Pierre de...
, son of General de Gaulle - Jacques Godfrain, former member UMP
- Yves GuénaYves GuénaYves Guéna is a French politician. In 1940, he joined the Free French Forces in the United Kingdom. He received several decorations for his courage....
, honorary president of the New Century Club, - Hugues Martin, former UMP deputy (replaced Alain JuppéAlain JuppéAlain Marie Juppé is a French politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He also served as Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac and the Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs from 2010 to 2011...
in Parliament) - Robert Pandraud, former RPR-UMP member
- Charles PasquaCharles PasquaCharles Pasqua is a French businessman and Gaullist politician. He was Interior Minister from 1986 to 1988, under Jacques Chirac's cohabitation government, and also from 1993 to 1995, under the government of Edouard Balladur...
, UMP senator - Armel Pécheul, close to the Movement for FranceMovement for FranceThe Movement for France , abbreviated to MPF, is a French conservative and eurosceptic political party, founded on 20 November 1994, with a marked regional stronghold in the Vendée. It is led by Philippe de Villiers, once communications minister under Jacques Chirac.The party is considered...
- Eric RaoultÉric RaoultÉric Raoult is a French right-wing politician, currently affiliated to the Union for a Popular Movement.- Political career :...
, UMP deputy - Jean TiberiJean TiberiJean Tiberi is a French politician who was mayor of Paris from May 22, 1995 to March 24, 2001. , he is mayor of the 5th arrondissement of Paris and deputy to the French National Assembly from the second district of Paris....
, UMP deputy
In the French presidential election, 1995
French presidential election, 1995
Presidential elections took place in France on 23 April and 7 May 1995, to elect the fifth president of the Fifth Republic.The incumbent Socialist president, François Mitterrand, did not stand for a third term. He was 78, had cancer, and his party had lost the previous legislative election in a...
it supported Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
to "escape from socialism" and repeated its support for Chirac in the 2002 election
French presidential election, 2002
The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002, and a runoff election between the top two candidates on 5 May 2002. This presidential contest attracted a greater than usual amount of international attention because of Le Pen's unexpected appearance in...
("Chirac, the true Gaullist") and it supported Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
in the 2007 election
French presidential election, 2007
The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France for a five-year term.The winner, decided on 5 and 6 May 2007, was Nicolas Sarkozy...
. It opposed the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe , , was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European Union...
in 2005.