Intellectuals and Politics in Post-War France

Intellectuals and Politics in Post-War France

French Politics, Society and Culture Series General Editor: Robert Elgie, Senior Lecturer in European Politics, The University of Nottingham France always fascinated outside observers. Now, the country is und ergoing a perio d of profound transformation. France is faced with a rapid ly changing intern ational and European environment and it is having to rethink some of its most basic social, political and economic orthodoxies. As elsewhere, there is pressure to conform. And yet, while France is respond ing in ways that are no doubt famili ar to peopl e in other European countries, it is also managing to ma intain elements of its long-standing distinctiveness. Overall, it remains a place that is no t exactly comme les autres. This new series examines all aspects of Frenc h politics, society and culture. In so doing it focuses on the changing nature of the French system as well as the establishe d patt ern s of political, social an d cultural life. Contributors to the series are encouraged to present new and innovative arguments so that the informed reader can learn and und erstan d more about one of the most beguiling an d com pelling of all European countries. Titles include: David Drake INTELLECTUALS AND POLITICS IN POST-WAR FRANCE David]. Howa rth THE FRENCH ROAD TO EUROPEAN MONETARY UNION French Politics, Socie ty and Culture Serie s Sta nd ing Orde r ISBN 0-333-80440-6 (outside North America only) You can receive futur e titles in th is series as they are published by placing a standing order. Please con tact your bookseller or, in case of difficulty, write to us at the add ress below with your name and address, the title of the series and the ISBNquoted above. Customer Services Depar tm en t, Macmillan Distribution Ltd, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS, England

Intellectuals and Politics in Post-War France David Drake Principal Lecturer in French School ofhumanities and Cultural Studies Middlesex University London palgrave

* David Drake 2002 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London wn 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Published by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin's Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-41768-1 ISBN 978-0-230-50963-4 (ebook) DOI 10.1057/9780230509634 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001035822

For Sarah} Dylan and Kieran

This page intentionally left blank

Contents Acknowledgements viii Introduction 1 1 Liberation, Epuration, Existentialism and Marxism 9 2 The Onset of the Cold War 34 3 From Kravchenko to Hungary via Korea 63 4 Colonialism and Anti-Colonialism: Indochina and Algeria 97 5 May, Mao and the End of the 'Classic Intellectual'? 128 6 From the 'Silence of the Intellectuals' to the End of the Millennium 167 Conclusion 205 Notes 209 Select Bibliography offrench Texts 242 Index 244 vii

Acknowledgements The researching and writing of this book was made possible by the support 1 received from Middlesex University, which, as part of its research strategy, agreed to my having a reduced teaching commitment from September 1999 until February 2001. While 1was researching and writing the book, 1 was also an Associate Research Fellow, attached to the Politics and Sociology Department at Birkbeck College, and 1would like to express my deep thanks and gratitude for the facilities that the College made available to me. lt really made a huge difference. In addition to thanking the staff at Birkbeck College Library for their help, 1 would like to thank those at the Middlesex University (Tottenham Campus), at Senate House (University of London) and at the Institut d'etudes Politiques (Paris). On the technical side, I would like to thank the helpful Computer Support staff at Birkbeck College, especially for their retrieval of a whole chapter which I thought had disappeared for good into cyberspace after a power cut. I would also like to thank the ever-patient Lucy Dawson in the office of the School of Humanities and Cultural Studies at Middlesex University for all her handy tips and advice. Throughout this project, I have been greatly encouraged by the support from friends, family and colleagues on both sides of the Channel. In particular, I should like to thank the following who kindly supplied me with references, documents, articles etc. : Professor Chris Flood (University of Surrey), Professor Hilary Footitt, Professor Nick Hewlett, and Michel Leymarie and Iean-Prancois Sirinelli. I would especially like to thank Ian Birchall, Dr Martyn Cornick and Professor Keith A. Reader, all of whom read and sent me detailed comments on an early draft, and Dr Cathie Carmichael, John Kalmar, Professor Francis Mulhern and Dr Martin O'Shaughnessy, who all read and commented on sections of the manuscript. I would also like to thank Rod Prince for his invaluable help with proofreading and editing. I found this feedback extremely and helpful and have acted on many of the comments and suggestions I received. I will not, however, follow the American crime writer Harlan Cob en, who concludes the acknowledgements of at least one of his books with the words, 'Any errors - factual or otherwise - are totally the fault of these people.' Those who have kindly offered thoughts, comments, criticism are not, and should not be seen viii

Acknowledgements ix to be, in any way responsible for the views expressed here or any factual errors which may have crept into the text. That's down to me. Finally, closer to home (actually as close as you can get), I would like to thank Kieran and Sarah. I, after all, chose to live close to this project; they didn't. Their support has been invaluable.