Research On Barrès's Nationalism And It's Practice

Maurice Barrès was a distinguished French writer of the late 19th and early 20th century.His literary works influenced the whole young generation of his time,which won him the honor of "Young Prince" in the Latin quarter of Paris.Elected as an academician of the French Academy,he was an active politician in the French political arena in that period.He served twice as a member of the House of Representatives.Berres was an important figure in many significant events that happened in the early period of the Third Republic of France,such as Boulanger Movement,Dreyfus Affair and the First World War.The influence Barrèsshowed in theideological,cultural and political fields at that timeof France was attributed to the great success of his works with strong nationalism,especially when France endeavored to be resuscitatedto be the "Great France" after the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War.His great influence was alsodue to his identity as a"bannerman" and "leader",in the trend and movement of French nationalism with his prestigious reputation gained in the literary world.Generally speaking,Barrès'nationalism thought can be divided into two kinds:one being "self worship",the other being "homeland and ancestors",showing the characteristics of diversity and unity.When Barrès was young,he believed in individualism and cosmopolitanism.After several political shocks,he finally turned to nationalism.His theory of "sself worship" was finally elevatedin the theory of "homeland and ancestors":individual existence can only be realized in the history of the nation,and by defending the national security and dignity.Meanwhile,Barrès' nationalism had a tendency of undeniable and even strong racism and populism.And that's why many scholars in later generations also regarded Barrès and his thought as an important ideological source of French fascism between the two world wars.In view of the complexity of Maurice Barrès'thoughts,this paper will research Maurice Barrèsseparately in terms ofthe three major historical events mentioned above.Meanwhile,this paper,consideringdifferent political views in the French political and ideological circles at that time,works to sort out the development and the essence of Barrès' thought in order to have an objective view of the connotations and limitations of Barrès 's nationalism,thus exploring the profound influence of the practice of Barrès 's nationalism on French politics at that time and even today.This paper suggests thatalthough Barrès' nationalism had a side of exclusion,conservatism and extremity together with Militarism and Chauvinism,in fact,he himself as an individual,was not a rigid andstubborn person.The twoideological transformations in Barrès' lifeare the best examples to show his effort to adaptto different complicatedcircumstances.From individualism to nationalism,from anti-parliamentary systems to alliance with parliamentary Republic,Barrèsinfluenced different communities of peopleat different historical stages,pushing forward the course of history.