Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder and historic president of the National Front, died at the age of 96. A controversial figure and symbol of the radical right in France, he left an indelible mark on the French political landscape, marking nearly six decades with his hard-hitting speech, his media provocations and his fierce commitment against the traditional political system.
The beginnings: from French Algeria to nationalist politics
Born on June 20, 1928 in La Trinité-sur-Mer (Morbihan), Jean-Marie Le Pen grew up in Brittany in a modest family of fishermen. Very early on, he showed an attraction to politics and military combat. After studying law in Paris, he joined the army and participated in the wars in Indochina and Algeria, experiences which would forge his inflexible nationalism and anti-communism. These events will often be recalled in his speeches, where he expressed his opposition to decolonization.
In 1956, at only 28 years old, he took his first steps in politics by becoming a deputy for Paris under the label of “Poujadism”a political movement founded in the 1950s by Pierre Poujade. It emerges in reaction to tax measures deemed oppressive by small traders and artisans. Poujadism is characterized by opposition to the elites, the tax authorities and the political establishment, advocating the defense of the “small” against the “powerful”. This populist and anti-parliamentary movement attracted an electoral base angry at the system, achieving temporary success in the legislative elections of 1956. Jean-Marie Le Pen began his political career under the Poujadist label, before founding the National Front. This first mandate marks the beginning of a political career marked by provocation and controversy.
The founding of the National Front: a new radical right
On October 5, 1972, Jean-Marie Le Pen founded the National Front for French Unity (FN), alongside Pierre Bousquet, a former Waffen-SS. The party brings together nationalists, monarchists and former supporters of French Algeria such as Pierre Descaves, a former member of the OAS who joined the party in 1984. Le Pen quickly became the leading figure of this movement, of which he defines the ideology: nationalism, defense of French identity, rejection of immigration and criticism of the European Union. From this time on, he distinguished himself by making shocking speeches and controversial declarations.
One of his most controversial quotes is that of his intervention during the program “Le Grand Jury RTL-Le Monde” on September 13, 1987. Asked about negationism, he replied: “I ask myself a certain number of questions. I’m not saying that gas chambers didn’t exist. I haven’t been able to see any myself. But I think that’s a point. of detail of the Second World War.” This statement sparked intense controversy and led to several legal convictions for trivializing crimes against humanity, strengthening his reputation as a provocateur and fueling accusations of anti-Semitism against him and his party.
Rise and popularity: a right that asserts itself
Despite his extreme positioning, Jean-Marie Le Pen experienced a rise in political power in the 1980s. In the 1984 European elections, the National Front obtained 10 seats in parliament, marking the party’s entry into the international political arena. During her victory speech, Le Pen congratulated herself: “The French are finally opening their eyes to the dangers that threaten their country, in particular mass immigration and the abandonment of national sovereignty.” This event marks the beginning of the rise of the FN on the French political scene, and illustrates Jean-Marie Le Pen’s strategy of positioning himself as a defender of national identity in the face of “threats” such as immigration and the loss of sovereignty.
His real breakthrough came during the presidential election of 2002where he managed to advance to the second round against Jacques Chirac, thus eliminating the outgoing Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin. With 16,86 % votes cast in the first round, he achieved a historic score for a far-right candidate, closely behind Jacques Chirac and his 19.88%. His campaign slogan “France and the French first” resonated at the time, in a society searching for answers to insecurity and economic upheaval. However, in the second round, Le Pen suffered a heavy defeat: Jacques Chirac won with 82.21% of the votesthanks to a unanimous Republican front against Le Pen. Despite this failure, this electoral breakthrough shook the French political scene and marked a turning point in the visibility of the National Front.
Judicial setbacks and political marginalization
Jean-Marie Le Pen has also been involved in numerous legal cases. Multiplying the provocations, he was condemned several times for incitement to racial hatred, public insults et apology for war crimes. His statements on immigration and the Holocaust caused him to be frequently ostracized by the political class.
In 2015, following new controversies, he was excluded from the National Front, the party he had founded and led for more than forty years. His own daughter, Marine Le Pen, who succeeded him at the head of the party, decided to turn the page on the “founding father” to reposition the movement, now renamed National Rally (RN). This public break symbolizes the end of the Jean-Marie Le Pen era and the party’s entry into a new phase of political normalization.
Jean-Marie Le Pen: a man both admired and hated
Jean-Marie Le Pen has provoked diametrically opposed reactions throughout his career. For his supporters, he will remain a “patriot” uncompromising, a man who never renounced his convictions, even at the cost of political isolation. For his detractors, he will remain the symbol of an uninhibited and dangerous extreme right, fueling racism and xenophobia in France.
At a FN congress in 2003, he declared his preference: “lose by remaining faithful to my ideas than gain by betraying them.” This loyalty to his principles, despite controversies and criticism, has earned him unwavering support from part of the French electorate, particularly in rural regions and among the working classes.
Even after his retirement from active political life, Jean-Marie Le Pen continued to influence public debate through his inflammatory statements and media appearances. His daughter, Marine Le Pen, and his granddaughter, Marion Maréchal, took up this political heritage, seeking to modernize and soften the discourse of the National Rally.
A controversial but undeniable legacy
“Le Pen is never finished“, he often said in interviews. Indeed, if Jean-Marie Le Pen is no longer, his influence and his ideas continue to haunt French politics, testifying to the persistence of nationalist populism in the electoral landscape.
Jean-Marie Le Pen leaves behind an exceptional political career due to his longevity and his ability to capture attention. A divisive character, he single-handedly embodied the French radical right, with his electoral successes but also his numerous failures. He was able to capitalize on popular discontent, becoming the spokesperson for the “forgotten people of the Republic”.
Today, Jean-Marie Le Pen is leaving, but the debate around his legacy remains burning. His successes as well as his failures, his provocations and his radical ideas will haunt French politics for a long time to come, dividing those who see him as a visionary patriot and those who consider him the symbol of a dark and bygone era. One thing is certain: whether we admire him or hate him, Jean-Marie Le Pen has never ceased to shake up consciences and leave his indelible mark on political history.
