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The Breton National Party (
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
''Parti National Breton'', Breton ''Strollad Broadel Breizh'') was a
nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Th ...
party in
Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
that existed from 1931 to 1944. The party was disbanded after the
liberation of France The liberation of France in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany inv ...
in World War II, because of ties to the
Third Reich Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
.


History

The PNB was formed in the aftermath of split between
federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...
s and nationalists within the
Breton Autonomist Party The Breton Autonomist Party (french: Parti Autonomiste Breton or PAB, br, Strollad Emrenerien Vreiz) was a political party which existed in Brittany from 1927 to 1931. Origin The party was created at the first congress of the nationalist journal ' ...
(PAB), following the Congress of Guingamp in August 1931. Following the collapse of the PAB, the federalists led by Morvan Marchal formed the
Breton Federalist League The Breton Federalist League (french: Ligue fédéraliste de Bretagne) was a short-lived Breton political party in the 1930s. A new organization with the same name was created in the 21st century. Origin At its congress on April 11, 1931, the Br ...
; the nationalist faction, led by Olier Mordrel, decided to found a new party with a clearly nationalist agenda, namely seeking Breton independence from France. This revived the programme of the previous
Breton Nationalist Party The Breton Nationalist Party (''Parti nationaliste breton'', or PNB) was a French political party that advocated independence for Brittany. It existed from 1911 to 1914. Origins It was founded in October 1911 under the patronage of a committee of ...
, which had existed from 1911-1914. A congress was held in Landerneau on December 27, 1931. The following year, activists led by
Célestin Lainé Célestin Lainé (1908–1983) was a Breton nationalist and collaborator during the Second World War who led the SS affiliated Bezen Perrot militia. His Breton language name is Neven Hénaff. He was a chemical engineer by training. After ...
bombed a sculpture in
Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departme ...
representing Breton unity with France. The creation of this sculpture had spurred the foundation of the earlier party in 1911. The party was influenced by international
Celticist Celtic studies or Celtology is the academic discipline occupied with the study of any sort of cultural output relating to the Celtic-speaking peoples (i.e. speakers of Celtic languages). This ranges from linguistics, literature and art histor ...
ideas, and modelled its aspirations on Irish independence movements. It was also closely associated with
fascist Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...
ideology. Because of its connections with
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
the party was banned in France on the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
in 1939, but after the defeat of France it was revived, becoming closely associated with Breton collaborationism. During the occupation France the PNB established a paramilitary, Bagadoù stourm, influenced by the SA that adopted a flag similar to that of the
Reichskriegsflagge The term Reichskriegsflagge (, ) refers to several war flags and war ensigns used by the German armed forces in history. A total of eight different designs were used in 1848–1849 and between 1867–1871 and 1945. Today the term refers usually ...
. An explicitly Nazi faction broke away in 1941 under the name Breton Social-National Workers' Movement. During its existence, the PNB published a newspaper, ''
L'Heure Bretonne ''L'Heure Bretonne'' ("The Breton Times") was a Breton nationalist weekly newspaper which was published from June 1940 to June 1944. It was the organ of the Breton National Party and was strongly associated with collaborationist politics during Wor ...
''.


Literature

* Daniel Leach "'A sense of Nordism’: The impact of Germanic assistance upon the militant interwar Breton nationalist movement", in: ''
European Review of History The ''European Review of History'' (French: ''Revue européenne d'histoire'') is a peer-reviewed history journal. It covers all disciplines, geographic regions, and chronological periodsof history, with a focus on the history of the European cont ...
'', Vol. 17 (2010), No. 4, pp. 629–646.


See also

*
Breton nationalism and World War II Before and during World War II, the various Breton nationalist movements were generally right-wing, and sometimes fascist. The extent to which this led to collaboration with the Nazi occupiers of France during the war, together with their motiv ...
*
History of far-right movements in France The far-right (french: Extrême droite) tradition in France finds its origins in the Third Republic with Boulangism and the Dreyfus affair. The modern "far right" or radical right grew out of two separate events of 1889: the splitting off in the ...


References


External link

* {{Authority control Breton collaborators with Nazi Germany Breton nationalist parties National liberation movements Political parties in Brittany 1931 establishments in France 1944 disestablishments in France Fascist parties in France Fascist parties