Pierre Poujade Analysis

The relationship between identity and France has been one colored by pride, lofty ambitions, and political fragmentation. Perhaps no Frenchmen represents this convoluted arrangement of ideals better than Pierre Poujade. As a simple shopkeeper, Poujade rose from an artisan background to become a French politician whose political views were as obscure as they were sharply worded. A truly polarizing figure, Poujade exploited the true weakness of the failed Fourth Republic, the inability to restore French identity and dignity post-World War 2. Through an analysis of the antecedents of Poujadism, a discussion of how Pierre Poujade saw himself, and conversely an overview of how the world saw Poujade, the true significance of Pierre Poujade will be revealed, …show more content…
Along the terms “wake up” and “revolt” that was written on an official Poujadist Electoral Poster from 1956, the phrase “trust us in our mission to bring back a meeting of the Estates General” was also written (cite). The Estates General, to rehash, was the preceding steps to the French Revolution and to which Poujade borrowed the same language to call for a restructuring of the French political regime. This was a daring reuse of revolutionary discourse and it shows how Poujade was using the historical significance of the French Revolution to bolster his campaign for office. By using the Republican language that the French prided themselves of, Poujade is making the argument that the French need to return to the ideals of 1789 to reclaim their lost identity. Poujade was, in a sense, a bull in a china shop, he was willing to say whatever and do whatever it took to accomplish his unfabricated goals. However, some of Poujade’s laissez-faire approach to politics earned him an unenviable reputation as “Poujadolphe” and his tactics employed during his campaign for office earned Poujade a great number of