1868
1952
Maurras, Carle (1868-1952)
Xénophon (1868-1952)
Garnier, Pierre (1868-1952)
Martin, Octave (1868-1952)
Rameau, Léon (1868-1952)
Maurras, Charles (1868-1952)
Né à Martigues le 20 avril 1868, Charles Maurras (1868-1952) est orphelin de père à six ans, atteint de surdité à 14 ans, et fait ses études à Aix-en-Provence, puis à Paris où il s'inscrit à la faculté des Lettres. Il écrit dans plusieurs revues, dontLa Réforme socialede Frédéric Leplay, lesAnnales de philosophie chrétienneet lePolybiblion littéraire(comptes-rendus d’ouvrages sociologiques). De 1886 à 1890, il rédige le feuilleton bibliographique (« Les livres de la semaine ») deL’Instruction publique, revue de l’enseignement supérieur d’inspiration conservatrice et libérale. Jusqu'en 1898, c'est dans laRevue encyclopédiqueque Maurras livre la plupart de ses articles littéraires. Il écrit aussi dansLa Libre ParoleetLe Soleil(organe royaliste).
Grand admirateur du poète Frédéric Mistral, pétri de culture classique (Virgile, Lucrèce, Racine) et moderne (Musset, Lamartine, Mistral), le jeune Maurras éprouve aussi un amour infini pour sa Provence natale. Il fait partie du Félibrige, mouvement pour la renaissance de la langue provençale et au début de 1892, il rédige la déclaration des Jeunes Félibres fédéralistes qui est soutenue par Mistral. Il ne s’agit plus seulement de défendre culturellement la Provence, mais d’engager une politique visant à donner un destin à cette terre et à son peuple.
De 1885 à 1889, Charles Maurras ne s'intéresse qu'à la philosophie mais le centenaire de la Révolution et le boulangisme qu'il soutient du bout des lèvres, ainsi que des recherches historiques en Provence, le conduisent à centrer sa réflexion sur la politique. Il est sensibilisé aux idées nationalistes de Barrès (il collabore à son journalLa cocarde), de Renan et d’Anatole France. Vers 1895-1896, il adhère aux idées monarchistes et soutient le comte de Paris. En septembre 1898, l'antisémitisme de Maurras le range dans le camp des antidreyfusards. Il prétend défendre la raison d'État, en soutenant l'armée coûte que coûte pour éviter le désastre d'une nouvelle guerre perdue contre l'Allemagne. Il rejoint la revue l’Action française, qu'il fait évoluer du nationalisme républicain au nationalisme royaliste. En 1905, il fonde la Ligue d'Action française — dont Henri Vaugeois est le président et Léon de Montesquiou le secrétaire général — pour lever des fonds en faveur deL'Action française, devenue l'organe de presse du mouvement. En mars 1908, paraît le premier numéro du quotidienL’Action française, né de la transformation de la revue mensuelle du même nom. Dans sonEnquête sur la monarchie(1900), Charles Maurras se prononce en faveur d’« une monarchie traditionnelle, héréditaire, antiparlementaire et décentralisée ». En 1911, il préside le Cercle Proudhon, lancé par de jeunes monarchistes hostiles au capitalisme libéral et appelant à l’union avec le courant syndicaliste révolutionnaire inspiré par Georges Sorel. Il reste, cependant, davantage influencé par les conceptions corporatistes et associationnistes du catholique social René de La Tour du Pin.
Pendant la Première guerre mondialeL'Action françaisedénonce avec virulence les antimilitaristes dont l'action concrète se traduit, selon elle, par un affaiblissement de la France, et les industriels, traitant selon elle avec l'Allemagne, accusant souvent sans preuve. Il en résulte de nombreux procès en diffamation. L'audience du journal grandit considérablement, on tire à 156 000 exemplaires en 1918. Au lendemain de la Première Guerre mondiale, Charles Maurras et son mouvement bénéficient d'un grand prestige dans une partie de l'opinion publique, bien au-delà de son courant politique, y compris dans l’élite politique républicaine. Cette popularité de l'Action française au lendemain de la Grande Guerre se traduit par l'élection de Léon Daudet comme député de Paris à la Chambre bleu horizon. L'assassinat de Marius Plateau en 1923, celui d'Ernest Berger en 1925 et d'autres attentats commis contre l'Action française contribuent aussi à créer un élan de solidarité autour de Charles Maurras.
Son talent littéraire donne à ses ouvrages théoriques une grande influence dans les milieux conservateurs cultivés de France, et ses qualités de polémiste lui assurent une réelle audience dans d'autres, comme à l'Académie française, à laquelle il est élu le 9 juin 1938. Avec plus de dix mille articles publiés entre 1886 et 1952, il demeure le journaliste politique et littéraire le plus prolifique de son siècle.
Après le 6 février 1934, siL'Action françaisegagne dix mille abonnés de plus, Maurras perd le magistère de la rébellion contre le régime auprès de certains des militants qui la quittent alors, comme Pierre de Bénouville, Jacques Renouvin, Michel de Camaret. La tentative de lynchage commise contre Léon Blum le 13 février 1936 représente l'aboutissement des campagnes violentes menées par le journalL'Action française, et en particulier l'appel au meurtre du député socialiste, formulé préalablement par Maurras le 9 avril 1935. Cet attentat pousse le gouvernement intérimaire, dirigé par le radical Albert Sarraut, à dissoudre la Ligue d’Action française, les camelots et la Fédération nationale des étudiants d'Action française. Maurras est condamné à quatre mois de prison ferme. Le 21 mars 1936, il est condamné à nouveau à huit mois de prison pour avoir, le 15 mai 1936, réitéré des menaces de mort contre Léon Blum ; il est emprisonné à la prison de la Santé du 20 octobre 1936 au 6 juillet 1937. Pendant sa captivité, Charles Maurras écrit chaque jour son article politique pour l’Action françaiseainsi que plusieurs ouvrages :Les Vergers sur la mer,Dans Arles aux temps des fées,Devant l’Allemagne éternelle,La Dentelle du rempartetMes idées politiques.
Bien qu'antigermaniste et anti-Hitler, Maurras défend les accords de Munich (29 et 30 septembre 1938), convaincu que la France n’est pas prête militairement et court à la défaite ; il tente également de détourner Mussolini de l'alliance avec Hitler. Dès que la guerre est déclarée, le 3 septembre 1939, Maurras reprend les accents bellicistes de l’Union sacrée. Jusqu’aux derniers combats de juin 1940, il apporte un soutien sans faille à l’effort de guerre, mais il approuve l’armistice comme la majorité des Français. Il apporte son soutien à Pétain, par souci de l'unité nationale et malgré son hostilité à l'égard de Pierre Laval, il reçoit des mains de Pétain la Francisque. Maurras est cependant regardé comme un adversaire par les autorités d'occupation qui font piller par la Gestapo les bureaux de l'Action française en raison de ses positions anti-allemandes. Maurras se proclame aussi « antigaulliste », qualifie les résistants de « terroristes », et se montre méfiant jusqu'en 1944 envers la France libre et le soutien des Alliés.
Arrêté peu après la Libération de Paris, Maurras est jugé par la cour de justice de Lyon et déclaré coupable, le 28 janvier 1945, de haute trahison et d'intelligence avec l'ennemi, et condamné à la réclusion criminelle à perpétuité et à la dégradation nationale. Par cette condamnation il est aussi exclu automatiquement de l'Académie française. Il est emprisonné sept mois à Riom puis à Clairvaux et transféré en août 1951 à l'hôtel-Dieu de Troyes.
Entre 1945 et 1952, Charles Maurras rédige quelques-uns de ses textes les plus importants, dont certains seront publiés après sa mort. Bien qu'affaibli, il collabore sous le pseudonyme d'« Octave Martin » àAspects de la France, journal fondé par des maurrassiens en 1947, à la suite de l'interdiction de l'Action française.
Le 21 mars 1952, il bénéficie d'une grâce médicale accordée par le président Auriol et meurt peu de temps après, le 16 novembre 1952.
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