Villains make for good stories. French history, literature, and cinema are fascinating,
ergo there has to be a great cast of French villains, non?
Here are ten of them in all their villainous glory, but in no particular order. Keep in mind
that villainy is often in the eye of the beholder. If you liked your fries "à la liberté," then
that can amp up a villainous quotient. A French villain in the US is often a hero across
the pond. For a detailed look at what leads a great statesman to the hell of infamy, see my
biography "Éminence : Cardinal Richelieu and the Rise of France" (Walker & Company/Bloomsbury USA, 2011).
Before I begin, a word to les amis and the francophiles who like their history sanitized,
perhaps because they take too literally writer Ernest Renan's injunction that forgetting a
few pages of history is essential to national cohesion: get over it. Renan was wrong, and
that takes nothing away from France. Besides, there is no such thing as bad publicity.
Michael Giltz: Theater: Newsies Not So Hot Off the Press
Christopher R. Smit, Ph.D.: R.I.P. REM: What We Really Lose
Austin Carty: Brandon Hantz's Faith Is Holding Survivor Contestant Back
David Evanier: All the Things You Are: The Life of Tony Bennett
And for Robespierre, you should know that "his leadership in the infamous Committee of Public Safety" is a myth. The only evidence that Robespierre had more power than Barère is the claim of Barère himself after the death of Robespierre. It's actually very likely that Barère, Collot d'Herbois, Billaud-Varenne, Carrier, Fouché, Tallien, Rovère, Louchet, etc used Robespierre as a scapegoat for their own crimes.
Of course, Robespierre committed crimes himself but he faced a war with most of Europe and a civil war at the same time. Beyond that, he abolished slavery, established universal suffrage (only male unfortunately) and supported equal rights for all citizens... and he was one of the very rare honest politician to have ever lived. Surely, he deserves a little more credit.
What is braver: demagoguing from London or governing from Paris?
If Britain would have been taken by Germany does anyone really think de Gaulle would have returned to France to face any type of trial? Or would de Gaulle have been on the next boat/plane to Canada behaving snobbishly all the way to Montreal or Quebec City.
Le Chiffre.
French.
Educated and anti-imperialist French clearly understand that Bonaparte cynically used and perverted noble French Republican ideals into limitless imperialist megalomania.
I love Les Misérables, so I have a soft spot for the Thénardiers (even as a non-villain, Éponine is my favourite character!).
Historically, Robspierre killed la Rèvolution, so I truly hate the man. I feel humanity would be much further along if the First Republic had been longer lived. Pètain is pretty loathsome too - he gives anglophones the awful stereotype of the surrendering collaborationist.
Charles de Gaulle was the greatest French statesman of the 20th century.
Your (funny) comment reminds me of a message about "the Brits and the Yankees who sort out the world while the French sit around eating snails" that an English internet user had posted in a forum. Ah, humor!
Eagles are majestic birds. Pretentious p.r.i.c.k.s belong to another species, don't they?
This from an Americanophile and an Anglophile.