School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Theses
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ItemA "mild and conciliating spirit"?: historiographical representations of Cardinal Fleury, 1743-1997( 1998)This thesis examines historiographical representations of the French statesman, André-Hercule, Cardinal Fleury, from his death in 1743 until the present day. While he has only been the subject of two biographies, many historians and other writers, both well-known and almost forgotten, have expressed an opinion of the character and administration of the cardinal-statesman. Fleury’s image has changed significantly over time, although, interestingly, nearly all historians agree on two things: that he was a peaceful man, with a strong desire to avoid war; and that he was never a heroic figure able to capture the popular imagination. From the ‘virtuous minister’ in ancien regime France, he acquired, between the Revolution and the Third Republic, the reputation as a weak, vacillating and talentless minister. The rehabilitation of the cardinal’s reputation began under the Third Republic, where historians were increasingly willing to concede that under Fleury’s regime, France made significant economic and foreign policy advances. But the minister’s positive image reached a zenith during the inter-war period, where, convinced of the need for peaceful solutions rather than armed conflict, conservative historians portrayed Fleury as a prudent, intelligent, even ‘great’ minister, the equal of his cardinal-minister predecessors Richelieu and Mazarin. In the two decades following World War Two, Fleury was almost forgotten by historians, although in the 1970s, with the rise of the popular biography, he again became the subject of some interest. In the last decade, a small number of historians has examined Fleury’s role in court politics and foreign policy. While they do not quite describe Fleury in the almost hagiographic terms of the 1930s, they agree on Fleury’s abilities as a minister, and as a master of court politics. The thesis concludes that representations of Fleury, or indeed, of any historical figure, depends on a variety of political and intellectual/methodological factors, as well as the individual beliefs of the writer. It is also clear that representations of Cardinal Fleury are likely to continue to evolve in the future.
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ItemZazou, Zazou Zazou-hé: a youth subculture in Vichy France, 1940-44( 2007)In the late 1930s, French singer Johnny Hess launched his career in the cabarets ofParis. In 1939, he released the hit song “Je Suis Swing”. The catchy chorus proclaimed: “Je suis swing, je suis swing, dadou dadou je m'amuse comme un fou, je suis swing, je suis swing, zazou zazou zazou-hé”. In the winter of 1941, an eccentric group of young people began to gather in cafes on the Champs-Elysées and in the Latin Quarter of Nazi occupied Paris. They called themselves Zazous. This thesis is a history of the Zazou youth subculture in press, film and literature. It uses contemporary popular culture to explain a socio-cultural phenomenon which emerged under the Vichy regime and the Nazi Occupation. Three case studies each introduce a different representation of the Zazous. The first case study is the caricature of the Zazou in the collaborationist press. The second case study is Richard Pottier's 1942 film Mademoiselle Swing. The third case study is the Zazou as literary subject in Boris Vian's Cent Sonnets and Vercoquin et le plancton. In reading the Zazou through a cultural prism, each chapter details a different element of the subculture's function within the "parent" culture. The collaborationist press were writing for supporters of the Vichy regime and actively promoting the values of the National Revolution. Mademoiselle Swing was a popular representation seeking a wide, perhaps even a mass, audience. Boris Vian wrote his novel and poetry from within the subculture itself; his intended audience was familiar. These case studies reveal as much about the Vichy regime as they do the Zazous: the subculture is a mirror in which Occupation culture is reflected. The Zazous posed real ideological problems for Vichy. However, in reacting so vehemently, the regime in fact magnified the Zazous' social influence. In examining the Zazous, not only does a defined "world" of youth emerge, but we also uncover the incoherent nature of the Vichy regime. The thesis also traces a chronological evolution of the Zazous from “Je Suis Swing” in 1939 to their effective dissolution with the introduction of the Service du Travail Obligatoire (STO) in the winter of 1942-43.