Federalism, Self-Determination, and the Reshaping of French Regionalist Debate in the Aftermath of World War I
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11046077 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zantedeschi Francesca (0000-0001-7686-2270, University of Amsterdam), Francesca Zantedeschi (University of Amsterdam, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-21 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Nationalities Papers (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0090-5992 • E-ISSN: 1465-3923 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/nps.2025.10119 |
| OpenAlex | W7127051327 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 34 |
During World War I, national pride in France fostered solidarity and increased patriotism. However, after the war, the principles of self-determination and nationality reignited debates among young regionalists about federal reorganization in France and Europe. Federalism was seen as a way to promote peace in Europe and to protect national minorities within the state. This movement crystallized in 1927 when representatives from Alsace, Corsica, and Brittany established the Central Committee of National Minorities in France (CCMNF). The CCMNF advocated for self-determination and international federalism, suggesting that a federation of peoples could replace the modern state system. This structure would let each nationality decide its political status and cultural development. While the CCMNF marked a milestone in uniting minorities around federalist ideas, its efforts were slowed by the 1929 economic crisis and a resurgence of political tensions. This article examines the rise of regionalist federalism in 1920s France and its connection to the broader post-war discussions on self-determination. By placing this movement within the larger national debates on reorganizing the French state, it highlights federalism’s potential as a transformative framework for addressing political and cultural diversity
Federalism · Federalist · Nationality · Politics · Pride · Solidarity · State (computer science · World War II · European Political History Analysis · French Historical and Cultural Studies · North African History and Literature
Le pouvoir régional
The First World War and the Nationality Question in Europe
The Wilsonian Moment
Region and State in Nineteenth-Century Europe
The Regionalist Movement in France 1890-1914
The ‘Dogma of the Independence of Nations’
Peuples et Frontières
Le mythe fédéral en France
Les nationalistes bretons face aux projets européens, des années 1920 aux années 2000
Crossing borders
In Search of European Federalism
Justice, Order and Anarchy
Nation-building in the Provinces
Self-Determination
From Liberation to Purge Trials in the “Mythic Provinces”
Home‐rule versus non‐territorial autonomy? Western European national movements and their views on the minority question, 1919–1939
Popolo, diventa Stato!» Il nazionalismo bretone e fiammingo (1870-1945)
Regionalisme, federalisme et minorites nationales en France entre 1919 et 1939
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |