Welcome to Revanchist Review
My attraction to alliteration accounts (see what I mean) for part of the origin of the title of this site. The inelegance of the word blog leads me to avoid it at all cost.
My Gallic blood led me to select revanchist for the eponymous portion of the title. A revanchist is one who advocates a policy of revanche. In a political context this is a policy to recover lost ground. As a conservative in an ever more liberal country and Western culture, I am a restless revanchist, and there is much ground to be recovered.
In one of those Sebald-like segues I embarked upon as I ruminated on a possible title, I discovered one noteworthy proponent of revanchism was General George Ernest Jean Marie Boulanger (1837-1891). He was born in Rennes, Bretagne, France. My maternal grandmother was a Boulanger and along with all my grandparents was born in Bretagne.
General Boulanger had a distinguished military career and served in Algeria, Italy and Cochin-China. Both my father and father-in-law served in the Italian campaign of WWII. My father in-law entered the Italian campaign through North Africa. My paternal grandfather was a cabin boy in the French navy and merchant marine and was in Shanghai harbour during the Boxer Rebellion. These struck me as interesting threads in a tiny swatch of the great tapestry of history. The photo I plan to attach of myself was taken on a stone bench in a little courtyard in Honfleur, Normandie. It was from here Samuel de Champlain left on his three voyages to the New World.
I will share more of the old General's life with you in later postings. Suffice it to say he was a character who fought for reform as part of the Radical party under Clemenceau. His single-mindedness found him out of favour with his political bosses, but tremendously popular with the general public. His name became the theme for a popular Parisian song "C'est Boulanger qu'il nous faut". He was too politically incorrect to succeed to the role of President, but he was elected to the chamber for Cote du Nord and his political programme consisted of a demand for reforms to the Constitution. He came to a bloody and untimely end in exile.
I dedicate this site to the open exchange of ideas. My goal is to stimulate thought, and to encourage intelligent discussion, debate and argument concerning matters which I believe are important to us as Canadians.
Your are welcome to participate.
Ben Buan
July 20, 2004
My Gallic blood led me to select revanchist for the eponymous portion of the title. A revanchist is one who advocates a policy of revanche. In a political context this is a policy to recover lost ground. As a conservative in an ever more liberal country and Western culture, I am a restless revanchist, and there is much ground to be recovered.
In one of those Sebald-like segues I embarked upon as I ruminated on a possible title, I discovered one noteworthy proponent of revanchism was General George Ernest Jean Marie Boulanger (1837-1891). He was born in Rennes, Bretagne, France. My maternal grandmother was a Boulanger and along with all my grandparents was born in Bretagne.
General Boulanger had a distinguished military career and served in Algeria, Italy and Cochin-China. Both my father and father-in-law served in the Italian campaign of WWII. My father in-law entered the Italian campaign through North Africa. My paternal grandfather was a cabin boy in the French navy and merchant marine and was in Shanghai harbour during the Boxer Rebellion. These struck me as interesting threads in a tiny swatch of the great tapestry of history. The photo I plan to attach of myself was taken on a stone bench in a little courtyard in Honfleur, Normandie. It was from here Samuel de Champlain left on his three voyages to the New World.
I will share more of the old General's life with you in later postings. Suffice it to say he was a character who fought for reform as part of the Radical party under Clemenceau. His single-mindedness found him out of favour with his political bosses, but tremendously popular with the general public. His name became the theme for a popular Parisian song "C'est Boulanger qu'il nous faut". He was too politically incorrect to succeed to the role of President, but he was elected to the chamber for Cote du Nord and his political programme consisted of a demand for reforms to the Constitution. He came to a bloody and untimely end in exile.
I dedicate this site to the open exchange of ideas. My goal is to stimulate thought, and to encourage intelligent discussion, debate and argument concerning matters which I believe are important to us as Canadians.
Your are welcome to participate.
Ben Buan
July 20, 2004
posted by Ben Buan | 11:50 a.m.
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