^aFaculté de Droit, CEPEL- Montpellier I University, 39 Rue de l'Université, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 2, France. E-mail: philippe.secondy@univ-montp3.fr

Abstract

In the 1990s, France was shaken by the violent actions of the Confédération de défense des commerçants et des artisans (CDCA — Confederation for the Defence of Shopkeepers and Craftsmen). This article shows that the aims of this organization were not confined to the defence of their interests. Instead, activists aimed to break the 'system'. Indeed, they considered that all the impediments to free enterprise were linked to choices made in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and that, they claimed, had the effect of making the country operate according to a Soviet-like model. This paper examines the leaders of the movement, their methods and their discourse. It also examines the links between the CDCA and both the Front national and the ultra-liberals in the mainstream right.