A French philosopher’s journey from fascist sympathizer to a pillar of neoliberal thought.
In short: Bertrand de Jouvenel led a life of profound ideological contradictions. Once a vocal supporter of fascism and a collaborator during the Nazi occupation of France, he later emerged as a key figure in the Mont Pelerin Society, shaping the intellectual foundations of modern economic liberalism and political theory.
Born in 1903 to French nobility, de Jouvenel’s early life was marked by scandal and political radicalization. By the 1930s, he had abandoned traditional politics, gravitating toward nationalist circles and interviewing Adolf Hitler in 1936. During the occupation of France, he advocated for a German-led reorganization of Europe, though he later claimed these actions were a cover for intelligence gathering. His private writings, however, reveal a genuine desire to see French institutions overhauled under the Nazi New Order.
The turning point arrived in 1942, when his outlook shifted toward resistance against state power. While in Swiss exile, he authored his magnum opus, On Power, published in 1945. This work caught the attention of prominent neoliberal thinkers like Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman. In 1947, he helped establish the Mont Pelerin Society, an influential organization dedicated to classical liberal principles, serving alongside its founding cohort of economists and philosophers.
De Jouvenel’s intellectual trajectory remained restless. By 1960, he grew disillusioned with his neoliberal peers, accusing them of adopting a rigid, dogmatic view that demonized the state while idealizing private enterprise. His later years saw a return to left-leaning sympathies, as he supported the 1968 student protests and the socialist politician François Mitterrand. His legacy remains contested; in 1983, he sued historian Zeev Sternhell for libel over accusations of fascist sympathies, winning a partial victory in court that nonetheless failed to silence the historical critique of his early career.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Bertrand de Jouvenel
- Also: www.britannica.com — Bertrand de Jouvenel | French social scientist | Britannica
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