La Cagoule
La Cagoule (The Cowl; founded in 1936) was a French fascist-leaning and anti-communist terrorist group that used violence to promote its activities, in the final years of the Third Republic and into the Vichy Regime.
| La Cagoule (The Cowl) | |
|---|---|
| Leader | Eugène Deloncle |
| Dates of operation | 1936–1938 |
| Country | France |
| Motives | Overthrow of Popular Front government |
| Ideology | French nationalism Fascism Anti-communism Antisemitism |
| Political position | Far-right |
| Major actions | Assassinations, bombings, sabotage |
| Means of revenue | Industrialists such as Eugène Schueller of L'Oréal |
| Opponents | French Third Republic |
It opposed the left-wing Popular Front (in office, June 1936 to 1938). La Cagoule was founded by Eugène Deloncle. Among others, the founder of the cosmetics company L'Oréal, Eugène Schueller, bankrolled the clandestine movement.
The group performed assassinations, bombings, sabotage of armaments, and other violent activities, some intended to cast suspicion on communists through false flag operations and to add to political instability. Planning a November 1937 overthrow of the French government, La Cagoule was infiltrated by the police, and the national government arrested and imprisoned about 70 men. At the outbreak of World War II (September 1939), the government released the men to fight in the French Army. Some supported other right-wing organizations and participated in the Vichy government of 1940–1944; others joined the Free French of Charles de Gaulle. It was not until 1948 that the government tried surviving members for the charges of 1937.