Boulanger’s near-successful coup attempt failed through hesitation, not weakness

Evidence

General Boulanger (1837 91) was French Minister of War in 1886. He symbolised the idea of revanche (against Germany after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71) in the popular consciousness. The government became afraid of his popularity, and of his tractations with monarchist forces. They dismissed him, and posted him to Clermont-Ferrand. He founded a Boulangist party, which called for a new Constituent Assembly, a military regeneration of the nation, and reform of “the abuses of parliamentarism”. Elected with a huge majority to the National Assembly, he appeared likely to attempt a coup —which could well have succeeded—but in fact hesitated, and subsequently fled the country fearing imminent arrest (1889). — Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 2080

Categorization

• XREF: Serves as a concrete historical example of Gramsci’s distinction between war of maneuver and war of position — a failed direct assault on the state that never materialized.