Fraternity: France’s most famous legal mystery

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In France, fraternity is as self-evident as it is ignored. The notion has followed a truly astonishing trajectory: it incarnates the conceptual shift in political thought brought about by the Revolution – so much so that it has embodied its most extreme distortions; from the Reign of Terror to the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century. It would then be reinterpreted by sincere republicans and stripped of its demiurgic dimension. Thus, it gradually became the banner of a pacified democratic nation. Republic after republic, it has been at the institutional heart of our nation since 1880. As the climax of our subtle republican motto, its mere mention calls forth the essence of our collective, liberal and secular endeavour. It also evokes the nation’s shared moments of emotion – be they solemn or joyful. In a way, the French Constitutional Council was able to draw the lessons that fraternity had imparted, by making it a superior principle in French law.