Breiz Atao (in Breton

Breton language

Breton is a Celtic language spoken in Brittany , France. Breton is a Brythonic language, descended from the Celtic British language brought from Great Britain to Armorica by migrating Britons during the Early Middle Ages. Like the other Brythonic languages, Welsh and Cornish, it is classified as...

 Brittany For Ever), was a Breton nationalist journal in the mid-twentieth century. The term is also used for the broader movement associated with the journal's political position.

Founded in 1918 in the aftermath of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

, Breiz Atao would exist throughout the inter-war years. It was highly influenced by the Irish War of Independence

Irish War of Independence

The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...

, which began in 1916 and whose aftermath ran into the 1920s. Early on it adopted an official pan-Celtic

Pan-Celticism

Pan-Celticism is the name given to various political and cultural movements and organisations that promote greater contact between the Celtic nations.-Types of Pan-Celticism:Pan-Celticism can operate on one or all of the following levels listed below:...

 policy. In its later years it became associated with a Nordicist

Nordic theory

The Nordic race is one of the racial subcategories into which the Caucasian race was divided by anthropologists in the first half of the 20th century...

 blood and soil

Blood and soil

Blood and Soil refers to an ideology that focuses on ethnicity based on two factors, descent and homeland/Heimat...

 ideology with aspects in common with Nazism

Nazism

Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...

. It ceased publication in 1940, but was revived for an individual issue that appeared in 1944.

Creation

The journal was first published in January 1919. Initially the editorial group focussed mostly on cultural aspects of Brittany, but very soon the journal evolved into the official forum of the Breton autonomist movement. Its founders were Camille Le Mercier d'Erm

Camille Le Mercier d'Erm

Camille Le Mercier d'Erm was a French poet, historian and Breton nationalist. He later adopted the neo-Bardic name Kammermor. He is also known as Kamil Ar Merser 'Erm, the Breton language form of his name...

, Job Loyant, Morvan Marchal

Morvan Marchal

Morvan Marchal , is the Breton name of Maurice Marchal, an architect and a militant Breton nationalist. He is best known for having designed the national flag of Brittany.-Biography:...

 and Job de Roincé

Job de Roincé

Job de Roincé , was a French journalist and writer, and also one of the founding figures of Breton nationalism.- Biography :...

. It was founded by the Groupe Régionaliste Breton, presided by Job Breiz, collaborating with Korentin Kerlann). They were soon joined by young intellectuals Yann Bricler, Olier Mordrel

Olier Mordrel

Olier Mordrel is the Breton language version of Olivier Mordrelle, a Breton nationalist and wartime collaborator with the Third Reich who founded the separatist Breton National Party. Before the war he worked as an architect. His architectural work was influenced by Art Deco and the International...

 and François Debauvais, who soon took up important roles within the group.

Breiz Atao organised a congress in September 1927 in Rosporden

Rosporden

Rosporden is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.The small city specializes in the manufacture of "chouchen," a version of mead native to Bretagne, and is known as "The Capital of Chouchen."-Population:...

 at which the Breton Autonomist Party

Breton Autonomist Party

The Breton Autonomist Party was a political party which existed in Brittany from 1927 to 1931-Origin:The party was created at the first congress of the nationalist journal Breiz Atao in Rosporden on September 1927. It followed from establishment of the Unvaniez Yaouankiz Vreiz...

 (Parti Autonomiste Breton, or PAB) was founded. At its first meeting Maurice Duhamel

Maurice Duhamel

Maurice Duhamel , was the pen-name of Maurice Bourgeaux, a Breton musician, writer and activist who was a leading figure in Breton nationalism and federalist politics in the years before World War II.-Early life:...

 was charged with maintaining links with wider political movements in France, in particular the French left wing, and became chief-editor of Breiz Atao. He gave the PAB a leftist and federalistic stance.

However during the April 11, 1931 congress, the PAB fractured into different factions. The factionalism led to the abandonment of the journal Breiz Atao, which was briefly replaced by the journal "War Sao", run by the nationalist faction in Trégor

Trégor

Trégor is one of the nine provinces of Brittany, in its northwestern area. It comprises the western part of the department of Côtes-d'Armor and a small part of the northeast of Finistère, as far as the river Morlaix...

, Goëlo and Cornouaille

Cornouaille

Cornouaille is a historic region in Brittany, in northwest France. The name is identical to the French name for the Duchy of Cornwall, since the area was settled by migrant princes from Cornwall...

, who were preaching full Breton independence.

Drift towards fascism

On December 27, 1931, in Landerneau

Landerneau

Landerneau is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.It lies at the mouth of the Elorn River which divides the Breton provinces of Cornouaille and Léon, east of Brest...

, the first congress of the new Parti National Breton

Breton National Party

The Breton National Party was a nationalist party in Brittany that existed from 1931 to 1944. The party was disbanded after the liberation of France in World War II, because of ties to the Nazi party....

 took place. Breiz Atao reappeared as the mouthpiece of the militants led by Olier Mordrel

Olier Mordrel

Olier Mordrel is the Breton language version of Olivier Mordrelle, a Breton nationalist and wartime collaborator with the Third Reich who founded the separatist Breton National Party. Before the war he worked as an architect. His architectural work was influenced by Art Deco and the International...

 and François Debauvais.

In March 1933, Breiz Atao published a draft political programme, drawn up by Mordrel. In this program, Mordrel created a proposed constitution for an independent Breton state, to which the French state should concede some of its resources, including overseas colonies, art, libraries, industrial equipment etc. Its borders would be determined "by way of a plebiscite". He also suggested the exclusion of foreigners from citizenship, and of all persons of mixed race; people from a Nordic

Nordic theory

The Nordic race is one of the racial subcategories into which the Caucasian race was divided by anthropologists in the first half of the 20th century...

 background would be given preference. The new state should ensure "control of youth's education, designed to make men physically and morally healthy".

In July 1940, at a Pontivy

Pontivy

Pontivy is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It lies at the confluence of the river Blavet and the Canal de Nantes à Brest.-History:...

 congress, Debeauvis and Mordrel decided on editing a new journal, "L'Heure Bretonne

L'Heure Bretonne

L'Heure Bretonne was a Breton nationalist weekly newspaper which was published from June 1940 to June 1944. It was the organ of the Breton National Party and was strongly associated with collaborationist politics during World War II....

" (The Breton Hour). This journal succeeded Breiz Atao. However Célestin Lainé

Célestin Lainé

Célestin Lainé was a Breton nationalist and collaborator during the Second World War who led the SS affiliated Bezen Perrot militia. His Breton language name is Neven Hénaff. He was a chemical engineer by training. After the war he lived in Ireland.- Breton terrorism :He was born in 1908 in Nantes...

, head of Bezen Perrot

Bezen Perrot

The Bezen Perrot was a Breton collaborationist force during the Nazi occupation of France that grew from the earlier Lu Brezhon militia. Led by Célestin Lainé and Alan Heusaff, as many as 70 to 80 people joined the ranks of the Bezen Perrot, or "Perrot Unit", at one point or another...

, an SS affiliated militia, printed a one-off special issue in 1944, containing the recently deceased Debeauvais's statement of support for Lainé's activities.