Making a wor(l)d of difference? The National Front’s anti-pluralist stands and their evolution over time

International audience; The French National Front/Rally (FN/RN) is often presented as an epitome of far-right parties in Europe. As early as the 1980s, this party started to deploy a strategy of de-demonization to broaden its electoral basis and forge alliances with the traditional right. In light of this strategy, the aim of this chapter is to assess whether – and to what extent – this party still represents a threat to democracy and, more precisely, to democratic pluralism. We examine the ideas, proposals, and reforms advocated by the FN/RN that appear to be against the principles and values of pluralism. A common view of the FN/RN over the last two decades is that of a shift initiated by Marine Le Pen when taking over the party in 2011. We thus develop and bring to a test a series of hypotheses based on the idea of leadership changes affecting party identity and organization. We assess the depth of the ideological shift by analyzing and comparing the manifestos of Jean-Marie and Marine Le Pen over the last four presidential contests.