Rodin’s Political Formation

This flow follows Marc Rodin’s military experiences and political disillusionment into the leadership of the OAS assassination project.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Soldier from the Ranks

A Soldier from the Ranks Escape and enlistment Marc Rodin leaves occupied France for England by fishing boat and joins the Free French. His rise comes through combat rather than elite education, shaping his enduring identification with soldiers who earn authority through sacrifice. Resentment takes root After the war, educated officers advance past him. Rodin’s experience gives him practical discipline, but also a growing belief that civilian institutions and politicians undervalue the military.

Indochina’s Betrayal

Indochina’s Betrayal Combat and conviction Rodin serves in Indochina and becomes convinced that France could have won with sufficient political support. The withdrawal deepens his hostility toward politicians and the public he believes abandoned the soldiers. A pattern of grievance His interpretation turns military defeat into moral betrayal. That conviction later makes compromise over Algeria seem to him like a repetition of the same national failure.

The Algerian Campaign

The Algerian Campaign A promised cause Rodin serves in Algeria expecting the territory to remain French. He moves from rural combat into the brutal urban conflict, where counterinsurgency and reprisals intensify his hatred of political opponents. A radicalized officer His methods earn him a fearful reputation, while his certainty narrows. The army becomes, in his view, the last institution capable of defending French power and identity.

Faith in de Gaulle

Faith in de Gaulle A soldier’s hope When Charles de Gaulle returns to power and invokes French Algeria, Rodin believes the General will give the army decisive support. De Gaulle seems to embody the soldierly authority Rodin has long wanted. Disillusionment As policy shifts toward Algerian independence, Rodin’s admiration becomes hatred. The political leader he expected to save the cause becomes, in his eyes, its betrayer.

From Putsch to Assassination

From Putsch to Assassination Defeat and exile Rodin joins the failed 1961 Algiers putsch and enters the OAS after the revolt collapses. He eventually becomes operations chief in exile, combining ideological certainty with a practical talent for organization. A new method After prior plots fail and Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry is executed, Rodin chooses an outsider. His final political act is to convert defeat into a carefully financed assassination attempt.

World War II

After the First Indochina War

1956 to 1958

1958 to 1960

1961 to March 1963