1900–1945
The journal was formally registered in July 1901. The readers were typically clerks, skilled workers and young clergymen. Given the choice of rebuilding the state in a Christian model, reforming society through Christian social, political and professional institutions, or bringing a Christian spirit to a secular society, the journal alternated between the latter two. This reflected the divergent views of its leaders. Berne and Gonin leaned towards the second view, and Critinon, Vialatoux and Hughes towards the third.
From 1904 the Chronique sponsored study weeks (semaines sociales) each year that were attended by leading French social catholic activists. Marius Gonin founded the semaines sociales aided by Adéodat Boissard and Henri Lorin. For the next five years these "social weeks" were the main place for exchange of progressive social ideas within the church. Attendees discussed questions such as socialism, class struggle, strikes, factory abuses and liberation of the working classes. Other issues included Labor Contracts (1909, Bordeaux), Economic Role of the State (1922, Strasbourg), Women in Society (1927, Nancy) and The Disorder in the International Economy and Christian Thought (1932, Lille). The Chronique des Comités du Sud-Est became the publishing arm of the Semaine sociale, and the base for its secretariat. It published the Actes des Semaines sociales de France that recorded the proceedings of the annual meetings.
The journal changed its name to La Chronique du Sud-Est. Between April 1908 and March 1909 the Chronique du Sud-Est published three articles by Joseph Vialatoux that criticized the right-wing Action Française . The journal became the Chronique sociale in 1909. Victor Carlhian joined the journal before World War I, contributed articles and became a member of the management committee. From 1909 the journal appeared monthly, and would continue to do so during the remainder of the French Third Republic and throughout the French Fourth Republic (1946–58).
A separate but related limited liability company was created in 1920 to undertake publishing. Between 1921 and 1930 twelve regional secretariats were created, federated into a national union. The Chronique sociale de France remained socially progressive. Despite this, in 1932 it published a study of the ideas of the nationalist Catholic Charles Maurras that compared him to Aristotle. Marius Gonin died in 1937 and was succeeded as secretary-general of the Semaines sociales by Joseph Folliet. Folliet directed the Chronique until 1964, and remained involved until his death in 1972. Before World War II (1939-45) the Chronique opposed Franco and the Nazis, often going against public opinion. During the war Folliet was mobilized and taken prisoner. He returned to Lyon in 1942 and devoted himself to the Chronique.
Post-War
In 1945 the Chronique sociale de France published a special issue Autour du Marxism (About Marxism). The authors tried to remain objective. They discussed Marxist dialectics, Marxism as an expression of the proletariat philosophy and the relationship of Marxism to religion. The journal published the testimony of Pierre Tiberghien in 1952 with a preface that called it a description of the way a Frenchman thought of the activity French Social Catholics, which might not be applicable elsewhere. During the Algerian War (1954–62) Joseph Folliet and Claude Bernardin established the Lyons Committee for the respect of human rights. The Chronique denounced military and civil abuses in Algeria.
Books published during the 1960s included Introduction to family issues (1960), Social security and Victory over Death (1962), Control or Regulation of Birth (1963), Adam and Eve, humanity and sexuality (1966). In the 1960s the journal was concerned with topics such as the future organization of companies and industries, changes in the nature of labor unions, growing specialization of labor and the expanding middle classes. The tone was more that of social engineers than Christians. A board of directors was set up in 1967 to oversee the education and research activities.
The Chronique Sociale today has the objectives of raising awareness of social change and encourage cooperation and respect for individuals. It supports the related activities of research, discussion, training and publishing. The books are organized within five main collections: understanding people, understanding society, education and training, communicating and ways of thinking.
Joseph-Napoléon-Henri Bourassa was a French Canadian political leader and publisher. In 1899, Bourassa was outspoken against the British government's request for Canada to send a militia to fight for Britain in the Second Boer War. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier's compromise was to send a volunteer force, but the seeds were sown for future conscription protests during the World Wars of the next half-century. Bourassa unsuccessfully challenged the proposal to build warships to help protect the empire. He led the opposition to conscription during World War I and argued that Canada's interests were not at stake. He opposed Catholic bishops who defended military support of Britain and its allies. Bourassa was an ideological father of French-Canadian nationalism. Bourassa was also a defining force in forging French Canada's attitude to the Canadian Confederation of 1867.
Godefroid Kurth (1847–1916) was a celebrated Belgian historian and pioneering Christian democrat. He is known for his histories of the city of Liège in the Middle Ages and of Belgium, his Catholic account of the formation of modern Europe in Les Origines de la civilisation moderne, and his defence of the medieval guild system.
Boris Souvarine, also known as Varine, was a French Marxist, communist activist, essayist and journalist.
La Clayette is a commune in the east-central French department of Saône-et-Loire, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
The Centre-Sud is a neighbourhood located in the easternmost edge of the Ville-Marie borough of the city of Montreal.
Fred Poché is a French philosopher. Bachelor of philosophy, higher degree in language sciences from the University of Paris III : Sorbonne nouvelle, PhD in philosophy, and accreditation awarded (Habilitation) by the University of Strasbourg as supervisor of doctoral students. He is professor of contemporary philosophy at the Catholic University of the West in Angers. His research concerns social philosophy and covers the following fields: recognition, dignity, vulnerability, memories, wounds, racism, contextuality and politics.
Louvain Coopération is a Belgian International non-governmental organization (INGO) located in the university city of Louvain-la-Neuve. This organization is a member of the Federation of Development Cooperation NGO (Acodev). The NGO was founded by members of the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) and is an important part of the Belgian universities NGO grouping (Uni4coop), It operates on an annual budgetary basis of around €8 million, and is active in about 40 projects distributed in nine countries of the world, if you count Belgium. Its fields of activity are: health, including mental health and in specific gender-related contexts, food security, microeconomy, mutual organization and international solidarity.
Paul Delesalle was a French anarchist and syndicalist who was prominent in the trade union movement. He started work as a machinist, became a journalist, and later became a bookseller, publisher and writer.
Victor Carlhian was a French manufacturer who was involved in various ecumenical Christian societies, published a review and published Christian and moral tracts.
Claude Marie Joseph Dupuy was a French Catholic priest who became Archbishop of Albi, which encompasses the department of Tarn in southern France. He held office at a time of social unrest and declining interest in the priesthood. In 1966 he was an episcopal member of the Pontifical Commission on Birth Control. After his retirement in 1974 due to health problems he returned his award of the Legion of Honour in protest against the law on abortion.
Joseph Vialatoux was a French Catholic philosopher based in Lyon, a leading member of the Catholic social activist Chronique sociale. He had liberal Christian democratic views. He was a prolific author, and an early critic of the right-wing Action Française.
Michel Chartier, is a French priest and journalist.
Vincent Delecroix is a French philosopher and writer. A graduate from the École normale supérieure, and agrégé of philosophy, a specialist of Søren Kierkegaard on whom he did his doctoral thesis, he has taught philosophy of religion at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes as a lecturer. Also a novelist, he received the Prix Valery Larbaud in 2007 for Ce qui est perdu and the Grand prix de littérature de l'Académie française after he published Tombeau d'Achille. His literary and philosophical work is attentive to existential acts and experiences, such as love, singing and the sacred.
The Besançon Commune was a short-lived revolutionary movement conceived and developed in 1871, aiming at the proclamation of a local autonomous power based on Lyon and Paris experiences. It originates from sociological upheavals which metamorphosed the city ·, and with the emergence of unions including a section of IWA in connection with the future Jura Federation · · · ·. The Franco-Prussian War, the fall of the Second Empire, and the advent of the Third Republic, precipitate events ·. While many notables testify to an insurrectional context and armed support from Switzerland is getting organized · ·, the correspondence left by James Guillaume and Mikhail Bakunin · attest to a planned release between the end of May and the beginning of June 1871. However, with the start of the Semaine sanglante on May 21 and the pursuit of an internal campaign until June 7, any attempt was seriously compromised. Despite the hope of a restart, the weeks and months following the idea of an insurrection is definitively abandoned reinforced by the extinction of the groups and activities called anarchists from 1875.
Gilbert Blardone was a French economist.
Saint Simplicius of Vienne, otherwise Simplides, was a bishop of Vienne in the Dauphiné, France, from around the end of the fourth century and the beginning of the fifth century. He is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church.
Saint Paschasius of Vienne was a bishop of Vienne in the Dauphiné, France, in the early fourth century. He is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church.
Saint Hesychius or Isicius was a bishop of Vienne in the Dauphiné, France. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church.
Julian of Vienne was a bishop of Vienne in France of the first half of the sixth century, approximately between 520 and 530. He is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church and attended a number of early church synods.
