In this last episode of our series, we look back at the political legacy of one of the most powerful families in France. MP, senator or mayor, the Dassault dynasty cultivates a taste for electoral mandates and is familiar with the Presidents of the Republic. A story by Emilie Lanez, senior reporter at L’Express.
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The team: Charlotte Baris (presentation), Léa Bertrand (writing) Jules Krot (editing and direction)
Credits: France 5, RMC, Public Senate
Music and dressing: Emmanuel Herschon/Studio Torrent
Logo: Jérémy Cambour
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Charlotte Baris: In the 1950s, Marcel Dassault was already an influential businessman. He owns Dassault Aviation, and dominates the French aeronautical industry. But his ambitions don’t stop there. The patriarch wants to get involved in public life and have weight in the political debates of his time.
So when Robert Hersant, founder of the press group of the same name, offered to buy The Gazette de l’Oise, the industrialist jumped at the opportunity. He does not see it as a simple newspaper: but as an instrument of influence. Oise, with its Dassault factories in Méru and Chantilly, is already a territory with solid industrial roots. Marcel Dassault sees this as a way to strengthen his ties with this region and its inhabitants.
This is how the big boss develops a passion for the department. To the point of getting involved in local political life: he was elected deputy for Oise in 1958. And was re-elected without interruption until his death in 1986.
His son, Serge, shares his father’s political ambitions. From the town hall of Corbeil-Essonnes to the Elysée, the Dassault dynasty has established itself as an influential player behind the scenes of power…
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