L'École de l'air : contribution à l'histoire de élites militaires de la République
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Lyon 2Disciplines:
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Abstract EN:
The air arm was a latecomer to the french defence assets (1910) and those who served it had an uphill struggle to secure their right to the place which is theirs today within the military elites. Now the durability of this new component depended upon its capacity to reproduce itself, hence upon the establishment of a dedicated higher education institution. The "ecole de l'air" came of age between 1935 and 1941. Recruitment processes underwent considerable change over a period of fifty years but all this time their aim remained remarkably constant : only those candidates who had the capacity to attain a high level of training were to be admitted. That training is not only a means of providing the nation's defence with highly-skilled personnel but also a guaranty that air force officers durably enjoy senior executive status within society. A socio-cultural survey of four sample-entries shows that a majority of cadets belong to civil as well as military dominant classes and qualifies the theory according to which the armed forces - the air force at any rate - help climb the social ladder. The process whereby a cadet is turned into an officer appears to be complex : while each "ecole de l'air" trainee must graduate as an officer, an engineer and a branch expert, the institution is expected to adapt to changing french defence policy. Moreover each successive entry needs to acquire the corporate spirit and service ethics which are trademark of the air force. Hence the combination of official ceremonies (baptemes) with non-official traditions (bizutages).
Abstract FR:
L'arme aerienne vint completer tardivement (1910) l'outil de defense de la france et ceux qui la servirent durent lutter aprement pour conquerir une place a part entiere au sein des elites militaires. Or, la perennite de cette composante nouvelle dependait de sa capacite de reproduction, donc de la creation d'une grande ecole specifique. L'ecole de l'air s'imposa entre les annees 1935 et 1941. Les modalites de recrutement evoluerent considerablement sur un demi-siecle, mais en visant un objectif remarquablement constant : n'accepter que des candidats qui aient la capacite d'atteindre un haut niveau de formation. Ce dernier, tout a la fois, permet de mettre a la disposition de la defense de la nation des cadres tres competents et garantit le maintien des officiers de l'air dans les couches dirigeantes de la societe. L'etude socioculturelle de quatre promotions -tests revele l'appartenance de la majorite des eleves-officiers aux categories dominantes (civiles et militaires), et relativise la contribution de l'armee (du moins celle de l'air) a la promotion sociale. Le processus qui transforme l'eleve en officier s'avere complexe : l'ecole de l'air doit, tout a la fois - et ce, en s'adaptant aux mutations de la politique francaise de defense -, former un cadre militaire, un ingenieur et un specialiste. Par surcroit, il faut transmettre a chaque promotion l'esprit particulier a ce grand corps de l'etat qu'est l'armee de l'air. Pour ce faire, les pratiques officieuses (bizutages) et officielles (baptemes) se conjuguent.