Since the writings of Villatoux on psychological warfare, whose importance is fading from state memory, the issue of information warfare has resurfaced based on Anglo-Saxon theories. The various types of conflicts that have occurred since the Gulf War have highlighted the need to re-examine the problem. However, this “importation” of knowledge has led to a reductionist approach to the issue of information warfare. The American failure in Afghanistan has seriously called into question the relevance of importing this knowledge as it is still formulated in NATO writings. To move beyond this rather penalizing “follower posture,” the CR451 of the École de Guerre Économique has decided to dedicate podcasts 35/36/37 of its series “50 Years of Information Warfare” to launching the methodological foundations of a unified French information warfare culture. This podcast #35 initiates an approach aimed at constructing a unified understanding of information warfare, particularly by addressing the manipulation of historical event restitution. The objective is to adopt an active stance towards historical material, seeking to exploit the antagonisms and contradictions of the forces at play in service of a strategy. This analysis relies on the notion of lines of force to decipher the meaning of the adversary’s actions. The method is applied to the analysis of the crisis of patriotism in France, examining three crucial defeats: 1815, 1871, and 1940.
