France’s newest hero Marc Bloch’s ascent to the Pantheon could not be more timely

Marc Bloch's ascent to the Pantheon could not be more timely, says Frida Ghitis .

Ghitis: President Emmanuel Macron has long been fascinated by Bloch .

He says Bloch was a leftist who considered it his ineluctable duty to fight and die for his homeland, a committed republican transfixed by medieval kingship, a secularist who sought to mentally inhabit the most intensely religious period in the history of man—through his life and work.

Frida Ghitis : Bloch turned away from the political and military developments that feature so heavily in medieval chronicles, focusing instead on economic, social, and even psychological phenomena.

She says Bloch ’s work also brought broader changes to historiography.

Ghitis writes that Bloch was ruthless toward those who held authority, whether military (“our High Command, finding itself face to face with novelty not only experienced defeat, but, like a boxer grown fat, accepted it”.

As France closes out 2024 , the kind of ecumenical, hard-headed nationalism that Bloch embodied looks increasingly necessary.

The reopening of Notre Dame may be adduced as at least partial evidence of success, writes Frida Ghitis .

The new addition affords the nation an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of one of its greatest sons.