Citroën & Citroënism

In this original work on the history of Citroën, Joël Broustail constructs a transversal historical story, from the personality of André Citroën to the constitution of a global industrial group, including the upheavals of History, from the Belle Époque to the 21st century. He describes “Citroënism” as a historical expression of automobile fascination, among other automobile religions of the 20th century. It analyzes, based on Citroën, the issue of innovation in business strategies. He contrasts Michelin’s management of Citroën (from 1935 to 1974) with Peugeot’s management since 1974, which led to an erosion of the brand’s image, further accelerated since its integration into Stellantis. Based on a meticulous story, with abundant sources and statistical apparatus, this multidisciplinary work integrates technological dimensions, with a detailed study of the technical choices made by Citroën, as well as financial ones, with the analysis of financial and accounting documents, cultural and societal dynamics, with the place of the automobile in society and the imagination, political forces, from the dominant anti-Semitism of the first 20th century to industrial public policies, etc. The author then engages in a broader reflection on the challenge of innovation in the French and European mature environment: what reflections and hypotheses can we draw from this historical and industrial saga for the economist or politician? How, in particular, can we reconcile entrepreneurial freedom, economic dynamism and the contemporary imperatives of universal social protection and sustainable development?