What with the protracted recession and the secular decline of Europe in global economic and political affairs, the petty bourgeoisie is back. With her appeal to “common sense,” Marine Le Pen is leading France toward a return to national sovereignty (”Le Pen, Mightier than the Sword?” May 7, 2011). That is, a withdrawal from the euro and NATO, the introduction of tough immigration controls, the return to border controls and protectionism, a renewed industrialization, the support for job preference for French nationals, the reintroduction of the death penalty, and the like. The impoverished middle classes are finding all this increasingly appealing not only in France, but across the subcontinent. The sense of the common may also triumph in Italy, Spain, and even Germany. And Jean-Marie Le Pen’s plucky daughter may well become a strong leader beyond the borders of France. The return of petty bourgeoisie is driving Europe toward a common program that may soon develop a whiff of fascism or worse.