French Politics and Society

by Alistair Cole

Overview

In this undergraduate text, Cole (European studies, Cardiff U.) examines the origin of modern France, its institutions and power structure, political forces and representation, and the ways it has come to define its society, economy, and identity. He describes the theories behind the changes in the implications of full participation in society through citizenship, the traditional and new interpretations of French political culture, and the role of national, regional, and local governments and cultural identity in administering services and providing representation. He includes descriptions of active political parties and their impact on the process of governance, and how a system with a wide range of political foci produces public policy. In this second edition Cole accounts for recent developments, including the new role of the judicial, the impact of interest groups, and pressures for economic convergence in the European Union. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2901138941419
Publication date:	04/27/2017
Pages:	342
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Alistair Cole is Professor of Comparative Politics at the Institute of Political Studies, Lyon, France and Professor of European Politics at Cardiff University, UK. He has published extensively in the field of French and comparative European politics.

Table of Contents

	List of illustrations	ix
	List of tables	x
	Preface	xi
	Acknowledgements	xiii
	List of abbreviations	xiv
	A glossary of difficult expressions	xvi
	A guide to further reading	xviii
Part 1	The making of modern France
1	The making of modern France	3
1.1	Introduction	3
1.2	The ancien regime	4
1.3	The French Revolution: the making of modern France	5
1.4	The French Revolution: a divisive heritage	6
1.5	The Third Republic, 1870-1940	9
1.6	Vichy and the French Resistance, 1940-4	13
1.7	The Fourth Republic, 1944-58	14
1.8	Concluding remarks	20
2	France since 1958	23
2.1	Introduction	23
2.2	De Gaulle's Republic	23
2.3	May '68: the Fifth Republic in crisis	26
2.4	Georges Pompidou: the acceptable face of Gaullism?	29
2.5	Valery Giscard d'Estaing: the aristocracy in power, 1974-81	31
2.6	Francois Mitterrand 1981-8: the chameleon	34
2.7	Mitterrand's second term, 1988-95	37
2.8	President Chirac, 1995-7: the abrupt presidency	39
2.9	Jospin and the plural left coalition	41
2.10	Chirac's second term, 2002-	43
2.11	Concluding remarks	44
3	French political culture	45
3.1	Introduction	45
3.2	Political culture in France: the traditional reading	45
3.3	Traits of French political culture	48
3.4	The Fifth Republic and the new Republican synthesis	55
3.5	Conclusion	57
Part 2	Institutions and power
4	Presidents and Prime Ministers	61
4.1	Introduction	61
4.2	Political leadership in the French republican tradition	61
4.3	The 1958 Constitution	63
4.4	The French presidency	65
4.5	Prime ministerial political leadership	74
4.6	Concluding remarks: what type of political system is the Fifth Republic?	78
5	Checks and balances?	81
5.1	Introduction	81
5.2	The organisation of the French parliament in the Fifth Republic	82
5.3	Parliament in the Fifth Republic: an emasculated legislature?	84
5.4	Political dynamics and the operation of parliament	87
5.5	The judicialisation of French politics?	90
5.6	Concluding remarks	96
6	The immobile state?	97
6.1	Introduction	97
6.2	The French civil service: characteristics, context and culture	97
6.3	The French state today: continuity, conflict, cohesion	103
6.4	The reform of the state	107
6.5	Concluding remarks	111
7	Local and regional government	113
7.1	Introduction	113
7.2	The French model of territorial administration	113
7.3	The decentralisation reforms, 1982-3	115
7.4	Local and regional government after decentralisation	117
7.5	The French prefect and the decentralised state	127
7.6	Revisiting decentralisation: the 2003-4 reforms	129
7.7	Decentralisation in France: concluding remarks	131
Part 3	Political forces and representation
8	The French party system: change and understanding change	137
8.1	Introduction	137
8.2	The French party system before 1981	137
8.3	The changing French party system	140
8.4	Underlying continuities in the French party system	145
8.5	Concluding remarks	149
9	French parties today	151
9.1	Introduction	151
9.2	The Gaullists	151
9.3	The Union for French Democracy (UDF)	155
9.4	The Socialist Party	158
9.5	The Communist Party	162
9.6	The National Front	165
9.7	The Greens	170
9.8	The minor parties	172
9.9	Concluding remarks	173
10	The representation of interests	175
10.1	Introduction	175
10.2	The context of group activity	175
10.3	Economic interest groups	177
10.4	Groups and the French political system	184
10.5	Social movements old and new	187
10.6	Concluding remarks: a 'French-style corporatism'?	189
Part 4	Reshaping modern France
11	Society, citizenship and identity	195
11.1	Introduction	195
11.2	The evolution of French society: social consensus or social fracture?	195
11.3	The republican model of citizenship and its limits	200
11.4	Immigration, integration, assimilation and ethnicity: conceptual problems and the Jacobin state	201
11.5	Language and identity in contemporary France: the case of minority languages	206
11.6	Multiple identities in contemporary France: a case study from Brittany	209
11.7	Concluding remarks	211
12	The economy and economic governance	215
12.1	Introduction	215
12.2	The French economy	215
12.3	Dirigisme and its limits	217
12.4	From inflation to European integration	222
12.5	Changing policy fashions: the case of industrial privatisations	226
12.6	Concluding remarks	229
13	Europe and Europeanisation	231
13.1	Introduction	231
13.2	France and the European Union	231
13.3	Quelle finalite europeenne? The French vision of Europe	237
13.4	France and Europeanisation	241
13.5	Concluding remarks	250
14	Reinventing French politics and society	253
14.1	Introduction	253
14.2	Exemplarite and exceptionalism	253
14.3	French national distinctiveness	256
14.4	Political and policy change	258
14.5	Reinventing modern France	260
	Bibliography	263
Appendices	Election results	283
	Index	287

Editorial Reviews

Praise for the previous edition:

‘Cole has achieved the rare feat of producing a study of French politics and society that is both an invaluable tool for teaching and an impressive contribution to the ability of his fellow-academics to interpret the factors that shape France currently, and that will do so in the foreseeable future.’ Gino Raymond, University of Bristol, UK

Praise for this edition:

‘A very welcome revised and updated edition of this essential textbook which addresses many enduring questions about France and poses new ones. Alistair Cole draws on his incomparable knowledge of French politics and society to offer wide-ranging and accessible factual coverage blended with fine insights and analyses. A must-have book for students of modern and contemporary France.’ James Shields, Aston University, UK

‘This new edition of Alistair Cole’s classic book is to be greatly welcomed. The fully revised and updated edition of French Politics and Society remains a fresh and exciting text that combines a broad empirical scope with a clear thesis about the direction of Contemporary France. It is invaluable for students and scholars alike.’ Jean-Michel Eymeri-Douzans, Sciences Po, Toulouse, France.

‘The 3rd edition of French Politics and Society provides a highly readable introduction that covers all the bases. It provides a quick primer on the country’s history and a deeper understanding of its institutions, while also engaging hot-button contemporary issues. This book offers a terrific overview for students of France.’ Erik Bleich, Middlebury College, USA.

From the Publisher