Political Leadership in France: From Charles de Gaulle to Nicolas Sarkozy

by J. Gaffney

Overview

Gaffney analyzes how de Gaulle came to power in 1958: The drama surrounding the Fourth Republic's collapse, and the focus upon an exceptional individual meant that de Gaulle was able to confer a particular style of leadership on the Fifth Republic. The five Presidents who came after him have each capitalized on their own political 'persona.'

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780230001817
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	04/09/2010
Series:	French Politics, Society and Culture
Edition description:	2010
Pages:	258
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

JOHN GAFFNEY Professor of Politics at Aston University, Birmingham, UK.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements x

List of Abbreviations xi

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 1958: The Gaullist Settlement and French Politics 6

The elements of the new republic in 1958 6

The birth of the new republic 11

Understanding the new republic 21

The characteristics of the new republic 29

Chapter 2 1958-68: The Consolidation and Evolution of the Fifth Republic 37

The 1962 referendum and elections 40

Gaullism and the Gaullists 45

De Gaulle on the world stage 47

Left opposition 55

The new conditions of the republic 58

Gaullism and government 59

De Gaulle 60

The left 61

1965-67 63

Chapter 3 1968 and its Aftermath 67

Sous les Pavés, la Cinquième République 71

'Opinion' 82

The unmediated relationship escapes to the streets 83

Personal leadership (and its rejection) 83

Chapter 4 1969-74: Gaullism Without de Gaulle 89

The 1969 referendum 89

The 1969 presidential election 95

The Pompidou presidency: 1969-74 96

Pompidou and the institutions 98

Pompidou and foreign affairs 103

Left opposition, 1969-74 107

Chapter 5 1974-81: The Giscard Years 113

The 1974 elections 113

Slowing down the 'Marseillaise' then speeding it up again 116

Giscard and his presidency 120

Gaullism and Giscardianism 123

The left 130

1978-81 134

Chapter 6 1981-88: From the République Sociale to the République Française 138

The 1981 elections 140

The 1986 election 146

1986-88 148

Chapter 7 1988-2002: The Long Decade of Vindictiveness, Miscalculations, Defeat, Farce, Good Luck, Good Government, and Catastrophe. The Presidency Right or Wrong 154

1988-93: System dysfunction and occasional chaos 155

Rocard 155

Cresson 159

Bérégovoy 162

1993-95: Balladur. Almost President 163

1995-97: Balladur out, Chirac in; Jospin up, Chirac down: Politics as farce 168

1997-2002: The eternal cohabitation. Good government, and catastrophe 171

2002: Jospin snatches defeat from the jaws of certain victory 173

Jospin and the 2002 campaign 174

The republic saved - by presidentialism 176

The left, lost again 176

Beyond neo-Gaullism 177

Chapter 8 The Presidential Election of 2007 179

Ségolène Royal 179

The trajectory 179

The Mitterrand years 180

The Jospin years 182

From the local to the virtual 184

Ségolène Royal and 'Ségolène' 185

From virtual to presidential 186

The campaign 187

Nicolas Sarkozy 191

The trajectory 191

Neuilly's favourite son 192

Balladur's favourite son 193

Return from the wilderness 194

Sarkozy and 'Sarko' 195

Sarkozy the hero 195

Sarkozy the minister 195

Sarkozy the lover 196

The campaign 199

Conclusion 206

Notes 215

Bibliography 237

Index 252

Editorial Reviews

"The book is written in a very engaging way and students of French politics will certainly find that it summarises extremely well some of the key developments in the Fifth Republic.'

- West European Politics

From the Publisher