France

1
France

• Jean Blondel

2

• Leading European nation
• France and Germanys reconciliation articulates
  the economic integration of Europe
  

3
Structural political instability continued from
the 1789 Revolution
4
Political Development

• Tradition of abrupt and disruptive political
  changes
  
• 16 different constitutions since 1789
• The establishment of the French Fifth Republic
  has brought some stability to the system
  
• Radical Right/Left tendencies
• In the last presidential election (2002), won by
  a rightist, Jacques Chirac, left the the
  extreme-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen in the
  second place and the Left, with Lionel Jospin as
  their candidate, in the third place.

5
French Constitutions

• 1791Constitution Constitution of Year
  IConstitution of Year III
  
• Constitution of Year VIII Constitution of Year
  X Constitution of Year XII Project of
  constitution (04/06/1814) Charte of June 1814
  Project of constitution of June 1815 Charte of
  1830
• 1848 Constitution 1852 Constitution 1870
  Constitution
  
• Third Republic 1875 Constitutional Laws Third
  Republic Constitutional Laws

Constitutional Law of June 1940 Laws of the
Vichys Government Project of constitution
(1944) Constituional Laws of the Free France Re
gulations of the Liberation GovernmentConstituion
al Law of November 1945 Project of constitution
of April 19461946 Constitution Constitutional
Law of December 1954 Constitutional Law of June
1958
6
Multiple (and persistent) Cleavages

• Ideals of the 1789 Revolution (liberty, equality
  and fraternity) Vs. monarchical traditions and
  values inherited from absolutism
  
• Deep nationalism Vs. internationalism (the 1789
  Revolution fostered both)
  
• Catholic church ( other Christians) Vs.
  anti-clericals committed with a secular
  Republic inspired in the principles of Reason.
  
• Paris Vs. the Provinces
• Class conflicts (origined in the socioeconomic
  structure
  
• Long-lasting identification of workers with the
  French Communist Party (PCF).
  
• (Urban/Rural divide)
• Very slow urbanization. Peasants constituted a
  significant part of the population until the late
  1950s.
  
• Persistent urban-rural divide in French politics.
  
  

7
(French) Modernity

• These conflicts paradigmatically define the main
  cleavages articulating modernity as such

8
The Fifth Republic

• It was only with the Fifth Republic that an
  effective institutional solution was found to
  articulate those conflicts and cleavages in such
  a way to avoid continuous instability and
  paralysis.
• 1958 Constitution (amended in 1962 to introduce
  direct popular suffrage in the presidential
  election)
  

9
New cleavages and challenges

• Social and cultural transformations since the
  1960s.
  
• Problems to integrate the immigrant population ?
  Increasing failure of traditional mechanisms of
  construction of national identity (ex the school
  system) in incorporating new French citizens
• Film La Haine (Hate)

10
Recent conflict over religious symbols

• Since September 2, 2004, a new law bans the use
  of religious signs or apparel in public schools,
  including Jewish skull caps, large Christian
  crosses, and head scarves.
• Is this good or bad policy?
• Will it improve national over sectorial
  identification?

11
Groups

• Workers Relatively small and weak trade unions
  divided along political lines, although there
  have been a few autonomous trade unions.
  
• Business Associations for small and larger
  businesses.

12
Emergence of New Social Movements

• Environmental, nuclear or regional issues
• Womens groups
• Immigrants
• Groups representing the unemployed
• Street protests and sit-ins

Tradition of political engagement (May 1968)
13
French Parties

• (with the exception of the FCP) Tradition of
  weekly organized and not disciplined parties
  
• The 1958 constitution of the Fifth Republic
  constitution was designed to limit the role of
  parliament and achieve institutional stability.
  It succeeded in institutionalizing change

14
French Parties

• The Socialist Party (PS). In 1981, the PS came to
  power for the first time under the Fifth Republic
  (it won the presidency and an absolute majority
  in the National Assembly) . Pro-state
  intervention and welfare Since then, the
  party has gone through cycles
• The Right Historically small and fragmented, it
  acquired strength with de Gaulles leadership in
  the late 1950s. Reduced to about 20 to 25 of the
  electorate in the 1970s and fragmented during the
  1980s, the right emerged unified in 2002.
• National Front Fascist and Nazi inspiration/
  racists (violence against immigrants), anti-EU,
  Le Pen
  
• Green party radical, frequently running in
  alliance with socialists

15
The Communist Party

• Leading role in the resistance against Nazism.
• After World War II, it gained a sustained
  electoral support (over 25 votes during the late
  1940s diminishing to over 20 before 1980).
  
• Good performance at the municipal level and in
  industrial areas.
  
• Linked to the Confederation Generale du Travail
  (CGT)
  
• Decline after the 1980s (displaced by Francois
  Mitterands Socialism and, declined after the
  collapse of the Soviet Union)
  
• In the last elections, the party received around
  5 of votes

16
Presidential or Parliamentary System?

• Mixed and hybrid system
• Charles de Gaulle (first president of the Fifth
  Republic) made for a very strong presidency and
  subordinated the Parliament.
  
• De Gaulles legitimacy war hero, organizer of
  post-WWII France, and elected to the presidency
  in 1962 by popular suffrage.
  
• (from that on) Strong presidential tradition

17
Electoral System

• Citizens 18 years old
• Multiparty system (with dominant parties)
• Scrutin darrondissement a deux tours two
  ballot system with a majority system within
  single-member districts held in two consecutive
  Sundays
• First ballot only candidates with more than 50
  votes are elected
  
• Second ballot only candidates who got 12.5 of
  votes in the first ballot can participate
  
• Oscillation between proportional representation
  and majority system
  
• Different elections
• Direct, every 5 years (with runoff if needed) for
  President
  
• Direct, every 5 years (with runoff if needed) for
  the National Assembly
  
• Indirect, every 3 years, for the Senate

18
The French Executive

• Divided executive (grey zone)
• Chief of State President (Jacques Chirac since
  1995). The president looks after the
  long-interests of the nation
  
• Head of Government Prime Minister (J.-P.
  Raffarin since 2002) The prime minister is in
  charge of the countrys affairs
  
• Cabinet Council of Ministers (about 20
  ministers, appointed by the President with the
  Prime Ministers agreement). Incompatibility
  between ministers and members of the parliament
  (technicians)
• Elections every five years (since 2002) Frances
  central political Event
  
• (the National Assembly proposes the Prime
  Minister and the President designates it)

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The French Executive(Half presidential system)

• The President Main decision maker (but s/he
  keeps distance from daily, minor, affairs), names
  the Prime Minister, appoints and dismisses
  cabinet members, chairs cabinet meetings, veto
  power over cabinet decrees, can dissolve the
  National Assembly (and call for elections in a
  month), can force the NA to reconsider projects,
  submits referendums and declares the state of
  emergency. Can be impeached only for treason
• Prime Minister Designated by the President, head
  of government and nexus between the Legislature
  and the executive

20
French Cohabitation

• 1986 emergence of a parliamentary majority
  different from that of the Presidents party
  
• In both 1986 and 1993, Mitterrand appointed a
  prime minister from the new parliamentary
  majority
  
• Between 1986 and 2002, there were nine years of
  cohabitation
  
• Division of labor
• Works well, because the president retains the
  right of dissolving the Assembly (in case that
  the Prime Minister does not support his (or
  her?), and, seeking to become President next, the
  Prime Minister is interested in not to weak the
  presidency

21
The Legislative

• Votes Laws and controls the Government
• Senate (321 seats) Elected indirectly by
  department districts through an electoral college
  for 9-year terms. Elections (of thirds) every
  three years
• National Assembly (577 seats) Elected by popular
  vote under a single member majoritarian system
  for 5 years

Six permanent committees (and informal
subcommittees) discuss the Governments bills
Tradition of Harassing the Government, seen as a
republican virtue
The Parliament meets for 9 months every year, and
there are also special sessions
22
The Judiciary

• Supreme Court of Appeals (the High Council of the
  Judiciary proposes candidates, from which the
  President chooses and designates judges)
  
• Constitutional Council. Controls the
  constitutional adequacy of legislation (9
  members one third is appointed by the president,
  one third by the president of the National
  Assembly, and the other third by the president of
  the Senate). It has become a de facto Supreme
  Court

23
Recent Institutional Changes

• In the last two decades (after 1986) the
  Parliament has regained power
  
• The constitutional council also plays a more
  active role checking on bills passed by the
  parliament

24
A Strong State

• For centuries now, the French state has always
  played a central role in
  
• Limiting provincialism and
• Fostering economic growth
• Centralization in France goes back to the Ancient
  Regimethe times of the absolutist monarchy.
  
• Purpose to ensure peoples prosperity, economic
  growth, and the nations strength.
  
• Centralization prevailed despite the French
  Revolution (Alexis de Tocqueville examines
  persistence of centralization in The Old Regime
  and the Revolution published in 1856
• Thus, for about four centuries, the civil service
  has played a leading role in the life of society
  and the economy

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Centralization

• Historically, local governments have been weak
• France maintains almost the same structure since
  1789 ? 96 Departments divided into communes
  
• Communes, or local governments are numerous (over
  37,000) and lack human and material resources to
  compete with the refined centralized civil
  service, to which they resort for advice
• Thus, the highly specialized and efficient French
  civil service has contributed to reproduce
  statecentralization in France

26
Highly qualified civil service

• Experts are chosen through very demanding and
  competitive competitive tests and then receive
  training in special and prestigious civil service
  schools
• Most members of the elite (technical, political
  and managerial) are trained in these civil
  service schools ? Close relations between the
  public and private sector (specific French
  feature)

27
(In recent years) Progressive decentralization of
the French state

• Early 1980s
• Attempt to decentralize administrative functions
  in France by the socialist government
  
• Creation of elected regional councils that elect
  their executives? Emergence of regional
  independent political bodies
  
• The consolidation of the European Union favors
  local and regional governments

28
The role of the State in the Economy

• Long lasting tradition of planning and public
  ownership of companies
  
• Economic modernization in the 1950s and 1960s
• The number of public companies increased with the
  arrival of the socialists in power (1982)
  
• France had one of the largest public sectors in
  Western Europe (development of mixed and flexible
  forms)
  
• After 1986 and late 1980s Socialist support for
  Privatizations (Air France, Renault, banks, TV
  stations) and a reduction of the role of the
  state in the economy (shift in 1983 with
  Mitterrand support for an orthodox turn)
• Planning has almost disappeared, and only a few
  public companies remain

29
French International Affairs

• De Gaulles Worldwide policies
• Miterrands (realistic) shift from a world
  power towards European affairs (achieved the
  appointment of one of his ministers as the
  president of the EU)
• The consolidation of the EU has undermined French
  independent role
  
• Ambiguity towards the EU (Dilemmas)
• France embraced the Euro
• But questions GATT negotiations (protection of
  French products)
  
• Progressively, France must adapt its foreign
  policies to make them compatible with those of
  other members of the EU