Republique Francaise The French Republic

1. Republique FrancaiseThe French Republic Erin Gleeson

2. Background Information • Consists of: • Metropolitan France • French Guiana • Guadeloupe • Martinique • Reunion • Holds the title to be the largest West European nation • Has a total population of 63,713,926 people • With 60,876,136 of them in metropolitan France • Life Expectancy: • Total: 80.59 years • Male expectancy is 77.35 years • Females have a higher expectancy than men at 84 years • Literacy- 99%

3. Governmental History • The French Revolution took place in 1789 and established the First Republic under the rule of the very well known Napoleon Bonaparte • Prince Louis Napoléon, The Second Empire came about in 1852 under Napoléon III. • The Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) made way for the Third Republic. • When Charles de Gaulle was established, the outcome was the Fourth Republic (1946) • A new constitution was drafted for a Fifth Republic was adopted. This constitution made the presidency stronger and the legislature less powerful. • In the 1981 Election, Socialist François Mitterrand took the presidential seat. • In 1991 Edith Cresson became the first female prime minister of France. • In 2005, French voters were rejecting the European Union constitution because of concerns that it would be forfeiting French sovereignty

4. Recreating France • After the initial happenings and fright of the French Revolution, declarations and decrees were being formed • The Declaration of the Rights of Man
was a declaration with rights similar to that used in the United States of America. On August 26th 1789 this Declaration was passed, thus becoming the founding document of the revolution. • Two Divisions grew with the drafting of this document • One was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy: Religious leaders highly criticized and protested this Constitution saying that it was unchristian. • The Constitution of 1791 was the change of life in France until the newly accepted Constitution of 1958 (The Fifth Republic)

5. Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen • “The representatives of the French people, organized as a National Assembly, believing that the ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and of the corruption of governments, have determined to set forth in a solemn declaration the natural, unalienable, and sacred rights of man, in order that this declaration, being constantly before all the members of the Social body, shall remind them continually of their rights and duties; in order that the acts of the legislative power, as well as those of the executive power, may be compared at any moment with the objects and purposes of all political institutions and may thus be more respected, and, lastly, in order that the grievances of the citizens, based hereafter upon simple and incontestable principles, shall tend to the maintenance of the constitution and redound to the happiness of all. Therefore the National Assembly recognizes and proclaims, in the presence and under the auspices of the Supreme Being, the following rights of man and of the citizen” • Equal Rights • Liberty, Property, Security, Resistance to Oppression • National Authority • Limits to liberty only decided by law • Right of Participation • Necessary Punishment • Right to: Opinion & Religion • Right to, “speak, write and print” • “Common contribution”

7. Who Governs? • Since May of 2007, President Nicolas Sarkozy has served as chief of state. • The Chief of State works alongside the head of the government who has been Prime Minister Francois, since May of 2007 • The French elections are made up of a popular vote from citizen participants. The elections serve as the decision for a five-year term which was changed, in the past seven years, from a seven-year term. • The Prime Minister must be nominated by the National Assembly majority and then appointed by the president. • The French cabinet consists of a Council of Ministers. This council is, again, appointed by the president but is assigned at the suggestion of the Prime Minister President Nicolas Sarkozy Prime Minster Francois

8. France’s Executive • Frances Executive Branch is made up of: • President • Prime minister • Council of Ministers • Though the terms vary- the job details are similar in ways to that of the United States Government

9. France’s Legislature • Just as the United States Government has a bicameral congress, France has a bicameral parliament • U.S.: Senate has 100 seats, 2 members per state (popular vote) House of Representatives has 435 seats and members (popular vote) • France.: Senate has 331 seats, 331 for metropolitan France, 9 for overseas, 5 for dependencies and 12 for nationals abroad (elected by electoral college)

10. France’s Judicial Branch • Frances Judicial branch is divided into the Constitutional Council and the Council of State. • The Constitutional Council: • examines legislation • decides if it conforms to the constitution • This council is unlike our Supreme court in the fact that it considers only legislation referred to by Parliament, the prime minister, or the president. • The Council of State provides recourse to citizens who have complaints against the administration. • The Ordinary Courts settle disputes between citizens and citizens and corporations. • These cases under Ordinary Courts are reviewed by The Court of Appeals. • Civil cases call for either higher courts or lower court, it is crucial in the exercised control over governmental situations. The Constitution empowers it and forces conformation to the law. • Because the Council of State control the administrative courts • “The President of the Republic shall be the guarantor of the independence of the judicial authority. He shall be assisted by the High Council of the Judiciary.” • “An institutional Act shall determine the regulations governing the members of the judiciary. Judges shall be irremovable.”

11. France’s Constitution • Preamble: “
The French people hereby solemnly proclaim their dedication to the Rights of Man and the principle of national sovereignty as defined by the Declaration of 1789, reaffirmed and complemented by the Preamble to the 1946 Constitution.
By virtue of these principles and that of the free determination of peoples, the Republic offers to the Overseas Territories expressly desiring this to adhere to them new institutions based on the common ideal of liberty, equality, and fraternity and conceived with a view to their democratic evolution.”

12. France- Voice of the Citizen • France stands as a Sovereign Government, like the United States • “Its principle shall be: government of the people, by the people and for the people” • “Balloting shall be begun by a writ of election issued by the Government.”

13. Current Issues • Environmental Issues- • Forest damage - acid rain • Air pollution • Water pollution • Agricultural runoff • International agreements are in the works to begin to fix these problems • There have been international issues concerning territory between France and Madagascar, Comoros, Suriname and Vanuatu • Drug Issues: • South American Cocaine, Southwest Asian heroin

14. Bibliography • http://www.servat.unibe.ch/law/icl/fr00000_.html • http://www.thisnation.com/library/france.html • http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-41168/France • http://frenchpolitique.blogspot.com/2007/05/background.html • http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/worldlaw/france.php • http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/english/8ab.asp • https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/us.html • http://europeanhistory.about.com/od/thefrenchrevolution/a/hfr4.htm • http://www.hrcr.org/docs/frenchdec.html