France

1. France Jean Blondel

2. Leading European nation • France and Germany’s 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 Constitutional Law of June 1940Laws of the Vichy’s GovernmentProject of constitution (1944) Constituional Laws of the Free FranceRegulations of the Liberation GovernmentConstituional Law of November 1945 Project of constitution of April 19461946 ConstitutionConstitutional Law of December 1954Constitutional Law of June 1958 • 1791Constitution Constitution of Year IConstitution of Year III • Constitution of Year VIIIConstitution of Year XConstitution of Year XIIProject of constitution (04/06/1814) Charte of June 1814Project of constitution of June 1815 Charte of 1830 • 1848 Constitution 1852 Constitution 1870 Constitution • Third Republic1875 Constitutional LawsThird RepublicConstitutional Laws

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 • Women’s 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 welfareSince then, the party has gone through cycles • The Right: Historically small and fragmented, it acquired strength with de Gaulle’s 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 Mitterand’s 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 Gaulle’s 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 d’arrondissement 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 country’s affairs • Cabinet: Council of Ministers (about 20 ministers, appointed by the President with the Prime Minister’s agreement). Incompatibility between ministers and members of the parliament (technicians) • Elections every five years (since 2002) France’s central political Event • (the National Assembly proposes the Prime Minister and the President designates it)

19. 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 President’s 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 Government’s 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 Regime—the times of the absolutist monarchy. • Purpose: to ensure people’s prosperity, economic growth, and the nation’s 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

25. 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 Gaulle’s “Worldwide policies” • Miterrand’s (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