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FRANCE

FRANCE. Political Culture, Political Recruitment and Political Socialization. Some Relevant History. One of the oldest nation-states of Europe French Revolution began with the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1791 (the First Republic) Three more constitutions Napoleon

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FRANCE

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  1. FRANCE Political Culture, Political Recruitment and Political Socialization

  2. Some Relevant History • One of the oldest nation-states of Europe • French Revolution began with the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1791 (the First Republic) • Three more constitutions • Napoleon • Restoration of Bourbons • House of Orleans • Paris Revolution in 1848

  3. More: The Historical Perspective • Second Republic (1848-1852) • Universal male suffrage • Napoleon III • Franco Prussian War • Third Republic (1871) • WWII deeply divided France • Charles de Gaulle • Fourth Republic (1946-1958) • 24 governments in 12 years • Fifth Republic (1958 onward)

  4. Political Culture: Conceptual Review • Public attitudes toward politics and their role in the political system • Parochial • Subject • Partipatory • Levels of political culture • System • Process • Policy

  5. French Political Culture: Themes “Burden of history” Versailles • “Enlightened” monarchs allowed relatively free through – as long as it remained abstract • Concept of being “French”unites • Specifics of what that means divides

  6. Shape of Political Trust • Conflicting orientations arising from valuation of individualism and equality • Participation in politics initially seen as means of weakening strong government • Assertion of individualism sometimes led to anarchy

  7. Religious and anti-religious Traditions • Roman Catholics vs. Huguenots • Anti-clerical sub-culture • Church teaching less authoritative in Catholic sub-culture

  8. Other Religious traditions Antireligious Traditions • French Jews • “de-christianized” & secular culture • Revolution of 1789 • Impact of World War II • Muslims • New immigation

  9. Defense Against Anarchy • Place individuals who reflected he popular will in power • Individuals who reflect popular will use government to bring about equality • Allows for the accommodation to large role for the bureaucracy

  10. History and the Process of Change • Sudden change – rather than gradual mutation have dominated critical moments in French history • Leads to conclusion that no change can be brought about except by major upheaval • Lead to skepticism about the possibility of meaningful change

  11. Between the French Revolution and the Fifth Republic Rules of the Political Regime in France were satisfactory to only one segment of the polity - and hotly contested by others

  12. Fifth Republic • Early years political culture resembled the situation that prevailed between 1789 and 1958 • Election of Francois Mitterrand to presidency (1981) • aid to rest two hundred years of hostility among French political elites • Attitudes and orientations of masses followed developments among the elites

  13. Political Socialization: Family • Traditionally conservative • Modifications to traditional patriarchal structure • Associations as tools of political socializations

  14. Political Socialization: Education • Historic importance of baccalauret and lycee • Changes in the Fifth Republic • 700,000 graduates in 1945 • 6.1 million in1994 • Universities • 48% in higher education during 1990’s • Comparable to rest of W. Europe

  15. GrandesEcole • Functions outside of regular system of universities • Highly selective- no increase in enrollment • Training ground of highly specialized elites

  16. Socialization and Mass Communication: Print Media • For much of 20th century major newspapers were in the hands of business tycoons or political parties • Currently: most papers owned by business conglomerates

  17. Television • State ownership from 1945 – 1981 • Television and radio opened to private sector in 1982 - a project of the Socialists • State television forced to provide the opposition with time to reply to the government • Only two of six non-cable channels owned by government

  18. Elite Political Recruitment • Grandes écoles • higher education establishments outside the mainstream framework of the public universities system. • selection criteria of grandes écoles rests mainly on competitive written and oral exams • Fifth Republic – more senior civil servants from the professionals class than during the Fourth Republic

  19. grandesécoles Corps • Recruited from Ecole Nationale d’Administration & Ecole Polytechnique • Elite political class numbers less than 20, 000 • Grand Corps now important in recruitment of business elites • École Nationale d'administration • created in 1945 by Charles de Gaulle to democratize access to the senior civil service.

  20. Importance of Gender • Low representation of women among French political elites • Political advancement requires deep investment in parties • Segolene Royal • Graduate of the ENA • Member of the Council of State • Dearth of women’s representation recognized but not addressed

  21. Outsiders have extreme difficulty in penetrating the French political and business elite

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