1. France

2. France 3rd largest country in Europe after Russia and Ukraine
2X the size of Great Britain, yet only 4/5 of Texas
Population: 58,000,000
GDP $31,000
Life expectancy: 74/82, Literacy 99%
90% of population is nominally Catholic(2% Protestant, 1% Jew, 5% Muslim, 2% No affiliation
1/4-1/3 live around Paris
Dirigisme--state interferes in political, cultural affairs.
French bureaucracy a stabilizing factor; higher civil service members come from technical schools (ENArchues like Ecole Nationale d’ Administration. Educational system sorts people. French claim there are no lobbyists or “interested members” lobbying.
Unemployment 12%, rising crime
Eager to promote EU expansion, integration

3. French History Before 1789 France was a monarchy
1789—French Revolution
—Franco-Prussian War
: Vichy Regime
: 4th Republic. Legislative branch had too much power, wasn’t efficient. Proportional representation. Electoral system allowed for a large # of parties that didn’t work together. DeGaulle asked to help w/gov’t and prevent split with Algeria. Strengthened executive…
1958—5th Republic
1969-De Gaulle retires
1981- Mitterrand elected, reelected 1988
1995-Chirac elected, re-elected 2002
2007: Sarkozy defeats Royal

4. The Mixed French System
Voters in France vote 2 ways:
Nationally for President
Regionally for National Assembly members
Dual Executive system: President and PM
2 ballot system for President. Two weeks apart, on Sunday. No need for 2nd ballot if a candidate gets 50% on 1st ballot. In Presidential election, only top 2 candidates advance to 2nd ballot
2002: Chirac 20% LePen 17% Jospin 16%
French politicians may retain administrative local positions, but if elected to cabinet must resign their seat. 50% of NA “double-dips”

5. The French Electoral System
Primarily single member district representation
Any # of candidates can run on the first ballot. If a candidate wins an absolute majority, he wins seat in Parliament
If not, 2nd ballot 1 week later. Any candidate with 12.5% of the vote may run again.
Lots of coalition building and deal cutting
Partisan politics shows up particularly at 2nd level

6. The French Parliament Senate (274) National Assembly (577)
Senators elected for 9 yr terms
Electoral college of NA and 100,000 regional representatives
“Voice of rural France”
Staggered terms; 1/3 up for reelection every 3 yrs
Expected to agree with NA, NA can override Senate on urgent matters
National Assembly (577)
Deputies directly elected for 5 year terms
Must authorize declaration of war
If Parliament is unhappy with Prime Minister or if Parliament has a problem (lack of leadership), PM can be subjected to a “vote of confidence.” 10% required to put on agenda, 2 day cooling off period. If vote is against gov’t, it must resign. Voted 40 times since 1958, successful once in (DeGaulle dissolved Parliament and reappointed Georges Pompidou)
Debates in subcommittee hearings are not as important as in the US
Constitutional Council determines the Constitutionality of laws

7. The French President
Currently Nicholas Sarkozy (elected 5/07)
Serves a fixed 7-year term, no term maximum (5/w amendment
Names PM (not a real power)
Presides over the cabinet
Commands armed forces
Concludes treaties
Submits issues to national referendum (1950s: French withdrawal from Algeria)
Can dissolve National Assembly (except in 1st yr. Of new assembly) poll—58% favor this power. 5 times since 1958.
Subject to removal only if indicted by conventions of both houses for high treason.
Chirac “blunder” of 1997; thought if he waited to call elections, his party would sink…turned out he lost anyway to Socialists and Jospin. Cohabitation resulted…really a division of labor
Can proclaim “State of Emergency” and rule by decree (DeGaulle 1961 Algeria situation)

8. The French Prime Minister
Currently Francois Fillon
Head of Government
Determines government policy
Proposes bills, laws implemented through bureaucracy
Female Prime Minister Edith Cresson lasted 10 months,

10. French Political Parties
RPP (Gaullist) “Movement for the Republic” formed 1958, named after DeGaulle. Conservative, but not as conservative as Republicans in the U.S.
Socialist (PS)--Liberal party. Attracted former PCF members, party of Mitterrand
National Front (FN)--led by Jean Marie Le Pen. Nationalistic, anti-immigration, extremely conservative. Xenophobic.
Union for French Democracy (UDF)--liberal democrats’ arm of conservative party
Coalition gov’t after winning ‘86 and ‘93 elections
Socialists are a success story in contemporary European politics--unemployment brought them to power
Minor Parties: Communist Party, Green Party

11. French Political Culture
Stereotypes: French rude, love to argue politically, deeply divided hostile society with lots of strikes
DIRIGISME
“Protest” political culture
PANTOUFLAGE: “Putting on the glass slipper.” French politicians frequently become “captains of industry”
Higher voter turnout than rest of Europe
Women received right to vote only in 1945
2/3 of population (poll late 70s) support Presidency and think politicians care about commoners
Trustful of politicians; no one questions mixed system
Believe in “right to have a job”
Strong framers’ union in France
3 most deeply divisive issues in France: Racism/illegal work, post-material cleavages (environment, education, women’s rights), European integration
EX: Maastricht Treaty (1991) 52% vote in FRA

12. France: Foreign Policy
DeGaulle’s Policies (1958):
French forces never integrated in NATO (now are)
Never abandon nuclear weapons to int’l control
Play an intermediary role between East and West
French foreign policy has fewer overlaps with American foreign policy than Britain
French invested $2 bil w/ Iran (natural gas/petroleum)
French are arms merchants, sold to Iraq
Maintains ties with colonies and the third world.

13. Why France is a 1st-Tier Power
Permanent member of UNSC with absolute veto
Member of NATO, disapprove of American dominance, trying to get southern command relocated
1 of 2 leading EU powers (Germany)
Jacques de Loire basically set up EU and Maastricht Treaty--single currency, single bank

14. Why French leadership in Europe?
National Pride
It’s the best way for the French to control Germany (by leading European integration)
French priorities:
Keep Germany in check
Exploit markets of developing countries (Iran, Malaysia, Russian oil)

15. Learning Objectives
After mastering the concepts presented in this chapter, you will be able to:
Gain detailed knowledge of the history of the political system, economic development and statehood formation of France.
Recognize the importance of French Revolution of 1789 on the formation of republican form of governance in France.
Understand the concept of ‘dual executive’ governance while analyzing the development of French political system.
Define civic culture and civil society and assess the importance of both in French political system.
Discuss the impact of the history and magnitude of mass and student protests on the development of political culture in contemporary France.

16. Learning Objectives
After mastering the concepts presented in this chapter, you will be able to:
Recognize the position of French voters on the European Union development and further France’s integration into the EU.
Define the formation and the role of France’s National Assembly.
Describe French executive branch of government.
Recognize the specification of French electoral system. Comparatively analyze the electoral system in France while using few other countries for your comparison.
Understand the impact of privatization on economic and political development of the French state.
Forecast challenges and expected changes in France’s political system, economic development and political culture in light of the Nicolas Sarkozy’s political victory.