1. The French Republic

3. France Demographics 3rd largest country in Europe after Russia and Ukraine 2X the size of Great Britain, yet only 4/5 of Texas Population: 64,000,000 (2009 est.) with 0.55% growth rate GDP: $33,000 per capita, $2.6 Trillion overall Life expectancy: 77.8/84/overall 81 Literacy 99% 85% of population is nominally Catholic (2% Protestant, 1% Jew, 8% 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

4. French History Before 1789 France was a monarchy 1789: French Revolution 1815: Defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, formation of Concert of Europe at Congress of Vienna 1848: Universal male suffrage after revolution 1870-71: Franco-Prussian War 1940-44: Vichy Regime 1946-58: 4 th 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. 1958: 5th Republic formed, DeGaulle elected, Strengthened executive, gave Algeria independence 1962: Referendum on direct election of President, passed 1968: Events of May/June: student/worker protests 1969: De Gaulle retires, Pompidou becomes President 1981: Mitterrand elected, reelected 1988 1995: Chirac elected, re-elected 2002 (first simultaneous election) 2004: ban on “conspicuous” religious symbols in schools (headscarves) 2007: Sarkozy defeats Royal for Presidency

5. 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 2 nd ballot if a candidate gets 50% on 1 st ballot. In Presidential election, only top 2 candidates advance to 2 nd 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”

6. 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, 2 nd 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 2 nd level

7. The French Parliament 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 1962. (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 Senate (274) 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

8. 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). 1983 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)

11. Francois Mitterand

12. Jacques Chirac

13. Nicolas Sarkozy

14. 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, 1991-92

16. Judiciary No judicial review Constitutional Council reviews constitutionality of bills before they become law

17. French Political Parties UMP (Union for a Popular Majority): center-right party currently in power. RPP (Gaullist) “Movement for the Republic” formed 1958, named after DeGaulle. Conservatives but not quite 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 (PCF), Green Party

18. 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 Parity Law: Constitutional amendment requires parties to run equal numbers of male and female candidates in proportional elections Only 19% of National Assembly is female 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 farmers’ union in France Local government Appointed prefects controlled local government until 1981 Tutelle – extreme oversight of local decisions by French government Some decentralization under Socialist governments Abolished Tutelle Elected departmental and regional council heads 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

19. French Political Culture: From Alienation to Consensus Taming political protest Events of May 1968 Turning point in legitimizing Fifth Republic De Gaulle used a new power and dissolved the National Assembly, ending the crisis Different from past protest movements: Groups had common adversary in the state No one questioned legitimacy of the Fifth Republic, but advocated policy changes In 1971 Mitterand’s socialist party adopted platform of reforms

20. French Political Culture: From Alienation to Consensus Taming political protest Neo-Socialists and Neo-Gaullists Electoral success of Socialists in ’81 legitimized opposition Transition to Socialist-led government legitimized regime

21. 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.

22. 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

23. 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)

24. 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.

25. Learning Objectives Describe the main developments in French political history Identify the political divisions that created stalemate before the Fifth Republic Describe the changes the Fifth Republic’s constitution brought to the French regime and political culture Describe the centralization of French government and politics Identify the parties and interest groups that play significant roles in French politics Describe the general political positions of those parties and interest groups Explain the effects of proportional, plurality, and majority/second round- ballot electoral systems have on parties and on the partisan make-up of legislatures Define “integrated elite” and provide examples from French political culture Explain the role of grandes ecoles in the integration of the elite Compare the integration of elites in France with the integration of elites in other countries studied Describe how economic policies have dominated French politics Identify the major policy issues facing the French government today

26. Learning Objectives 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.