France

Revolution and Democracy

France• Population 59 million

• President Jacques Chiraq

• Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin

• Religion: 73% R.C., 1.3% Jewish, 1.7% Protestant, 4-4.5 million Muslims

• Practice for all groups is down

• Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Sub-Saharan African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities

• Current constitution since 1958

Historic Chronology

1791-89 Constitutional Monarchy– First Republic– Statist tradition: state bureaucracy, govt administered separately

from crown

• 1789 Bastille Day• 1799 Napoleon seizes power• 1830 Louis Philippe replaces last Bourbon on throne• 1848-52 Second Republic est. in Paris Revolution

– Characterized by conflict, unable to govern

• 1852 Napoleon III crowned– 1870 defeat in Franco-Prussian War leads to revolution

Historic Chronology

1871 Third Republic emerges– Competing groups develop constitution– Endures through world war one (Maginot Line) until

German occupation, 1940

• German Occupation– Northern zone occupied by Nazis– Southern zone governed by sympathetic French

• Vichy regime, Marshall Petain 1940-44

• Charles de Gaulle– Leader of resistance movement

Constitutional History

• 1791 – establishment of constitutional monarchy – French Revolution begins

• Monarchy overthrown one year later

• Three other attempts at constitutional government

• November 10, 1799– Napoleon Bonaparte seizes power

Constitutional History

• Bonaparte overthrown by coalition of European powers and the Bourbon monarchy was restored.

• Monarchical government continues until 1848 when citizens revolted.

• The Second Republic (1848-1852) is declared.– Universal male suffrage– Class conflict– Republican government ineffective– Napoleon’s nephew rises to power (1852-1870)

• Dictatorial rule brings brief stability

Constitutional History

• 1871 Third Republic established, new constitution promulgated in 1875 (1871-1940).

• Emerged from struggle between monarchists and republicans.

• Would be a long lived form of democracy ending only with the occupation of France by Germany.

Constitutional History

• World War II• France militarily defeated by Germany• Partitioned by Nazis into a northern and a

southern zone• Northern zone under direct occupation• Southern zone, a sympathetic government formed

and based in Vichy, France– Leader was Marshall Petain – Dictatorship (1940-44)

Constitutional History

• German forces forced from France in 1944• Charles de Gaulle leads the provisional

government and begins work for democratic transition.

• 1946 de Gaulle resigns • 1946 the Fourth Republic established

– During the 12 years of the Fourth Republic there were 24 governments.

Fourth Republic• Weak constitutional structure plus election rules

allowed multiple parties to compete in the legislature

• Parties were unable to garner electoral majorities• Fourth Republic governments were coalition

governments within a society characterized by cleavage and conflict

• National and International tensions from the Cold War, Indochina, and independence movements in colonial holdings such as Algeria.

• 1958 French political leaders asked de Gaulle to return to the leadership of France

The Fifth Republic 1958-?

• Enacted by referendum in 1958• Combination presidential/prime ministerial style

of government.• Presidency was moved from mostly ceremonial

role to a political position constitutionally above the legislature.

• President would be the symbol of national unity• Powers include: submit legislation for referendum,

ability to dissolve parliament and call for new elections, emergency powers.

Executive• Dual Executive: President and Prime Minister• President: “Guardian of the constitution”• Direct popular vote (term was 7 years; in 2000

changed to 5 year terms)• Prime Minister presides over government

– Support from majority of deputies in National Assembly (propose PM to the president)

– Appointed by the President – Government operation (Cabinet – Council of Ministers)

resembled U.S. Cabinet– More than 1st among equals

• President is actual head of the political system• Cohabitation (1986-88, 1993-95, 1997-03).

Legislature

• Bicameral– Strict rules on individuals and the Parliament

• National Assembly (577) – Direct election 5 year terms– May be dissolved by President (once yearly)– Enacts laws within a strictly defined domain (defined by

the executive)– Committee system: 6 large standing committees to

prevent specialization (domination) – check of executive– Motion of censure passed by 50 +1 of members

Legislature• Senate (321)• Shares (but is subordinate to) legislative functions

with the National Assembly• May initiate legislation, must consider all legislation

adopted by N.A.• In case of disagreement – reconciliation committee

appointed by government– If unable to resolve differences N.A. may reconsider the

legislation and take a final vote

• Indirect, staggered (1/3) elections – 9 year terms– Electoral college comprised of officials at local level

Electoral System

• 2 ballot system within single member districts taking place on successive Sundays.

• Candidates receiving 50% or more can win. Second round is achieved by winning 12.5% of vote in first round. At second round candidate with most votes elected.

Associational Groups

• Tend to be weak• Not a lot of formal interest group activity.• A result of the 1789 revolution abolishing the ancien

regime and the guild system (closed craft networks, entrance via long apprenticeship, members had monopoly priviliges…this was viewed in the revolution as an impediment to liberty).

• France is a plural system but not in the same manner or to the extent of other western democracies (patchy development, tendency to be low key).

Background to Anti-clericalism

• The Dreyfus affair• Jewish military officer wrongly accused and

convicted of treason• Long fight between church officials,

military and political conservatives eventually resolved the problem

• result was a strong separation between church and state.

Ideology and Parties in France

• Strong leftist overtones inherited from the Resistance movement– Socialist party (Lionel Jospin – PM 1997-2002)– Communist party– Green party

• Presence of strong conservative, nationalistic groups.– Gaullist party (nationalistic/anti-communist) – Chirac (president 1995-)

• Small factions of ideological right wing, fascist groups.– National Front (immigration) – Le Pen (defeats Jospin in first round

2002), fascist• Center groups

– Rally for the Republic, French Social Party, Popular Republican Party, Union for French Democracy, and others.

– Center groups (smaller parties) have pattern of alliance with right groups.– These alliances have formed the bedrock of French political system.

Web Sites

• The Prime Minister’s Official Web Site: http://www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr/en/

• 1958 Constitution: http://www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr/en/p.cfm?ref=27868

• Events of October 27th, 2005 http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1285833