Unit III: France

Key Concepts:
Conflictual vs. consensual political culture, revolutionary traditions and values. democracy and statism, two-tier electoral system, multiparty system, parties of the far left and right, cohabitation, strong president, immigration as a cultural issue

Objectives:

To understand:
  1. historical reasons for a divided political culture.
  2. why the Fifth Republic has worked.
  3. French political socialization as a source of antigovernment attitudes.
  4. how elections work in France.
  5. why the French President is so powerful.
  6. why cohabitation works: Chirac and Jospin.
  7. how French leaders are trained in the grand ecoles.
  8. how extensive French welfare policies are.
  9. why privatization and nationalization are important.
  10. why the National Front has emerged as an anti-immigrant political force.
  11. how France participates in European integration.