The Fifth French Republic: Presidents, Politics and Personalities

186 Pages·1998·0.53 MB·English

by  Philip Thody

The Fifth French Republic

The Fifth French Republic offers an introduction to modern French
politics and history which focuses on the careers and personalities of
the five men elected to the Presidency since the establishment of the
regime in 1958: Charles de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou, Valéry Giscard
d’Estaing, François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac.
The book describes how the Fifth French Republic came into
existence, and discusses the way in which it differs from previous
attempts to establish a viable democratic regime in France. It
compares the version of democracy represented by the Fifth French
Republic with the longer established constitutional practices in the
English-speaking democracies, and pays particular attention to the
role of the French civil service. Other topics treated include:

• decolonisation, and de Gaulle’s solution to the Algerian problem
• French attitudes to the European Union
• the behaviour of France during the Cold War
• the experiment in socialism under François Mitterrand
• attempts at decentralisation and at reducing the role of the state
• anti-Americanism in France
• the problems of immigration and the rise of the National Front
Philip Thody is Emeritus Professor at Leeds University and the author
of The Conservative Imagination, French Caesarism from Napoleon I
to Charles de Gaulle and An Historical Introduction to the European
Union.
The Fifth French Republic
Presidents, politics and
personalities

Philip Thody

London and New York
First published 1998
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002.
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

© 1998 Philip Thody
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
has been applied for

ISBN 0-415-18754-0 (pbk)
ISBN 0-415-18753-2 (hbk)
ISBN 0-203-00502-3 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-21988-0 (Glassbook Format)
Geography is about maps. History is about chaps.
Pre-feminist and pre-postmodernist dictum
Contents
Acknowledgements viii
Glossary ix
Introduction 1
1 Charles de Gaulle: the founding father 4
2 Georges Pompidou: the conscientious uncle 37
3 Valéry Giscard d’Estaing: the ambitious nephew 64
4 François Mitterrand: the rebellious brother 90
5 Jacques Chirac: the impulsive grandson 123
6 Conclusion 150
Appendix A French régimes from 1792 to 1958 153
Appendix B Prime ministers of the Fifth Republic 154
Appendix C A note on the French civil service 156
Notes 161
Annotated bibliography 167
Index 170
Acknowledgements

As in previous books, I am most grateful to my friend and colleague,
Howard Evans, for all his help and advice. All mistakes are naturally
my own.