Comparative Politics

1
Comparative Politics

• France

• PoliSci Department
• SUNY _at_ Stony Brook
• POL 103 (Section 2)
• Spring 2005
• Instructor Udi Sommer

2
The French Revolution

• 1789 1799
• Factors (rigidity, ambitions of bourgeoisie,
  ideology)
• Resentment of royal absolutism
• Resentment of the seigniorial system
• National debt
• Food scarcity
• Skocpols perception of revolutions

3
The French Revolution

• The Estates General
• The National Assembly
• Tennis Court Oath
• Storming of the Bastille
• End of the Ancien Regime
• The abolition of Feudalism
• The costs of a revolution
• The appearance of factions

4
Political traditions
5
The Paris Commune

• The Franco-Prussian War (Bismarck)
• Municipal councils
• National Guard
• Role of the church
• Remarkable cooperation among workers
• Effects on the evolution of Socialism and
  Communism

6
The Paris Commune

• End of the Commune (Government forces, exiled,
  escaping through Prussian lines)
• Criticism Marx (The role of Democracy and
  democratic procedures), Frances National Bank
• Endorsement by Mao, Soviet spaceflight

7
The IIIrd Republic

• Stumble from crisis to crisis
• The French want a constitutional monarchy
• 2 claimants to the Crown Henry V, Louis Philippe
• Henry V rejects the solution offered (not an
  absolutist monarchy)
• The IIIrd Republic is set as a temporary solution

8
The IIIrd Republic

• Political reality in the 3rd republic
• radicals, socialists, liberals, conservatives,
  republicans and monarchists fight for control
• Not loved
• Governments collapse regularly
• No strong parties ministerial reshuffles
• Disliked from the right and from the left

9
Important social trends

• Urbanization and industrialization a weak
  executive is unable to protect rights of workers
  (housing, minimum wage, paid vacations)
• Deterioration of economic conditions and thus
  political fragmentation (communists, socialists,
  fascists)

10
2nd World War

• Maginot Line time for mobilization of troops,
  compensation for numerical weakness
• German decoy force and army groups cutting
  through the low countries and Ardennes forest cut
  the line from the rest of France in 5 days
• Implications for future relationship between the
  political decision makers and the military
  (comparison of Hitler and Churchill during WWII)

11
The IVth Republic

• Attempts to strengthen the executive
• Instability remains a problem
• Economy is doing well
• Foreign policy is a problem
• Indochina
• Algeria (Foreign Legion, Public Opinion)

12
Algeria (1958)

• A lack of public support
• Instability
• Inefficiency in solving problems and dealing with
  contentious issues
• The nation turns to de Gaulle, WWII war hero
• De Gaulle is willing to accept with conditions

13
Charles de GaulleGénéral de Gaulle

• Army takes over
• Radio broadcast Vive de Gaulle
• 2 issues
• A military coup (?)
• Protection of civil liberties
• The use of referenda

14
The Vth republic

• Emergency powers
• A new constitution
• Referenda
• Colonies
• Economic measures
• Dealing with domestic opposition (Assassination
  attempt)
• France as a third power (Nuclear Abilities)
• Franco-German Cooperation leading to EU

15
Constitution of the Vth Republic

• 2 elements in the executive
• Presidency (for great men)
• Premiership (politics of the price of milk)

16
Institutional arrangement
17
The Presidency

• foreign policy
• national defence
• has emergency powers
• names the prime minister
• can call referenda
• and has the power for the dissolution of the
  parliament

18
The Rationalized Parliament

• Incompatibility
• Agenda setting
• Budget
• Blocked vote
• Vote of confidence
• The Supreme Court as a constitutional court
• Investiture
• Motion of Censure

19
The Vth Republic

• Cohabitation
• Position of the PM
• Changing the Mixed or Semi-presidential system
• Run Off Elections
• Increased prestige of the president
• Chirac

20
The Vth Republic

• Administrative elements
• Les Grands Ecoles
• ENArchy
• The French Academy
• Welfare state
• Immigration
• May 1968

21
Political Parties

• National Front
• Gaullism (RPR, UMP)
• Dirigisme
• UDF
• Parti Socialist
• French Presidents