Problems of Society — Two Case Studies

Abstract

France’s post-war growth years of the 1960s and 1970s brought with them numerous changes to the country’s society. This was a period of rising incomes, better living standards and new life-styles, as the French showed a remarkable liking for American-style consumerism. The new ‘essentials’ of life — the car, the house, the skiing holiday — were now within the grasp of an ever-growing number of French families. Similarly, in an increasingly prosperous society, the state could afford to be more generous in the provision of its services and benefits. More could be spent on education and health, ample pensions could be afforded, and at a time when few people were out of work, expenditure on unemployment benefits could hardly be termed a problem. These were the years of rising expectations and the birth of a new philosophy of ‘toujours plus’.