Presidentialism and the Fifth Republic

Abstract

The near-universal acceptance of the presidency of the Fifth Republic as the central authority in the French State set in motion political changes of fundamental importance. In this book I shall analyse the effects of a strong presidency upon the political parties of the French Left, and especially upon their modes of discourse. My principal argument is that in coming to terms with presidential politics the Left adapted its doctrines, practices and public discourse to new and unaccustomed forms, and that, in consequence, the character of the French polity has begun to alter in unexpected ways.