Skip to main content

France: towards a less controversial use of the referendum?

  • Chapter
The Referendum Experience in Europe

Abstract

Although France has experienced more referendums than most west European countries, French referendums have been clustered within several specific periods, corresponding to phases of political transformation, crisis, or authoritarian regime: the Revolution, the Napoleonic regimes, the years after the second world war, the Gaullist decennary. There have been few occurrences of the referendum after this last phase.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Appleton, Andrew, 1992. “Maastricht and the French party system: domestic implications of the Treaty referendum”, French Politics and Society 10:4, pp. 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bogdanor, Vernon, 1994. “Western Europe”, pp. 24–97 in David Butler and Austin Ranney (eds), Referendums around the World: the growing use of direct democracy. Basingstoke: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bortoli, Georges, 1965. Sociologie du referendum dans la France moderne. Paris: LGDJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carré de Malberg, Raymond, 1931. “Considerations théoriques sur la question de la combinaison du référendum avec le parlementarisme”, Revue du droit public et de la science politique 18, pp. 225–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • Denquin, Jean-Marie, 1976. Référendum et plébiscite: essai de théorie générale. Paris: LGDJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duhamel, Olivier, 1990. “Les partis politiques face au référendum”, pp. 111–17 in Gérard Conac and Maus Didier (eds), Le référendum, quel avenir?: Experiences étrangères, la France. Paris: ESTH.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duverger, Maurice, 1990. Le systéme politique français. Paris: PUF.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goguel, François (ed.), 1960. L’établissement de la Véme République: le référendum de septembre et les élections de novembre 1958. Paris: Presses de la FNSP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goguel, François (ed.), 1962. Le référendum du 8 janvier 1961. Paris: Presses de la FNSP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goguel, François (ed.), 1963. Le référendum du 8 avril 1962. Paris: Presses de la FNSP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goguel, François (ed.), 1965. Le référendum d’octobre et les élections de novembre 1962. Paris: Presses de la FNSP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Habert, Philippe, 1992. “Le choix de l’Europe et la décision de l’électeur”, Commentaire 60, pp. 871–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IEP Grenoble, 1970. La réforme régionale et le référendum du 27 avril 1969. Paris: Cujas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morabito, Marcel and Daniel Bourmaud, 1993. Histoire constitutionnelle et politique de la France (1789–1958). Paris: Montchrestien.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morel, Laurence, 1992. “Le référendum: état des recherches”, Revue française de science politique 42:5, pp. 835–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morel, Laurence, 1993. “Party attitudes towards referendums in western Europe”. West European Politics 16:3, pp. 225–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parodi, Jean-Luc, 1973. La Vèrne République et le système majoritaire: le referendum ou l’apparition d’une question de confiance présidentielle. Paris: these de l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parodi, J-L., 1988. “Les cinq abstentionnismes selon une enquête IFOP pour Le Monde et RTL”, Le Monde, 9 November.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright, Vincent, 1978. “France”, pp. 139–68 in David Butler and Austin Ranney (eds), Referendums: a comparative study of practice and theory. Washington: American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Copyright information

© 1996 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Morel, L. (1996). France: towards a less controversial use of the referendum?. In: Gallagher, M., Uleri, P.V. (eds) The Referendum Experience in Europe. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-24796-7_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics