The Mitterrand Era: Policy Alternatives and Political Mobilization in France

Description

This anthology examines the effects of economic orthodoxy on the French left. A decade after the governing left relinquished plans to 'transform society', French social actors have indeed changed. They have adapted to economic orthodoxy and to a new political mainstream. Various essays examine the political impact of economic forces. They explore the relationships between left parties and organized labour. The book also looks at new forms of political mobilization around gender, immigration, and environmental issues. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv François Mitterrand, the Left and Political Mobilization in France....Pages 1-29 Front Matter....Pages 31-31 The Limits of Political Economy: Mitterrand and the Crisis of the French Left....Pages 33-55 Exchange Rate Politics in France, 1981–1983: The Regime-Defining Choices of the Mitterrand Presidency....Pages 56-82 Less Exceptionalism than Meets the Eye....Pages 83-96 The Left’s Response to Industrial Crisis: Restructuring in the Steel and Automobile Industries....Pages 97-113 Front Matter....Pages 115-115 An End to French Exceptionalism? The Transformation of Business under Mitterrand....Pages 117-140 French Socialism and the Transformation of Industrial Relations since 1981....Pages 141-160 French Labour Confronts Technological Change: Reform that Never was?....Pages 161-171 The Dilemma of Unions without Members....Pages 172-185 Front Matter....Pages 187-187 The Shifting Advantages of Organizational Formats: Factionalism and the French Socialist Party....Pages 189-205 French Communism: Party Construction and Party Decline....Pages 206-224 Green Politics and Political Mobilization: Contradictions of Direct Democracy....Pages 225-240 The Politics of Égalité Professionnelle: As Symbolic Reform becomes More Symbolic....Pages 241-257 Race, Immigration and the Politics of Hate....Pages 258-278 Back Matter....Pages 279-285