Alistair Cole is Professor of Comparative Politics at the Institute of Political Studies, Lyon, France and Professor of European Politics at Cardiff University, UK. He has published extensively in the field of French and comparative European politics.

Part I Introduction

1 The making of modern France

1.1 Introduction

1.2 The ancien régime

1.3 The French Revolution: the making of modern France

1.4 The French Revolution: a divisive heritage

1.5 The Third Republic, 1870-1940

1.6 Vichy and the French Resistance 1940-4

1.7 The Fourth Republic 1944-58

2 France since 1958

2.1 Introduction

2.2 De Gaulle's republic

2.3 May '68: the Fifth Republic in crisis

2.4 Georges Pompidou, 1969-74: the acceptable face of Gaullism?

2.5 Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 1974-81

2.6 François Mitterrand, 1981-8: the chameleon

2.7 Mitterrand's second term, 1988-95

2.8 Jacques Chirac, 1995-7: the abrupt presidency

2.9 Jospin and the plural left coalition, 1997-2002

2.10 Chirac's second term, 2002-7

2.11 Nicolas Sarkozy's fast presidency, 2007-12

2.12 François Hollande's 'normal' presidency, 2012-17

2.13 Concluding remarks

3 French political culture: representations and realities

3.1 Political culture in France: the traditional reading

3.2 A divided France? Post-revolutionary political culture(s)

3.3 Exceptionalism, decline and revival

3.4 Concluding remarks

Part II Institutions and power

4 Presidents and prime ministers

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Political leadership in the French Republican tradition

4.3 The 1958 constitution

4.4 The French presidency

4.5 Presidential style

4.6 Presidential resources

4.7 Prime-ministerial political leadership

4.8 Changing temporalities of French politics: towards a fast presidency?

4.9 Concluding comments

5 Checks and balances?

5.1 Introduction

5.2 The evolving constitution

5.3 The French parliament

5.4 The organisation of the French parliament in the Fifth Republic

5.5 Parliament in the Fifth Republic: an emasculated legislature?

5.6 Political dynamics and the operation of parliament

5.7 The judicialisation of French politics?

5.8 Concluding remarks

6 Reforming the state

6.1 Introduction

6.2 The French civil service: characteristics, context and culture

6.3 Reforming the French state: the public-service narrative

6.4 Reforming the French state: the state-productivity narrative and its limits

6.5 The French state today: continuity, conflict, cohesion

6.6 Concluding comments

7 A decentralised republic in a unitary state? Local and regional government

7.1 Introduction

7.2 From the French model of territorial administration to the decentralised republic

7.3 Actors and institutions of territorial governance

7.4 Dimensions and dilemmas of territorial governance

7.5 Concluding remarks

Part III Political forces and representation

8 The French party system: change and understanding change

8.1 Introduction

8.2 The French party system before 1981

8.3 The changing French party system

8.4 Cohesion and continuity of the French party system

8.5 Concluding remarks

9 French parties today

9.1 Introduction

9.2 The Republicans and their allies

9.3 Socialists, Communists and Greens

9.4 The Front National

9.5 Concluding remarks

10 The representation of interests

10.1 Introduction

10.2 Economic interest groups

10.3 Social movements old and new

10.4 Groups and the French political system

10.5 Concluding remarks

Part IV Reshaping modern France

11 Society, citizenship and welfare

11.1 Introduction

11.2 The evolution of French society: social consensus or social fracture?

11.3 The economy and economic governance

11.4 Social policy, the welfare state and the French social model

11.5 Concluding remarks

12 The Republican model of citizenship and its limits

12.1 Introduction

12.2 The French Republican tradition

12.3 The Republican model and the challenges of multiculturalism

12.4 The Republican tradition and the challenge of territory: the case of lesser used languages

12.5 Multiple identities in contemporary France: a case study from Brittany

12.6 Concluding remarks

13 Europe and Europeanisation

13.1 Introduction

13.2 France and the European Union

13.3 Quelle finalité européenne? The French vision of Europe

13.4 France and Europeanisation

13.5 Concluding remarks

14 The Republic in danger?

14.1 Timeless institutions?

14.2 The Republic in danger!

14.3 The danger of hysteresis

French Politics and Society is the ideal companion for all students of France and French Politics with a strong reputation for its lucidity and lively exposition of the French polity. This third edition, remains a highly readable text and offers a broad, critical and comprehensive understanding of French politics. The book provides an excellent description of French institutions and ensures readers access to background information through discussing historical developments, political forces, public policy, and the evolution of important aspects of French society.