Center Left: Socialist Party (28.63%) Hollance

Center Right: Union For a Popular Movement (UMP), 27.18% (Sarkozy)

Far Right: National Front, 17.90% (Marie Le Pen)

Far Left: Left Front, 11.10% (Melenchon)

Center: Democratic Movement, 9.13% (Bayrou)

-6.06% of vote shared by other partiese of the far left and the far right

-RUNOFF: Holland: 51.64%

Sarkozay: 48.36%

National referendums not uncommon; there have been nine during the Fifth republic, on constitutional amendments, important EU matters, etc.

-There are elections for regional, Department and Commune office-holder

-Unitary NOT federal; all power ultimately resides with the central government

-There are lower elective and administrative levels

--Lowest level of government is the commune (cities and towns)

--100 Departments (a long tradition)

--22 regions ( a more recent division)

-France has strong protection of civil liberties

-Its consitutional court, called the Constitutional Council, is quite powerful

-There are 9 members, three each appointed by the President, National Assembly and the Senate

-The constituional Council can rule on constitutionality of laws or executive actions before they go into effect: ADVISORY OPINIONS

France offers extensive social protection: pensions, health care, unemployment compensation, child benefits, anti-poverty programs, etc.

-Public health system has an especially good reputation

-Public transportation is also efficient and extensive although (Strike prone)

-France relies more than most countries on indirect taxes, such as value added taxes

-The french government supports culture to a greater extent than many countries

-Education is national and free, but there have been recent funding problems, especially in higher education

The French government once owned most infrastructure and transportation, as well as heavy industry

-Since 1980s many of these have been privatized

-Much government regulation for health, safety, environmental protection, professional credentials) occurs at EU, not the national level

-France a rich country with healthy and prosperous people

-Hard hit by 2008 economic recession

-Young people especially hit hard

-**Currently a political crisis int hat more and more French DISTRUST ALL longstanding political parties***

-Of particular concern to many other Euorpeans is the success of the far-right National Front, but other far right and far left parties have also grown

Slides Prior to Card 30

Country Bio: General Information; Population, Geography, etc...

-64.7 million people

-Year of current constitution: 1958

Head of State: Nicolas Sarkozy, now Francois Hollande

Head of Government: Manuel Valls

-Mainly Roman Catholic: 89.5%, Muslim 7.5%, Protestant 2% and Jewish 1%

-Economic Problems: high unemployment, slow growth

-French relations with the European Union and Eurozone

-Distrust of politicians and poltical processes

-French 'identity' and immigration

-Relations with Africa

-Relations with the United States

Charles De Gaulle 1958-1969

-Francois Mitterand, 1981-1995

-Jacques Chirac, 1995-2007

-Nicolas Sarkozy 2007-2012

-Francois Hollande 2012-Present

-Potential future contender: Marine Le Pen, From National Front Party

-One of the oldest nation-states of Europe

-1789: French Revolution

1799-1815; Napoleon I

1815-1830: Restoration of Bourbon Monarchy

1830-1848: Louis Phillipe, House of Orleans

1848: Paris Revolution

1853-1870: Second Empire of Napoleon III

1870: Franco-Prussian War

1870-1871: Paris Commune

1872-1940 Third Republic

1914-1918: WWI

1940-1945: WWIII

-Vichy Regime

-Collaborators and Resistance

-Charles de gaulle and the Free French

-1946-1958: Fourth Republic

-24 governments in 12 years

Vietnam and Algeria conflicts

--1958-Now: Fifth Republic

-The "burden of history"

-Ideology is extremely important

-concern with french identity

--Fear of globalization, Americanization

--Immigration

-Distrust of government, politics

-Strong tradition of secularism

Direct action: Strikes, demonstrations, referendums

-Promotion of french culture and language

-Education is centralized and a major socializing force

****SEE HANDOUT***

-About 90% Roman Catholic

-stong tradition of ANTICLERICALISM; not just nonpracticing but ANTI-religion

-Widespread agreement that the government must be strictly secular

-*Head Scarf Controversy*

-Large share of workers in France identfy themselves as the "Working class"

-Strikes are common, particularly in transportation

-French unionization is very low, almost as low as the United States (10%)

-Traditional class differences are complicated by contemporary racial and ethnic differences

-France has a distinct "political class"

-Many leaders have attended the same high powered university programs, eg. ENA "Enarques"

-These programs are meritocratic, but still often resented by non-attendees

--The Fifth Republic: 1958

-"Semi Presidential" a standard parliamentary system with a very powerful president on top

-A unitary system, although some efforts to decentralize in the 1980s

-Strong protection of civil liberties with a powerful constitutional court

-Among the most powerful presidencies of any developed democracy

-Directly elected for a 5 year term: Before 2000, used to be a 7 year term

-If no candidate receives a majority in the first round, there is a runoff between the top two finishers two weeks later

-Appoints prime minister

-Presides over cabinet

-Selects cabinet members with the prime minister

-Chief foreign policy maker

-Many administrative appointments

-Can call referenda (with some limits)

-Can send legislation to Constitutional Court

-Emergency Powers (although only invoked by de Gaulle)

-577 members

-Legislative powers, although President has a lot of discretion in execution

-Presided over by Prime Minister

-Election for the usual parliamentary reasons: however, often called by President on his/her schedule (i.e., soon after Presidential election)

-SMD (single member district)

--If majority on first round, election is over

--If not, candidates with 12.5% or more of the vote can run in second round

--Usually only two candidates in round 2

--In recent years Presidents have called elections soon after theirs; 5 year presidential term has menat that Presidential and Assembly terms coincide

-Three times in the 56th Republic Of the President and National Assembly have been controlled by different parties for brief periods

-This has been called co-habitation

-Co-habitation has been an uncomfortable experience; in practice, the President has overseen foreign policy and the Prime Minister domestc policy

-When President and Prime Minister are from the same party, the President thoroughly dominates

-Reduction of President's term to 5 years makes cohabitation much less likely

-348 members

-elected indirectly by about 150,000 officeholders at many levels, from regional executives to mayors

- A strong bias toward rural areas and small towns

-Similar powers to National Assembly except

--Budget bills must originate in Assembly

--Only Assembly can vote no confidence in Prime Minister

-Constitutional Court; quite powerful

-Nine members, three each appointed by President, National Assembly, and Senate

-Can rule on constitutionality of laws or executive actions before they go into effect; advisory opinions

-82.3 million people

Second most populous state after

-Year of current constitution: 1949

Head of government: Chancellor Angela Merkel

Head of State: President Christian Wulff

Religion: Protestant: 34%

Roman Catholic: 34%

Muslim 4%

Unaffliliated or other: 28%

-Angela Merkel: Chancellor 2005-Present

-Sigmar Gabriel: Vice Chancellor: 2013 to Present

-Gerhard Shroeder: Chancellor 1998-2005

-Helmut Kohl: Chancellor : 1982-1998

-Konrad Adenauer, Chancellor 1949-1963

-2005: Merkel's first election, coalition of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats

-2009: Merkel as head of coalition of Christian Democrats and Free Democrats

-2013: Merkel as head of coalition of Christian Democrats and Socail Democrats

-Economic issues: recession, stimulus and spending cuts (although Germany has done relatively well recently)

-Eurozone Crisis: Germany as lender of last resort

-Lingering unification-related economic, social issues

-Social Services: health, pension, welfare costs

-Immigration: a source of political tension

Foreign policy challenges

-Role in EU

-Role in post-cold war world

-Relations with the United States

-Versailles Treaty: lost colonies and European territory (e.g., Alsace-Lorraine) huge reparations

-Great Depression of 1930s

-Hit Germany harder than most other countries

-1/3 of the labor force unemployed

-Parliamentary democracy couldn't withstand the strain

-Emergence of Hitler and the National Socialist German Worker's Party (NAZIS)

-Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor in 1933

-Used parliament to grant dictatorial powers

--Destroyed opposition

--Massive public works projects lessened unemployment

--September 1939, WWII begins

---7-9 million German deaths (about 10% of population)

-60 million lives lost worldwide, some 25 million at the hands of Germany (including military, civilians and genocide victims)

End of the war, May 1945, Germany in Ruins

-Occupation, 1945-1949

--Britain, France, and the US occupied Western Germany and West Berlin

--Soviet Union occupied Eastern Germany

The West

---Denazification

Formation of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949

The East

--Hard line communist control

-Formation of the German Democratic Republic in 1949

2 Paths 1949-1990

--West Germany

-Free markets, democratic government

-"economic miracle" in 1950s, 1960s

Close US ally, hosted many US troops

--East germany

-Hardline communist state

-Collectivized Agriculture, nationalized industry, centralized planning

Process Reconciliation

--Helmut Kohl

--Gorbachev

--Opening of Berlin Wall

--Western Germany dominated the process; many resources expended on former GDR

-Constitution (Basic Law)

--Developed a stable, democratic political system after Nazi period

-Federal System, 16 Lander

-Parliamentary System

-Strong protection for civil liberties enforced by a poweful Constitutional Court

-Federal system

-Sixteen state governments have unicameral legislatures

-Power divided between federal, state; also concurrent powers in which either state or federal government can legislate, but federal laws take precedence

-Bundestag:

--598 elected deputies (sometimes more)

--Selects chancellor (PM)

--Passes legislation

--Question time, other parliamentary features

Bundesrat

--69 members, appointed by state governments, roughly proportional to population

-represents state interests

-Federal Chancellor and Cabinet

--Elected by Bundestag

--Control over Cabinet

Federal President: Mostly ceremonial

Judicial System

-Ordinary Courts

-Administrative Courts

-Constitutional Courts

Some limitations on parliamentary power

Constructive no confidence vote: a successor must be agreed upon

Role of Constitutional Court as a check: FULL judicial review

-Interest Groups are connected to government more closely in Germany than in the US

--An example of corporatism:

--Social interests organized into Compulsory organizations

-Single association respresents each social sector

-Associations participate directly in policy process

Main components: Business, labor, the government

-Christian Democrats: (CDU/CSU): Center right, conservative but not libertarian, CSU in Bavaria, CDU in other states

-SOCIAL DEMOCRATS (SPD): center left, unions, working class, intellectuals

FREE DEMOCRATIC PARTY (FDP): centrist, frequent coalition partner with both CDU/SCU and SPD, but bad showing in 2013 election

Greens: Die Grune/Bundnis 90: Environmentalist/postmodern left

Left Party (Die Linke) traditional Left

-Electoral System

--Proportional represenation system (PR) and single member district system (very unusual)

--Ballot: first vote for candidate to represent a district; second vote for a party on a PR list

-Half of Bundestag members elected as district representatives, half as party representatives

SEE HANDOUT

Combination of SMD and PR

Policy Making--

---Administrative responsibility for domestic policies belongs to state governments

--States employ more civil servants than federal, local governments combined

Federal republic's policy record

-A large welfare state, although some limitations in the last decade (e.g, higher retirement age)

-Extensive network of social services

- An extensive public health care system

-Education is primarily a state responsibility

-Defense and foregin policy: Germany is a founding member of NATO and the EU

-Easter economy is still not fully rebuilt

-Aging Crisis

-Relations with NATO, the EU, RUSSIA, the US

-Euro Crisis: dominates at present, with many Germans resentful of aid of other EU countries (although Germany greatly benefits from support of export sector)