Political leadership in France. From Charles de Gaulle to Nicolas Sarkozy

Political Leadership in France analyzes changes which have taken place over the last 50 years in French politics. When Charles de Gaulle came to power in 1958 the drama surrounding the Fourth Republic's collapse and the focus on an exceptional individual meant that he was able to confer a very particular style of leadership on the new Fifth Republic. De Gaulle's 'performance' was such that he transformed the nature of leadership politics in France, increasing the scope for personal leadership and the emphasis upon the exalted leader. This had major implications for the republic's institutions and for the role of political parties.

The five Presidents who came after him – Pompidou, Giscard, Mitterrand, Chirac, and Sarkozy, as well as contenders for the presidency such as Segolene Royal and François Hollande – have each capitalized upon their own political 'persona' and their relationship to the French people.

John Gaffney takes a new approach to the subject, looking at the mythological and cultural as well as institutional conditions of political performance.

[Note: The hardback edition was published in 2010. The paperback edition includes a new preface.]

Contents:

1. 1958: The Gaullist settlement and French politics
2. 1958-68: The consolidation and evolution of the Fifth Republic
3. 1968 and its aftermath
4. 1969-74: Gaullism without de Gaulle
5. 1974-81: The Giscard years
6. 1981-88: From the République Sociale to the République Française
7. 1988-2002: The long decade of vindictiveness, miscalculations, defeat, farce, good luck, good government, and catastrophe - the presidency right or wrong
8. The presidential election of 2007