POLITICAL BELIEFS AND VALUES

POLITICAL BELIEFS AND VALUES

BELIEFS AND VALUES

LEFT VS. RIGHT

France has a multi-party system, but the parties, as well as political attitudes, have always lined up on one side or the other: left vs. right. This tendency (like so many others) may be traced back to the French Revolution when people were divided between supporters of the king and supporters of the new republic. The terms "left" and "right" refer to the seating arrangement in the National Assembly during the revolution, with republicans sitting the furthest to the left, and the monarchists sitting on the right. Although political opinions shifted radically during the course of the revolution, the adversarial nature of the conflict always set one side against the other. Today the left tends to draw urban laborers, middle-class civil servants, skilled workers, and intellectuals. Most French schoolteachers tend to vote on the left. On the right, political attitudes are hard to sort out because they parties tend to depend on the charisma of their leaders for voter support. As in most democracies, voters who support more rather than less free enterprise tend to vote on the right. Voters who want stronger immigration laws also tend to vote on the right. However, voter opinions are quite subject to change, and they are difficult to predict.

Today this strong tendency toward left vs. right appears to have lessened, and one political party (the UDF) has managed to capture votes by touting itself as the party of the "center." However, it has formed a strong coalition with the RPR - a party on the right- which actually pulls it to the right of the great divide in the electorate.

POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION

Like most other democracies, French children learn many of their political attitudes in school. For one thing, France has no equivalent of the English "public" school - an elite education for only a few. The message to children is one of equality, a major value that has shaped French political culture since the Revolution. The French school system is open to all, although the curriculum is content-heavy and tends to favor middle class over working class children. The latter often do not stay in school past the age of sixteen. The curriculum in recent years has become more flexible and accommodating to modern French society.

Lycees

Social class divisions become clearly evident as student prepare to enter the lycees, or high schools. Lycees were first developed by Napoleon to train army officers, and admission is still very competitive, and the curriculum is demanding. Many rural areas do not have lycees, so they work to the advantage of children in urban and suburban areas. Upon completion of the curriculum at about age 18, students take an examination, and if they pass, they receive a baccalaureat, which guarantees admission to a university. Today about half of French young people earn a "bac," but they are still more likely to be middle class than working class.

Universities and the "Great Schools"

Most French universities do not have difficult admissions requirements, and as a result, enrollments have soared, and graduation does not necessarily help the student find a good job. About 45 percent of 20-24 year olds are in full time education, a figure comparable to that in the United States. But France still has their "Great Schools," with tough admissions standards that education the French elite. A number of Great Schools exist, but three educate the political elite, or those people who control French politics and the economy.

The Ecole Polytechnique educates business elites, including those that fill technology and management positions.

The Ecole Normale Superieure graduates leading French intellectuals.

The Ecole Nationale d'Administration (ENA) is the most important school for the political elite. It is also the newest, created in 1945. At age 25 ENA graduates generally get high positions in government, diplomatic service, or business and banking. Most presidents and prime ministers attended the ENA, as did many members of the assembly and the bureaucracy.

Anyone may apply to attend the "Great Schools" but very few or chosen. Admission is merit based, but a high proportion of students that attend the schools are from elite families.

If you can read French, find out more about the Ecole Nationale d'Administration.