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Module 5

The French State: Language, Culture and Education

Section 1: Overview of the French State

 

 

Overview

In this section we will discuss the French State (l'État) which controls and shapes the economic, political, and social aspects of the Nation. We will also study the administrative organization of the State.

Key terms and concepts: The State, fonctionnaires (civil servants), centralization, assimilation, intérêt général (general interest or common good), equality

Table of Contents:

· Chapter 10: The State: One for All, All for One (Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, pp. 125-142)

· The French State

· Decentralization

· Régions

· Communes

· Départements

· Reflections on French skepticism toward authority and respect for L'État

 

Objectives for this section:

After completing the following readings, see if you are able to do these things:

· Describe what the term "L'État" means to a French citizen. · Name three subdivisions of the State and describe their history and relationship to the central government.. · Discuss the French attitude towards authority of government in relation to the ideal of the State.

 

Chapter 10: The French State: One for All, All for One (Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong, pp. 125-142)

Study Questions:

· How is the role played by French State (l'état) in relation to society different from the relationship between the State and Anglo-American societies?

· What does the term fonctionnaire mean?  How are fonctionnaires regarded by the people and how are they treated by the State?

· Explain the phrase: There are no competing jurisdictions in France.

· What three things have made centralization work in France?

· Is assimilation viewed as a positive or negative concept in France?  Explain why.

 

N-B begin Chapter 10  with an  anecdote about a conversation they had with a French woman about the private foundation that was funding Jean-Benoît's project and the fact that North American societies like the US' allow tax deductions for charitable donations. This practice of permitting private interests to do what in France would fall in the realm of the State's work seemed unusual to this French lady. N-B go on to explain the omnipresence of the State (L'état) in the French value system. More than just a guarantor of individual liberties and the pursuit of happiness, the French State " defines culture and language, runs the economy, dispenses welfare and charity, redistributes wealth, levels differences, and defines and defends the common good."  It is, in short, "the skeleton of French society." (p. 126)  It is an active force: France is an ongoing project which it is constantly creating through its agents orfonctionnaires. This was an historical process that over time has made France into the unique entity we recognize today. (p. 127)  Through historical examples you are now familiar with, N-B go on to show that this has not been an easy or smooth process and many evil things have been done in the name of L'état. But the French believe in the State's ability to bring about the common good and are called to civil service in great numbers despite the stringent standards they must meet to qualify and to which they are constantly held to be maintained in their positions and to be promoted.

The French State

The French State evolved from something that was exemplified by the king, as in Louis XIV 's declaration "I am the state" ("L'État, c'est moi"), to a centralized entity composed of the following facets:

The Nation-State:  France as a nation, its cultural and historical heritage in which the people take pride and which they strive to preserve

The Employer-State: 20% of the French are public employees of the State

The Provider-State: the State as caretaker and provider of services for the common good and well-being of its citizens

The Arbiter-of-Justice-State: the guardian of public order and security, whose responsibilities include protecting its citizens and bringing wrongdoers to justice

The Authoritarian State: the unifying principle through centralized power exercised through fiscal management, taxation, and personal income tax collection

The Diplomatic and Military State: France in its relations with other countries around the world

Decentralization

Regions

Regional programming began as early as 1956, but it was not until 1973 with the creation of Regional Councils under President Georges Pompidou that the process of economic development outside of Paris began. With this came the gradual breakdown of the long-held distinction between "Paris" and the "provinces." In 1982, the cultural and economic independence of the regions was officially validated by Socialist President François Mitterand, who granted administrative autonomy to each of the 22 régions (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. by signing the loi Deffere. (The number of regions was reduced to 13 as of January 2016.) Under this decentralization law, each region would have its prefect (préfet) who would apply the policies of the government to the region. In 1986, a law was passed creating a Regional Council consisting of an assembly to which representatives are elected by universal suffrage. Regional councils are in charge of major interdepartmental projects such as  railroads, nuclear power plants, dams, highways, etc. The operations of these councils have become increasingly important over the years, particularly as different regions have undergone dramatic economic development.

Communes.  By the same law that decentralized the administration and gave autonomy to the regions, Minister of the Interior Gaston Deferre's 1982 law also reduced the intervention of the State in the affairs of smaller local collectivities known as municipalities orcommunes, which are the smallest administrative divisions. The empowerment of local authorities to assume more responsibilities continued in the previous government's plan under Prime Ministers Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Dominique de Villepin, although the focus of Villepin's cabinet was France's stark unemployment. 

There are approximately 36,000 French communes in France today, more than in any other European country. Each commune elects a Municipal Council (Conseil municipal) whose size varies according to the population of the commune. Council members are elected by universal suffrage for 6-year terms. 

The mayor, chairperson of the municipal council, represents the commune locally in the department and region as well as in Paris, where s/he is responsible to the regional prefect. As the local chief officer, the mayor and his/her staff are responsible for basic services within the municipality: police, judiciary and the courts, waste collection and management, firefighters, funerals, etc.  As representative of the State, the mayor must execute all laws transmitted from Paris by the prefect, including the recording of marriages, divorces, births, and deaths that have taken place in the commune.

Départements.

The collectivity called le département applies to the French territory and goes back to the time of the Revolution. Départementsreplaced the ancient provinces, which were holdovers from feudal times, renaming and reconfiguring them into administrative districts similar to US counties.. Departmental names generally reflect the geography of the area (rivers, mountains, seas) and are relatively equal in size with the exception of the newest department of Ile-de-France, created in 1964. (Note 1 at bottom of page).

Some départements are very rural while others are quite urban, with about 10 having populations of more than a million. Each has a main city (chef-lieu) and an appointed head, the prefect (préfet), who represents the State. Each département is divided into districts(arrondissements); within each départment is a city serving as a seat for the prefect (sous-préfecture).

Napoléon Bonaparte created the departmental structure and the office of prefect in 1800. All préfets are named by the French president through recommendation by the Minister of the Interior. The responsibilities of a préfet include the following:

head of all fonctionnaires (civil servants) of the département: except for judges (magistrats) and police (gendarmes)

executor of all laws and decisions of the Council of Ministers

The préfet is assisted by:

a staff of assistant prefects (sous-préfets), one from each district or arrondissement

an elected administrative assembly of general counselors (conseillers généraux) elected by universal suffrage for six years.

The number of conseillers généraux is between 20 and 60, according to the the number of cantons making up the département. In rural areas, a canton is often made up of several communes, whereas large cities are divided into several cantons or electoral districts. It is important to note that the cantons play no administrative role in the government and do not refer to territorial divisions as they do in Switzerland. They are strictly used to circumscribe electoral districts for the purpose of electing members to the General Council (Le Conseil général). This body oversees departmental services such as road maintenance, school bussing, hospitals, and sporting and cultural events and activities.

Reflections on French skepticism toward authority and respect for L'état

French people are known for taking to the streets in protest when they feel that their rights to equality have been violated. In this sense, they are acting out the principle of democracy to which they hold: "We are the State." If an authority or some hierarchy within the government imposes its will, French people assume what they believe is their civic duty to contest these actions by making their voice heard. By making their collective concerns known to the current government, the French people make a distinction between the State and the Government which Anglo-Americans do not always appreciate.

For the French, the Government must always be watched carefully. History teaches that politicians are not to be trusted and that they often get their power in illegitimate ways (by currying favor, etc.).  The Government is often viewed as a villain, a liar, a thief that grants favors to the rich, steals from the poor, and controls the justice system and the media. Fonctionnaires tend to be viewed in a similar way -- aggressive, tricky, and underhanded. The only way to deal with them is to know how to defend yourself using what the French call Le Système D (D stands for débrouillard, to defog), or figuring out what to do on the spot, like flying by the seat of your pants, or using your intuition to get by. Protection comes from L'État, that ideal to which the citizen attributes legitimacy and dignity beyond the vices of the current government. (La France contemporaine, p.113)  It hearkens back to the same feeling one gets in repeating that line of the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag " ...and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation,... (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."