"The ongoing nonsense in the French government - find the latest here, who knows what the situation will be by the time this newsletter lands - has renewed calls for a Sixth Republic in France. The big selling point of the Fifth Republic (the current one) is that it provides political stability, albeit at the cost of giving a lot of power to the president at the expense of parliament."
"But I started thinking about the Fourth Republic - the wildly unstable period that inspired Charles de Gaulle to create the current system. The Fourth Republic ran from 1946 to 1958 and during that 12-year period there were 24 governments, plus an endless revolving cast of prime ministers - one guy was PM for just two days in 1950. The current parliamentary 'crisis' would barely have even registered in the 1950s and yet . . . the Fourth Republic was an astonishingly productive period."
France is experiencing ongoing political turmoil that has renewed debate over the country’s constitutional model and calls for a Sixth Republic. The Fifth Republic is credited with providing political stability by concentrating power in the presidency, but recent events have exposed weaknesses and prompted proposals to rebalance power toward parliament. Historical reflection on the Fourth Republic notes extreme governmental turnover alongside major accomplishments, including postwar reconstruction and the creation of state-funded health and pension systems. Cultural moments included images of Marianne on a tote bag, public sweary commentary, and recognition of Gisele Pelicot’s courage.
Read at www.thelocal.fr
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]