Word: mitterand
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...elections on June 21, the crowd in front was thick and the mood festive. The Socialist Party, for the first time since its creation, had just won an absolute majority in parliament. For those present, this confirmation of France's "left turn" a month earlier--the election of Francois Mitterand as president--transformed a feeling of alienation into one of confident belonging. Yet above all, the Socialists were careful. "We'll have fun tonight and that's it," said one party member. "Tomorrow we must face the reality of governing...
...Gaullist legacy has continued. While not, in the strictest sense, a Gaullist, Giscard seemed to many to be trying to fit the mold. By the end of his seven-year term, he had evolved from a liberal reformer to an authoritarian figure who fancied himself King, not president. In Mitterand, the French opted for a more humane and less threatening figure...
Still more important, the actions the new Socialist government undertook in the month preceding the elections served to reassure and please many voters. By naming a moderate cabinet including highly touted finance minister Jacques Delors and anti-Communist Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy, Mitterand demonstrated that he is far from the ardent revolutionary his opponents portrayed him to be. And by raising the minimum wage 10 per cent, opening discussions on the 35-hour week and making loans more readily available to small-and medium-size firms. Mitterand proved he keeps his promises...
Today, the Left's--and the nation's--euphoria is beginning to wear off. Slowly, the enormity of France's "new revolution" is being digested. Mitterand's decision to include four Communists in his new government, subtle gambit to diminish still further the power of the latter group, may backfire. And everyone realizes that the Socialists have been given a true mandate, with only themselves to blame in case of failure...
...over, the worries of the French will be translated into realities. No one knows what shape the government will takes after March, but most observers expect increasing instability. Two new political novels have recently appeared in the book stalls in Paris, highlighting the situation. One, "The 180 Days of Mitterand," describes the rise and fall of a leftist government following the elections. The other, "The 180 Days of Giscard D'Estaing," describes an equally swift victory and failure for the currently ruling center coalition. The tragedy of modern France is that either occurrence appears equally likely, at present...