Publisher's Synopsis
In view of the defeat of the socialists in the legislative elections of March 1993, this book represents a timely endeavour to evaluate how the ambitions of the Socialists in power impacted on France, and how the reactions elicited often modified those ambitions. Rather than focussing narrowly on the agents of change, the book treats them as a foil which allows the reader to perceive the institutional features of the fifth republic that are not so susceptible to change and, on the other hand, certain evolutionary processes in society that cannot be channelled through traditional party political structures. Furthermore, the book provides an insight into the ethical and intellectual assumptions of the French Left, how they were tested by the challenge of shaping the culture of France and ultimately became part of an exercise in government which was notable for the way a Socialist administration had to adapt to the realities of the Fifth Republic, rather than vice versa.
