About this Book

John Girling provides an informative and stimulating overview of the key issues in French life in a time of rapid globalization and European integration. He critically examines the residual values of grandeur and elitism in the political and economic leadership of contemporary France and evaluates their affect on education and domestic and foreign policy. He also analyzes the impact of modernization and global forces on the state, economy and social structure. In the face of a rapidly changing world, Girling addresses the question of French political and cultural identity with both optimism and pessimism.