France After the Cold War

France is a country located in western Europe. The capital is Paris and it has a population of approximately 60,424,000. France was one of the many countries impacted by the Cold War and I will be discussing the current state of the country. Today, “France is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-8, the G-20, the EU and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing de Gaulle's 1966 decision to take French forces out of NATO.” (World Fact Book) As of 1958, it has established an amalgamated presidential-parliamentary governing system opposed to the instabilities experienced in previous, more purely parliamentary regimes. France has a Republic system of Government. In recent decades, its association and appeasement with Germany have substantiated the European economic unification. Moreover, in January 1999, the establishment of a common currency, known today as the euro. Early 21st century, a number of existing bodies, overseas became French provinces and were made part of France respectably. These existing bodies were Martinique, Reunion, Mayotte French Guiana and Guadeloupe.

France has very diverse economic sectors. Big enterprises are partially or completely privatized by the government. Such companies include Thales, Air France, Renault and France Telecom. There are other sectors in which the government retains a strong presence, such as public transport, defense and power. The french leaders of the country are persistent in committing to a free market in which they retain social equity through tax policie...

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...ing that the trend continues, but at a slower rate, economic and consumption growth will stall due to the aging population, inadequate productivity benefits, and the increasing value of limited resources, particularly oil. Annual GDP expansion in France is predicted to be 1.5% from 2008 to 2030, judging from 2.1% from 1980 to 2008 if there is a lack of government reforms and significant policy changes.

Works Cited

Desvaux, Georges, and Baudouin Regout. "Older, Smarter, More Value Conscious: The French Consumer Transformation." Mckinsey Quarterly 3 (2010): 18-21. Business Source Complete. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

"The World Factbook-Fr." Cia.gov. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2014.

"France, Germany, and Post-cold War Europe." Encyclopedia of the European Union. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc., 2000. Credo Reference. Web. 9 March 2014.