Nicolas Sarkozy is known to many as a French icon. He represented France for many years, and his decisions have tainted the way France is viewed today. Although Sarkozy was a great leader, his many contentious political reforms raised awareness in the French community. As President, Nicolas Sarkozy had an immense impact over France, however his controversial actions really affected the French public by making them more aware of many political scandals.
His political career skyrocketed once he was elected city councilor of Neuilly-sur-Seine at 23 years old. He moved up in the political ladder until he was elected mayor. He then served as the President of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), a French conservative party that he won with an 85% popular vote. During his reign as President, he helped to simplify France’s tax system by changing the rules to create fewer “loopholes” and creating a maximum taxation rate, set at 50 percent revenue. Essentially, this meant that fewer citizens would be able to avoid paying full taxes. Sarkozy also lowered France’s budget, because France had been financially surviving off of credit and loans for some time. This decrease in budget funds ensured economic stability in France, and eliminated the need to rely on other countries for money and loans. Nicolas decided to run for President due to his extensive background in government and love the French public had for him. By being apart of the government and in the social light for so many years, Nicolas Sarkozy was able to easily grasp many of the challenges he faced as President.
Shortly after Sarkozy’s reign as UMP leader in 2005, he was elected President of France in 2007. His international actions and decisions concerning foreign policy sh...
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...al by the media, and this caused Sarkozy’s followers to reconsider their vote for the next campaign. Another example of this was his agreements with N.A.T.O., because although his intentions of earning France’s alliance were honorable, most would classify his agreement to send troops to Iraq the “gray area” because morally, France opposed the Iraq War. These events can be interpreted as obstacles in Sarkozy’s career, or as opportunities to expose French citizens to what was really happening in their government. The attention given to Sarkozy by the media was not favorable, although it did cause the French to become more active and conscious about the debatable decisions Sarkozy was involved in. Overall, Nicolas Sarkozy impacted France because he brought much needed attention to French politics, forcing citizens to be more aware of their position in worldly issues.
The French occupation is a confrontation between exported modernity and an old regime: the French revolutionaries and their dominance over the Ottoman social order that is markedly different in contrast; and, al-Jabarti reports on how it transfers cross-culturally. Levels of contestation, open and/or secretive acceptances give way to losses and gains driven by high emotion – even for this writer. He “describes very carefully every step in the negotiation of the organization of society, from administration to inheritance, from property to charity or from justice to deliberation.”
...nd the republic nature of France.) and The Royalists (Who wanted a return to the system of monarchy).
Scott, Joan. “French Universaliszm in Crisis.” Lecture given at New School University, Dean’s Forum, Nov. 11, 2004.
The 1950s was not a particularly good decade for France. The Fourth Republic, which had been established in the aftermath of the Second World War, remained unstable and lurched from crisis to crisis. Between 1946 and 1954, there had been a war in French Indo-China, between a nationalist force under Ho Chi Minh and the French. The war was long and bitter and towards the end, the French suffered the ignominy of losing the major fortress of Dien Bien Phu to the guerrillas on 7 May 1954. An armistice was sought with Ho Chi Minh, and the nations of North and South Vietnam emerged from the ashes of the colony. It is entirely likely that the success of the guerrillas influenced the Algerian insurrectionists, the National Liberation Front(FLN), in tactics and in the idea that the time was ripe to strike. It is clear that the FLN employed similar methods to those developed by the nationalists under Ho Chi Minh.1
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...
The French Revolution started in 1787 because the country was going through financial difficulties and there was unrest between the classes of citizens in the country. The differences between the lower class citizens and higher classes, being nobles and the monarchy were great. The citizens had heard of the revolution that went on in the colonies and they also wanted freedom and independence. The real start of the French Revolution was on July 14, 1789, with the storming of the Bastille. Between 1789 1793, a constitution was written, feudalism was abolished, war had broken out, and King Louis XVI was put to death. In late 1793 and early 1794, Maximilien Robespierre became the head of the Committee of Public Safety in France. This was the new governing body in France; it could be compared to the executive branch of a government. Robespierre was a great leader, he ins...
When people go hungry, they go crazy, and no country has experience this quite like France. The economy in France was going down a spiral after King Louis XV died and left a young and irresponsible Louis XVI in charge. Louis XVI had many opportunities to save France from impending economic depression, by taxing the nobles, so that the financial responsibility would not fall on the lower classes (Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution). This dark time in France’s history claimed the lives of over 20,000 people and even the leaders of the revolution. The French government was in a weak and vulnerable place after the Revolution and ripe for a change in leadership. In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte, threw a successful coup d’état and took control
Goldsborough, James O. “France, The European Crisis and the Alliance.” Foreign Affairs 52.3 (1974): 538-355. History Reference Center. Web, 3 Feb. 2014.
The Declaration declares that all French citizens must be guaranteed their natural born rights of “liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.” In the Declaration, it disputes that there is a need for law that protects the citizens of Fra...
The first underlying cause of the French Revolution was the Old Regime. The people of France were divided into three estates. The first estate was composed of the highest church officials. They held about ten percent of all the land in France. They paid no direct taxes to the royal government. The second estate was made up of nobles. They were only two percent of France’s population, but owned twenty percent of the land. They paid no taxes (Krieger 483). The third estate accounted for ninety-eight percent of France’s population. The third estate was divided into three groups; the middle class, known as the bourgeoisie, the urban lower classes, and the peasant farmers. The third estate lost about half their income in taxes. They paid feudal dues, royal taxes, and also owed the corvee, a form of tax paid with work (Krieger 484).
Napoleon Bonaparte was an interesting ruler in that he was compromised of attributes of both a tyrant and a hero. Napoleon had a strong following throughout his reign and even during his two exiles. He was the emperor of France between 1799 and 1815, following the fall of the Directory. Despite the efforts of the French Revolution to rid the country of an autocratic ruler, Bonaparte came to power as Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte I in 1804. He claimed that he preserved the goals of the Revolution, which can be easily argued as his rule became more dictatorial as it progressed. Despite his departure from some of the gains of the Revolution, he overall was a hero for the French people. Through his military ventures, political changes and social reform, Napoleon proved himself as a hero. This is not to say that there were aspects of his reign that were tyrannical, but he was overall beneficial for France.
Economically, he forged France's economy out from the fire of revolution. Napoleon recognized that economic reform was essential to increase employment and restore confidence in the government's ability to foster economic growth. In 1800 he established the Bank of France. Modeled after the Bank of England, it was used to promote industry. As a result, the franc became the most stable currency in Europe. The Bank of France proved to be significant in the stabilization of the economy. This stabilization was necessary to be able to increase income and ensure the security of the nation. Furthermore, Napoleon refined tax collection by demanding 5% of every citizen's income and there were no tax exemptions based on class. Hundreds of officials were appointed to collect taxes on income and property. In 1880, 660 million francs were collected, exceedingly more than pre-revolutionary times. With more income, the government could spend on various social programs for the people.
His tireless efforts to preserve France’s good name during WWII and the legacy he left on the French government are a testament to that. This is again the reason I have chosen de Gaulle as my topic for the research paper. He was one of the greatest Frenchmen to ever live, but unlike other famous French heroes, like Napoleon, and Joan of Arc who died in the hands of their enemies, de Gaulle died peacefully in his own house, in the country he loved. Bibliography:.. Works Cited 1) Bernard Lewdwidge.
When discussing the French Culture, architecture and even politics, we don’t forget the influence of the history of France. The french way of life as and the government still show some major keys to the major historical events. Culture plays the most important role in the development of any country. The culture of France and of the French people has been shaped by geography, by profound historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups.
Protests began mostly because of the students at the University of Nanterre were not happy with the conditions at the college. There were many students, about 2,000, at the university and they were overcrowded. They were also not given the education that they thought they deserved. The students also fought for the rides for the opposite sex to visit their dorm rooms. These college students wanted better learning conditions. Some of the students were also mad about the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. Others wanted more personal and political freedoms. Charles de Gaulle was president of France and he ruled France as a conservative society. The college kids wanted a more democratic and modern society than what they had now. And with that, they began protesting for change to be made in Paris and throughout all of France.