Bourgeois Politics in France, 1945-1951

by Richard Vinen

Overview

This is the first general study based on primary research of the reconstruction of conservative parties, business associates, civil service departments and other institutions defending bourgeois interests in the period between 1945 and 1951. French conservatism is presented as a more subtle, dynamic force than has been previously appreciated. It is suggested that the experiences of Vichy, the occupation and the purges inspired new kinds of political synthesis, making conservatives more dynamic and receptive to change than their "progressive" opponents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521522762
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/11/2002
Pages:	316
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.71(d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Historiographic overview; 3. International comparisons; 4. Notables; 5. Bourgeois parties and the female electorate; 6. Organized business and politics; 7. Administration; 8. Opposition nationale; 9. The Parti Republicain de la Liberté; 10. Machine á ramasser les Pétainistes?; 11. The Rassemblement des Gauches Républicaines; 12. The Rassemblement du Peuple Français; 13. Independents and Peasants; 14. The Groupement de Défense des Contribuables; 15. Conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

"Richard Vinen, a lecturer in history at King's College in London, has provided a convincing analysis of the complex bourgeois alliances in the Fourth Republic. His book faces squarely historiographical debates concerning the overall success of the regime and provides a far more detailed picture than heretofore available of how different bourgeois groups interacted and aided each other in the remaking of a neo-bourgeois France....It is necessary reading for all those engaged in graduate work on postwar France." Chiarella Esposito, History

"...Vinen's special focus on the connections among the middle-class political parties, important business organizations...and the upper reaches of the civil service is unique...The great merit of Vinen's account, however, is to show that the post-World War II reconstruction of France began as a class affair in which, for a time, the bourgeousie triumphed over all others." The Historian

From the Publisher