Results by title
4 books match the query '1981-1995'
France at the Polls, 1981 and 1986
Howard R. Penniman, ed.
Duke University Press, 1988
At the Polls is a series of national election studies prepared by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy and Research. Books in the series include volumes on some thirty national democratic elections around the world. Distinguished foreign and American scholars have contributed to the studies.
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How World Politics Is Made
France and the Reunification of GermanyTilo Schabert
University of Missouri Press, 2009
With the collapse of the Soviet Union and its Eastern European bloc, the reunification of Germany was a major episode in the history of modern Europe—and one widely held to have been opposed by that country’s centuries-old enemy, France. But while it has been previously believed that French President François Mitterrand played a negative role in events leading up to reunification, Tilo Schabert shows that Mitterrand’s main concern was not the potential threat of an old nemesis but rather that a reunified Germany be firmly anchored in a unified Europe.
Widely acclaimed in Europe and now available in English for the first time, How World Politics Is Made blends primary research and interviews with key actors in France and Germany to take readers behind the scenes of world governments as a new Europe was formed. Schabert had unprecedented, exclusive access to French presidential archives and here focuses on French diplomacy not only to dispel the notion that Mitterrand was reluctant to accept reunification but also to show how successful he was in bringing it about.
Although accounts of U.S. officials regarding the reunification of Germany boast of American leadership that guided European affairs, Schabert offers a Continental perspective that is far more complex. He reveals the constructive role played by France as he re-creates not only French cabinet meetings but also communications between Mitterrand and George H. W. Bush, Mikhail Gorbachev, Helmut Kohl, Margaret Thatcher, and other world leaders. Along the way, he provides new insight into such major episodes as the fall of the Berlin Wall, European Council summits, the German-Polish border dispute, Germany’s membership in NATO, and the final settlement of reunification.
Schabert’s work is a major piece of scholarship that clearly shows the decisive role that France played in the orchestration of German reunification—by making the “German question” a European question. A primary source in its own right, this book dramatically reshapes our understanding of not only reunification but also the end of the Cold War and the construction of a New Europe.
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The French Voter Decides
Daniel Boy and Nonna Mayer, Editors
University of Michigan Press, 1993
This volume presents a detailed study of the very latest research on French electoral behavior by leaders in voting scholarship. The careful and large-scale survey research on which it is based makes this study highly unusual and distinct from other, related studies. The approach and scientific standards of the study make it comparable to current efforts in the United States and Britain. The French Voter Decides therefore provides, for political scientists trained in the survey research tradition, a familiar lens through which to view French politics. While the methodology employed is American in origin, the authors develop a distinctive model of voting adapted to the special characteristics of the French electorate. Each chapter addresses a separate aspect of the general topic, thus ensuring a comprehensive and cohesive view of electoral behavior. In particular, the contributors refute the widely held notion that somehow things have have changed dramatically in France; rather, they demonstrate the underlying stability of the French electorate. Political scientists specializing in French politics will find much that is valuable and original in this study, while Michael S. Lewis-Beck's introduction – correlating the French approach with more familiar American models – will provide essential background for nonspecialists. Clear and accessibly presented data analyses make this volume ideal for students at the graduate as well as the undergraduate level.
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Through French Windows
An Introduction to France in the NinetiesJames Corbett
University of Michigan Press, 1994
Through French Windows is a journey into contemporary French culture and society. By describing the country's education, religion, politics, finances, technology and telecommunications, and social and ethical issues, Corbett draws a portrait of present-day France.The author provides background information necessary for understanding the changes that continue to evolve. Corbett conscientiously avoids the traditional and simplistic means of portraying France that emphasizes the cultural heritage of the country. Instead he provides an insider's view of France, separating that mythic image from the current reality. Further, he presents an accurate portrayal of the diversity of France by moving beyond the typical dichotomy between Paris and the rest of the country or the oversimplification of dividing the country into north and south.
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