According to received wisdom parties have played a mainly destructive role in French political development. Of questionable legitimacy, pursuing narrow sectarian goals, often corruptly, they have brought about division, weakness and the collapse of regimes. A proper reading of history suggests differently. By combining historical research and contemporary political science theory about party, the author shows that for over a century party has irrigated French democracy in often invisible ways, brokering working compromises between groups divided strongly along social, political and cultural lines. The key to this success is the party system, which allowed for a high degree of collusion and cooptation between political elites, rhetoric notwithstanding. This hidden logic has persisted to this day despite the advent of presidentialism and remains the key to the continuing prosperity of French democracy.

Reproduction of the original: Democracy in France by Monsieur Guizot

Annotation Describing actors, beliefs, institutions, and policies, this introduction interprets contemporary democratic politics in France and explores why and with what political consequences so many people in France experience globalization as a harbinger of national decline. Special attention is paid to the impact of historical legacies, WWII, and France's role in Europe. The author teaches law and political science at Dartmouth College. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

This book reasserts the importance of the French Revolution to an understanding of the nature of modern European politics and social life. Livesey argues that the European model of democracy was created in the Revolution, a model with very specific commitments that differentiate it from Anglo-American liberal democracy.

This book is about the mundane, local, every day practices that constitutes democracy. Focusing on France and Finland, the book defines politicization as the key process in understanding democracy in different cultural contexts and shows a nuanced picture of two opposite models of European politics.

Monsieur Guizot's "Democracy in France" gives a thorough evaluation of the political scene and the evolution of democracy in France throughout the 19th century. As a famous French historian and politician, Guizot uses his firsthand information and intellectual acumen to study the demanding situations and successes of France's maturing democratic gadget. The book is probably to dig into historical context, examining the effect of most important activities, revolutions, and social adjustments at the French political system. Guizot's approach can also offer an extra comprehensive understanding of the reasons that fashioned French democracy, such as as tensions among monarchy and republicanism, the characteristic of political establishments, and the effect of societal adjustments. Readers have to anticipate a considerate analysis of democratic concepts and practices as they follow to the French context, stressing both the political device's accomplishments and weaknesses. Guizot's work is possibly to show his dedication to historic accuracy and highbrow rigor, making "Democracy in France" a useful aid for college kids studying French records, politics, and the evolution of democratic values.