Scariest Scenario
As rioting continues in France, and as it will inevitably (unless there are major reforms) spread throughout Europe, there is one scenario that seems the scariest...
I remember in my History of France class last year, my professor kept referring to the French tradition of rebelling against the principles of the French revolution and opting for the security, the return to tradition and all of that of a strongman; a dictator.
He said that since 1789, this has been a constant of French society. It most recently happened when Charles De Gaul basically drafted his own constitution in the late 1950s, which greatly empowered the French Presidency.
What stops France from reverting backwards once again, once their demographics further weaken their welfare state?
Many in North America think of France as some sort of progressive and liberal state, but its history says otherwise.
It's probably too late for a strong-man to secure power in the 2009 presidential election, but I'd be surprised if a strong-man candidate didn't win in 2016 (French presidents have 7 year terms!).
Wouldn't that be scary? It'd probably be some sort of right-wing fascist too. And once France does, what's stopping the rest of Europe's failing states? I don't want to prophesize with a great deal of certainty, but the failure of the French society to integrate its immigrants and to be realistic with its "social programs" might just end up leading to major catastrophe - i.e. another war in Continental Europe.
I remember in my History of France class last year, my professor kept referring to the French tradition of rebelling against the principles of the French revolution and opting for the security, the return to tradition and all of that of a strongman; a dictator.
He said that since 1789, this has been a constant of French society. It most recently happened when Charles De Gaul basically drafted his own constitution in the late 1950s, which greatly empowered the French Presidency.
What stops France from reverting backwards once again, once their demographics further weaken their welfare state?
Many in North America think of France as some sort of progressive and liberal state, but its history says otherwise.
It's probably too late for a strong-man to secure power in the 2009 presidential election, but I'd be surprised if a strong-man candidate didn't win in 2016 (French presidents have 7 year terms!).
Wouldn't that be scary? It'd probably be some sort of right-wing fascist too. And once France does, what's stopping the rest of Europe's failing states? I don't want to prophesize with a great deal of certainty, but the failure of the French society to integrate its immigrants and to be realistic with its "social programs" might just end up leading to major catastrophe - i.e. another war in Continental Europe.
posted by Japnaam Singh at
9:15 PM
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