Book contents
- Contested Liberalization
- Contested Liberalization
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 Three Legacies of Dirigisme
- 2 From the Dirigiste State to the Social Anesthesia State
- 3 Liberalization without Liberals
- 4 Skinny Politics
- 5 Jupiter’s Limits
- 6 Rinse and Repeat
- 7 “Whatever It Costs”
- 8 Beyond Contestation
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
3 - Liberalization without Liberals
The French Right’s Ambivalence toward Economic Liberalization
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 April 2023
- Contested Liberalization
- Contested Liberalization
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 Three Legacies of Dirigisme
- 2 From the Dirigiste State to the Social Anesthesia State
- 3 Liberalization without Liberals
- 4 Skinny Politics
- 5 Jupiter’s Limits
- 6 Rinse and Repeat
- 7 “Whatever It Costs”
- 8 Beyond Contestation
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Chapter 3 analyzes the party-political legacies fueling the contestation of economic liberalization. Because of France’s dirigiste past, it is not just the left that is ambivalent toward economic liberalization, but also the right. The French right was in power during the heyday of the dirigiste system, so statist and nationalist principles became central to its economic outlook. In addition, leaders of the right emerged from the upheaval of May 1968 upheaval with a deep fear of strikes and protests. Finally, much like the left, the right never developed a legitimating discourse for economic liberalization, instead blaming it on external forces, notably European integration. Because of these legacies, the right has been an inconsistent backer of economic liberalization. Chapter 3 describes several characteristic behaviors of the right that foster the contestation of economic liberalization both in the streets and within governing circles: (1) a nationalist understanding of the economy that leads to extensive intervention to prevent foreign takeovers of French companies; (2) a fear of social upheaval that inclines conservative governments to retreat from reforms in the face of strikes and demonstrations, thereby encouraging further protests; (3) a fair-weather liberalism that gives way to statist revival in times of economic crisis.
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- Contested LiberalizationHistorical Legacies and Contemporary Conflict in France, pp. 87 - 130Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023