Category Archives: France

A Surprise from the French Left in the 2024 Legislative Elections

Posted on 10/18/2024 by Belden Fields

Many French people were very anxious prior to the second round of their July, 2024 legislative elections. Unlike the American two-party system, in the French multiparty system a candidate needs 50 percent or more of the vote to be seated … Continue reading →

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Police Brutality is Not Uniquely American: Try France

Posted on 09/22/2021 by Richard Esbenshade and Belden Fields

While we are rightly preoccupied with abuse by the police in the United States, almost no Americans know anything about policing and justice in other countries. France offers a particularly interesting case. In January, six nongovernmental organizations, including Amnesty International … Continue reading →

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What Can We Learn from the Yellow Vests?

Posted on 04/12/2019 by Richard Esbenshade

The last Saturday in March marked “Act XX” for the the Gilets Jaunes or Yellow Vests protests, the 20th consecutive weekend citizens have marched in the tens of thousands and occupied traffic roundabouts across France. Since hundreds of thousands mobilized … Continue reading →

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The 1968 Revolt in France: A Fifty-Year Retrospective

Posted on 06/14/2018 by Belden Fields

In early June, 1968, I witnessed the second round of the student and worker revolt of May and June, but I had been studying student politics in France since 1963. I can only give a sketchy account of the revolt … Continue reading →

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Letter to My French Friends

Posted on 01/19/2017 by Belden Fields

How could this have happened in the U.S.? The reasons are complex, some peculiar to the U.S. and some that are common to both the U.S. and Europe. The most significant one, that applies as well to Europe as here, … Continue reading →

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