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Article: The presidential party and the Fifth Republic.
- Article from:
- West European Politics
- Article date:
- April 1, 1993
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1993 Frank Cass & Company Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The French Fifth Republic was created in 1958 on the basis of an official antipathy towards political parties. This repugnance to the spirit of party was predicated upon the gaullien critique of political parties during the Fourth Republic (1946-58), when, it was contended, parties represented sectional interests and formed unstable coalitions, producing governments which were short-lived and precarious. In spite of this animosity to the fractious partisan spirit, the Fifth Republic has witnessed the emergency) of a new-style of renovated, presidential party, of which the Gaullists and later the Socialists have provide4 the best examples. Such parties developed in part as ...