San Jose State University SJSU ScholarWorks Master's Theses Master's Theses and Graduate Research Summer 2016 What's Happened to France? Sundays, Socialism, and Neoliberal Modernity Michael Vincent Metz San Jose State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses Recommended Citation Metz, Michael Vincent, "What's Happened to France? Sundays, Socialism, and Neoliberal Modernity" (2016). Master's Theses. 4730. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31979/etd.sm55-4hmm https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/etd_theses/4730 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses and Graduate Research at SJSU ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of SJSU ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WHAT’S HAPPENED TO FRANCE? SUNDAYS, SOCIALISM, AND NEOLIBERAL MODERNITY A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of History San José State University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Michael V. Metz August 2016 ©2016 Michael V. Metz ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The Designated Thesis Committee Approves the Thesis Titled WHAT’S HAPPENED TO FRANCE? SUNDAYS, SOCIALISM, AND NEOLIBERAL MODERNITY by Michael V. Metz APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY August 2016 Dr. Mary Pickering Department of History Dr. Allison Katsev Department of History Dr. Patrick Mardellat Economics, Politics, and History, Sciences Po, Lille, France ABSTRACT WHAT’S HAPPENED TO FRANCE? SUNDAYS, SOCIALISM, AND NEOLIBERAL MODERNITY by Michael V. Metz The "Macron Law," liberalizing French Sunday shopping hours, created great controversy in the French media in the winter of 2014-15, with particular opposition coming from the political left and the religious right. The controversy seemed to symbolize deeper issues for French society, appearing to some as a watershed, to others a threat. Some citizens expressed concern that the “European way of life" was disappearing, being replaced by a more materialist, consumerist, extreme capitalist economic model that posed an overt threat to the traditional social protection system. Were these fears real or only imagined? To an observer, shops open on Sundays might only be a convenience, not an encroachment of “jungle capitalism,” and the French welfare state, even with changes in recent years, still appeared quite generous. Was the Macron Law a simple adjustment of business hours, or was it an existential moment for the nation? Focusing on French socialism, the social welfare system, and the pivotal presidential years of François Mitterrand, this thesis argues that the evolution of the meaning of Sunday in France can be seen as a metaphor for the nation’s political and economic development in the late twentieth century. The thesis contends that following the turbulent 1970s, as the neoliberal paradigm became dominant globally, France forged a unique approach, an acceptable path between that model and the nation’s traditions, just as an accommodation was found in the Sunday shopping controversy, when aspects of religious and socialist traditions were compromised to meet the demands of modern life. ACKNOLWEDGEMENTS I extend my sincere thanks to the splendid European historians with whom I have been fortunate to study at San Jose State University in pursuit of my master’s degree. I am grateful to have worked with Doctors Mary Pickering, Allison Katsev, and George Vasquez. This experience was enhanced by a semester abroad at Sciences Po, in Lille, France, where I had the great pleasure of studying economic history with Doctor Patrick Mardellat. I am appreciative to Doctor Pickering for her enthusiasm in sponsoring this thesis, and to Doctors Katsev and Mardellat for their careful review and insights. I am especially appreciative of Doctor Pickering’s thoroughness in guiding my work. Her gracious and clear guidance improved the thesis immensely while her generous and collaborative attitude greatly enriched the experience. v Table of Contents Introduction ………………………………………………………………………….... 1 I. Sundays, Socialism, and Les systèmes de protection ……………………………..... 7 1. Le Mozart de l'Elysée …………………………………………………………... 8 2. Loi de Macron ………………………………………………………………… 12 3. La controverse ……………………………………………………………. ….. 14 4. Dimanche de l'antiquité ….…………………………………………………… 21 5. Le moyen Âge …………………………………………………………………. 25 6. Dimanche modern .………………………….……………………………........ 31 7. Belle époque dimanche………………………...…………………………....… 40 8. Socialisme en France ………………………….………...…………………… 47 9. Protection sociale entre les guerre ...……….……………...………………… 56 10. Aprés la guerre: les Trente Glorieuses …..…………………...……………… 67 11. Une époque de détresse ……………………………………….....……….….. 73 II. Neoliberalism, Mitterrand, Le tournant vers la droite ……...…………..……… 78 12. Le président et les hommes d'affaires …..………………….………...………. 79 13. Néolibéralisme: tout a commencé en France …..…………….……...……..… 85 14. Le socialiste, le général et les jeunes hommes de Chicago …………………... 91 15. Le cowboy et la dame de fer …..……………………………….……...……… 97 vi 16. La résistance des philosophes …..………………………………….……… 104 17. La florentine …..………………………………………………….………... 115 18. Attention: Baignade dangereuse, courant violent ……………….………… 121 19. Le tournant vers la droite …..….………………………………..………..... 126 20. “Il n'y a pas de socialistes du Parti socialiste”……….…...…….………… 130 21. Le projet Européen …..……………………………………...….………….. 134 22. La mondialisation …..………………………………………....…....……… 140 23. En conclusion, une nouvelle normalité ……………………….…….……… 145 Bibliography …..……………………………..………….……………...…...……… 156 vii You cannot seek for the ideal outside the realm of reality. — Léon Blum Introduction This thesis examines the evolution of the meaning of Sunday in France to help explain the social, political, and economic evolution of the country in the past half century. A 2014-15 effort to liberalize Sunday shopping restrictions caused a spirited national controversy that was eventually followed by an accepted, compromise settlement. The process reflected other conflicts and compromises involved in France’s adaptation to the modern world. As we shall see in chapter three, the shopping legislation produced a remarkably passionate public debate, documented extensively in the French media, from Le Monde to Libération, and internationally, from the British Independent to New York’s Daily News. The broad coverage suggested that the issue spoke profoundly to the identity of the nation. Similarly, the nation’s political and economic adaptation to the strictures of late twentieth-century neoliberal modernity fundamentally shaped its sense of self. Understanding the meaning of Sunday in the past provides background for the nation’s modern development. In chapter three we shall see historical references from the writings of Virgil to the records of Catholic Church Councils, suggesting that ideals around the day often conflicted with practical necessities, and compromises resulted. From ancient times through the Middle ages, Sunday was a day of homage, set aside and differentiated from other days. Over time, Church doctrine normalized a Sunday 1 prescription for worship, rest, and work activities. Though today France has become more secular, the day retains a special character, one with less emphasis on worship and more on rest and relaxation, a day for family, friends, and self-restoration. Online discussions among French citizens published on the Le Monde website, (see pages 17-19) show that some believed that the legislation placed that formula under attack, and that an existential moment was at hand, with forces of global capitalism attempting to add a new component, commerce, to the Sunday formula, detracting from the sacrosanct nature of the day. Later in the same chapter we see media reports that the French left and conservative Catholics created a rare alliance vehemently opposed to the legislation.1 The thesis examines the ancient and modern meaning of the day, the recent, alleged attack on the day, the fierce defense by the unusual alliance, and the compromise with the ancient ideal that the outcome represented. In the United States, the nation of France is often thought of as a far left, socialist, unsustainable welfare state, but that analysis is too simple.2 In fact forces of the last half century have caused the two countries to resemble each other in many ways. The countries’ politics have become similar, with major parties of each country more alike than not in many of their policies. In France, radical socialist dreams are long past, and Marxist visions of a workers’ revolution all but forgotten. The neoliberal political and economic construct that is dominant around the world today also reigns in France. The 1 Cole Stangler, “Macron Law: French Labor Reforms Force Vote of Confidence in Parliament,” International Business Times, February 20, 2015, accessed August 27, 2 Adam Nossiter, “Leaders of France’s Socialist Party Defy Its Orthodoxy,” The New York Times, October 16, 2015, accessed August 6, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/17/world/europe/leaders-of-frances-socialist-party- defy-its-orthodoxy.html. 2 critical transition occurred during the Mitterrand era of the 1980s, and the thesis examines this period closely. However, there are unique attributes to the French adaptation to the dominant neoliberal modernity. In its acceptance of the realities of the modern world, France forced compromises, such as safeguarding