To what extent have the traditionally distinctive characteristics of Essay

To what extent have the traditionally distinctive characteristics of the French state been eroded in recent years - Essay Example s meant that belonging to the EU promotes a sense of Europeanization as the European countries have come together in order to create a collaborative force for the economy of the region. This has led to a disintegration of the traditional family style business ownership that typified the states economic base as a cultural form of identification. The family is extremely important to the French as a certain sense of homogeny is a part of the sociological identity. An observable lack of trust is part of the cultural identity of the French people, therefore the emersion of the state into an organization that is intent on making an overall European state that is unified under one policy does not culturally set well. the Algiers crisis of 1958 where The Algerian War of Independence led to great turmoil within France which was resulted in a push towards decolonization. This marked the return of Charles de Gaulle as a political leader and through which the Fifth Republic would be built. The inability of the leaders of the Fourth Republic to make decisions about decolonization was the core reason that it failed and a new constitution which marked the beginning of the Fifth Republic was put into place. The Fifth Republic Constitution was defined by the leadership of a president who was elected into office for seven years. This form of presidential system replaced the former system that was parliamentary in nature. Charles de Gaulle was the first president elected under the constitution and in 1962 promoted and succeeded in creating a change that diverted the election of the president away from the electoral college system to a direct vote by the citizens. Despite heavy opposition, de Gaulle managed to pass this proposal. In the year 2000, the length of the presidential term was changed from seven years to five years. The situation with the presidency that was developed in the Fifth Republic is that it was instituted without giving over much in the way of power. According