Five Years of Socialist Economic Policy in France: A Balance Sheet

Abstract

Nearly five years have elapsed since François Mitterrand assumed the presidency of the French Republic and a socialist-dominated assembly was elected. There have been considerable changes in the rhetoric as well as in the policy measures taken during this period. While references to “class warfare” and to the need for a “radical break with capitalism” were made in Mitterrand’s speeches before the 1981 elections, he subsequently spoke about “the community of a mixed economy” and, finally, in his televised statement of January 15,1984, stated that “e’est l’entreprise qui crée la richesse, c’est l’entreprise qui crée l’emploi, c’est l’entreprise qui détermine notre niveau de vie et notre place dans la hiérarchie mondiale.”