The French Referenda of 1992 and 2005: Towards Mainstream Euroscepticism?

Abstract

This article contributes to the historical debate about the two French referenda of 1992 and 2005, the former on the Maastricht Treaty (a feeble “yes”) and the latter on the Constitutional Treaty (a resounding “no”), by adding three further elements that the passing of time has revealed. First, new sources on the history of European economic policies reveal the role of the rise of neoliberal policies, and hence of their major importance in the second referendum. Second, the perspective given by subsequent events, such as the Brexit vote, sheds light on two factors hardly men‐ tioned in studies about the 2005 referendum: the importance of the internet as a source of alternative information during the campaign, and the role played by a key pivotal figure - namely, a globalist associated with international liberalisation who eventually supported a Euroscepticist stance. Third, thanks to the 2005 referendum, Euroscepticism (to be differentiated from Europhobia) morphed into a mainstream ideology in France, including among part of the elite.