Kirjahaku

This is an exploration of France's response to American influence after World War II. In analyzing early French resistance and then the gradual adaptation to all things American that evolved by the mid-1980s, the book offers a study of national identity and the protection of cultural boundaries.

Ernest Mercier (1878-1955) was a key figure in the rise of the technical-managerial class in early 20th-century France. A businessman and technocrat, he sought to overhaul the French political and economic system through his work in modernizing the electric power industry and promoting the creation of a native petroleum industry. As head of France's largest utilities syndicate, Mercier was influential within the business and political elite, forming connections with figures like Marshals Foch and Pétain and Presidents Poincaré and Lebrun. His technocratic movement, Redressement Français (1925-1935), aimed at replacing the political establishment with a results-oriented, expert-driven system. Mercier's career, deeply intertwined with the rise of the managerial class, offers insight into the broader goals of technocrats to modernize France’s economy and society while also seeking a shift in traditional political and social values. Mercier's story also illustrates the tensions between modernization and the political climate of the era. Despite his drive for economic transformation, his elitist tendencies and authoritarian associations, including his involvement in the Croix de Feu, demonstrate the complexities of his character. As a technocrat, Mercier aimed to make France more efficient and productive, but his belief in authoritarian methods clashed with democratic ideals. His biography is not only a study of the man himself but also of the broader technocratic movement that sought to reshape France. While his efforts to modernize the French system largely failed during his lifetime, they laid the groundwork for the technocratic influence that would grow stronger in the postwar era. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1967.

Ernest Mercier (1878-1955) was a key figure in the rise of the technical-managerial class in early 20th-century France. A businessman and technocrat, he sought to overhaul the French political and economic system through his work in modernizing the electric power industry and promoting the creation of a native petroleum industry. As head of France's largest utilities syndicate, Mercier was influential within the business and political elite, forming connections with figures like Marshals Foch and Pétain and Presidents Poincaré and Lebrun. His technocratic movement, Redressement Français (1925-1935), aimed at replacing the political establishment with a results-oriented, expert-driven system. Mercier's career, deeply intertwined with the rise of the managerial class, offers insight into the broader goals of technocrats to modernize France’s economy and society while also seeking a shift in traditional political and social values. Mercier's story also illustrates the tensions between modernization and the political climate of the era. Despite his drive for economic transformation, his elitist tendencies and authoritarian associations, including his involvement in the Croix de Feu, demonstrate the complexities of his character. As a technocrat, Mercier aimed to make France more efficient and productive, but his belief in authoritarian methods clashed with democratic ideals. His biography is not only a study of the man himself but also of the broader technocratic movement that sought to reshape France. While his efforts to modernize the French system largely failed during his lifetime, they laid the groundwork for the technocratic influence that would grow stronger in the postwar era. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1967.

There are over 1,000 McDonald's on French soil. Two Disney theme parks have opened near Paris in the last two decades. And American-inspired vocabulary such as "le weekend" has been absorbed into the French language. But as former French president Jacques Chirac put it: "The U.S. finds France unbearably pretentious. And we find the U.S. unbearably hegemonic." Are the French fascinated or threatened by America? They Americanize yet are notorious for expressions of anti-Americanism. From McDonald's and Coca-Cola to free markets and foreign policy, this book looks closely at the conflicts and contradictions of France's relationship to American politics and culture. Richard Kuisel shows how the French have used America as both yardstick and foil to measure their own distinct national identity. They ask: how can we be modern like the Americans without becoming like them? France has charted its own path: it has welcomed America's products but rejected American policies; assailed America's "jungle capitalism" while liberalizing its own economy; attacked "Reaganomics'" while defending French social security; and protected French cinema, television, food, and language even while ingesting American pop culture. Kuisel examines France's role as an independent ally of the United States--in the reunification of Germany and in military involvement in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia--but he also considers the country's failures in influencing the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. Whether investigating France's successful information technology sector or its spurning of American expertise during the AIDS epidemic, Kuisel asks if this insistence on a French way represents a growing distance between Europe and the United States or a reaction to American globalization. Exploring cultural trends, values, public opinion, and political reality, The French Way delves into the complex relationship between two modern nations.

There are over 1,000 McDonald's on French soil. Two Disney theme parks have opened near Paris in the last two decades. And American-inspired vocabulary such as "le weekend" has been absorbed into the French language. But as former French president Jacques Chirac put it: "The U.S. finds France unbearably pretentious. And we find the U.S. unbearably hegemonic." Are the French fascinated or threatened by America? They Americanize yet are notorious for expressions of anti-Americanism. From McDonald's and Coca-Cola to free markets and foreign policy, this book looks closely at the conflicts and contradictions of France's relationship to American politics and culture. Richard Kuisel shows how the French have used America as both yardstick and foil to measure their own distinct national identity. They ask: how can we be modern like the Americans without becoming like them? France has charted its own path: it has welcomed America's products but rejected American policies; assailed America's "jungle capitalism" while liberalizing its own economy; attacked "Reaganomics'" while defending French social security; and protected French cinema, television, food, and language even while ingesting American pop culture. Kuisel examines France's role as an independent ally of the United States--in the reunification of Germany and in military involvement in the Persian Gulf and Bosnia--but he also considers the country's failures in influencing the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations. Whether investigating France's successful information technology sector or its spurning of American expertise during the AIDS epidemic, Kuisel asks if this insistence on a French way represents a growing distance between Europe and the United States or a reaction to American globalization. Exploring cultural trends, values, public opinion, and political reality, The French Way delves into the complex relationship between two modern nations.