Deck 10: The French Political System

Question 1

The current French government is referred to as the:

A) Third Republic
B) Fourth Republic
C) Fifth Republic
D) Sixth Republic

Answer 1

Fifth Republic

Question 2

The Third Republic is perhaps best known for its:

A) militarism
B) single political party domination
C) ministerial instability
D) authoritarianism

Answer 2

ministerial instability

Question 3

The Fourth French Republic came to power:

A) after World War II
B) after World War I
C) after the Franco-Prussian War
D) after the French War in Indochina

Answer 3

after World War II

Question 4

One of the key conflicts in the Fourth Republic was the crisis in:

A) Algeria
B) Ivory Coast
C) Morocco
D) Mauritania

Question 5

Who led the creation of the Fifth Republic?

A) Georges Pompidou
B) Charles de Gaulle
C) Henri Petain
D) Valerie Giscard d'Estaing

Question 6

One of the key characteristics of the Fifth Republic constitutional structure is that it has

A) no term limits on the president.
B) an extraordinarily powerful prime minister.
C) a strong system of judicial review, unusual in parliamentary nations.
D) a powerful elected head of state in place of a weak hereditary one.

Question 7

Which is the term used to describe the Fifth Republic constitutional system?

A) proto-parliamentary
B) quasi-presidential
C) quinto-legislativo
D) semi-political

Question 8

The French political system today is a:

A) unitary system
B) confederal system
C) sesquicentennial system
D) federal system

Question 9

The French system includes 22 administrative regions, usually referred to as:

A) local France
B) metropolitan France
C) diverse France
D) global France

Question 10

What is the second level of French government known as?

A) conseil
B) arondissement
C) canton
D) département

Question 11

Making the French president the keystone of the political system is unique to France. The usual model would have which leader as the dominant role?

A) Prime Minister
B) general electorate
C) Lord Chief Justice
D) party whip

Question 12

DeGaulle's goal in designing the constitution was to free the executive from domination by:

A) financial donors
B) the Constitutional Court
C) French political history
D) the legislature

Question 13

Article 16 of the French Constitution refers to:

A) judicial review
B) legislative overrides of the president
C) emergency powers of the president
D) presidential succession

Question 14

The French president has a special power in making laws. He can use his power to

A) decree that bills have passed the legislature.
B) imprison legislators who won't support his plans.
C) call a referendum, submit a bill directly to the voters.
D) ask the Supreme Court to decide whether a bill becomes a law.

Question 15

The French president wasn't always directly elected by the people. Originally the president was

A) given power as a function of his royal birth.
B) chosen by a group of generals who controlled power.
C) chosen by the Assemblée Nationale.
D) chosen by an electoral college made up of local and provincial officials and nationallegislators.

Question 16

The term used in French politics to describe a situation in which the president belongs to one political party and the prime minister belongs to a different political party is:

A) survivance
B) la plesanterie
C) checks and balances
D) cohabitation

Question 17

In the balance of powers between the president and the legislature, the president

A) is considerably less powerful than the legislature.
B) is able to influence the legislative process in many ways.
C) is subject to a vote of non-confidence by the legislature.
D) can simply issue presidential decrees whenever he wants to do anything.

Question 18

The Government has the ability to call for a "blocked vote" from the legislature, which

A) requires the legislature to vote on the bill in its original text, incorporating onlyamendments proposed or accepted by the Government.
B) means the bill needs only 20 percent of the vote to pass.
C) permits supporters of the Government to vote for the bill twice.
D) exempts the bill from being voted on by the legislature at all.

Question 19

The relationship between the Senat and the Assemblée Nationale suggests that the Senat is

A) weaker than the Assemblée.
B) about as powerful as the Assemblée.
C) stronger than the Assemblée.
D) without influence in the legislative system.

Question 20

While France does not have a tradition of judicial review in politics, it does have a government body that ensures that constitutional provisions possess a superiority over ordinary laws. What is that government body known as?

A) Supreme Court of France
B) Constitutional Council
C) House of Lords of France
D) Assemblée Nationale

Question 21

What as the "nonparty" movement that arose in support of Charles de Gaulle known as?

A) survivance
B) Gaullism
C) the Green movement
D) the French Liberal Party

Question 22

The National Front party in modern France has been labeled as a(n):

A) social democratic party
B) environmental, "green" party
C) extreme right, neo-Nazi party
D) social movement, not a political party

Question 23

The French electoral system for the Assemblée Nationale can be classified as a:

A) multiple member district voting system
B) proportional representation voting system
C) single member district, plurality voting system
D) single member district, majority voting system

Question 24

On the first ballot in presidential elections, a candidate must win:

A) at least 20 percent of the votes
B) in 18 of the 22 departéments
C) at least 65 percent of the votes
D) an absolute majority of the votes

Question 25

Senators in France are chosen to represent

A) major corporations and industry.
B) the administrative/territorial units of France.
C) the cities and urban centers.
D) the ethnic minority groups.

Question 26

One of the key reasons for political instability in the Third Republic was the number of political parties found in the legislature.

Question 27

The first draft constitution presented to French voters for ratification to be the Fourth Republic in 1946 was rejected.

Question 28

In his famous Bayeux speech, General Charles de Gaulle articulated the danger of strong leadership in politics.

Question 29

The de Gaulle constitution established a strong executive president with a prime minister responsible to the popularly elected assembly.

Question 30

Although France is a unitary political system, it is a bit unusual since it has intermediate-level political structures, called the départements.

Question 31

The French system gives the president power, without needing the consent of either the Government or the Parliament to perform a variety of important tasks.

Question 32

When faced with a national emergency, the French president can use the power of the referendum to take power unilaterally.

Question 33

One major reason for the growth of the power of the French presidency can be found in the constitutional amendment of 1962 which established unlimited presidential reelection.

Question 34

The role of the prime minister in the Fifth Republic is more important than it is in most parliamentary systems.

Question 35

In France today the legislature can only pass laws dealing with matters that are specifically delegated to it in the constitution.

Question 36

The French Senate can sometimes be an effective legislative body in terms of its ability to provide a "sober second thought" to legislative proposals, especially to Government proposals.

Question 37

There has not been a true majority party in France since the Third Republic.

Question 38

French elections for the National Assembly are based upon a majority approach to voting rather than a plurality approach as in Britain or the United States.

Question 39

In presidential elections a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes in order to win on the first ballot.

Question 40

Senators are elected not by the public but by individuals who hold elected office in some other governmental structure (e.g. mayors, local councilors, members of the National Assembly).

Question 41

France has had a more tumultuous political history since World War I than Britain. How has this historical pattern influenced the structures and behavior of Fifth Republic France?

Question 42

France is unitary, but it is a different type or degree of unitary than, say, Britain. How is France different?

Question 43

The key political institution in French politics is the presidency. How would you compare the French presidency with the British monarchy? With the British prime minister?

Question 44

How would you characterize the balance of power in the French political system? What are the key dimensions of the president's power that are most significant? What are the key characteristics of the legislature's power that are most significant?

Question 45

How would you say the French system of political parties has evolved over the last five decades? How much is the French electoral system responsible for the nature of political parties in France today?