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steady. And this is in addition to
the number of people aiready in the
job market who are unemployed. A
poll taken here revealed that in
choosing Mr. M itterrand ove r
former President Valéry Giscard
d'Estaing, 44 percent of the voters
sa id theirs was a protes t vote
against unemployment. They hope
the Social ists will be able to cure
the problem.
Mr . Mitterrand believes that
with all of the machinery and robot
technology available, humans ought
to be able to produce more and bet–
ter goods and services a nd at the
same time have more opportunit ies
and time to enrich themselves cul–
turally and educationally- to enjoy
a betler quality of life.
This was apparently alluded to
during the election campaign by
very etfective posters. They showed
Mr. Mitterrand against a back–
grou nd , not of belching factory
smokestacks, but of a restful pasto–
ral setti ng. His slogan was " La
force tranqu ille" o r , " Peaceful
strength."
For many Frenchmen, the prom–
ises are attractive. Not everybody is
cheering though. Businesses and
individua ls wíth large pe rsona l
incomes fear new taxes and restric–
tions that will come with a social–
ized economy. And other nations
watch.
Not Slnce the Days of Napo l eon
The program of the French Social–
ists goes beyond addressing a trou–
bled economy.
The most far-reaching and ambi–
tious reform under the new admin–
istration is going to be the decen–
tralization of government. Since
the days of Napoleon, the central
government in Paris has had rigid
cont rol of decision-makíng in all of
the 95 departments (counties) into
which France is divided. Through–
out France, everything from park–
ing laws to management of munici–
pal services to the allocation of tax
reve nues has been regul ated
through París. Now, in a process
that will take at least two years,
much of the responsibílity for local
government will be given to town
and regional councils.
Fitting right in with the move
toward decentralization is a n
astounding new railroad system
24
FRENCH PRESIDENT Frant;ois Mitterrand
in a pensive moment. The rose he holds is
the symbol of the Socialist Party.
that allows for speedy and afford–
able access to all parts of continen–
tal France, thus promoting freer
exchange between París and the
provinces.
Other examples demonstrate the
wide scale on which French society
is being reshaped. These include
bills, proposed or already passed, to
give students a greater voice in run–
ning the universities, to abolish
capital punishment (in contrast to
biblical civil law), to eliminate
first-class coaches on the París sub–
way system and to reduce military
service from a year to six months.
One issue which doubtless will
cause a stir is the future of prívate
(mostly Roman Catholic) schools.
Mr. Mitterrand is a firm supporter
of public schools and public school–
teachers, a fact that causes many
Catholics to fear for the continued
existence of parochial education. It
is interesting to note that of the
newly elected Social ist members of
Parliament, 43 percent are teach–
ers. Of the new Communist mem–
bers, the figure is 28 percent.
In line for change are school
vacation schedules to avoid the tra–
ditional disorder of the month of
Augus t when most of France takes
off on vacation.
All these and more interna!
changes are an etfort to create a
more equitable and smoother func–
t ioning society as the Socialists
conceive of it.
New Fo relgn Po licy
One thing that Mr. Mitterrand has
s hown no desi re to change is
France's relationship with NATO.
There has been no shortage of
statements pledging continued
faithfulness to traditional NATO
allíes, the United States in particu–
lar. But, as has been the case since
1966, France will continue to main–
tain independent command over its
own military forces.
The clamor for pacifism, ban-the-
bomb and even ant i-Americanism
"' being heard in many parts of Europe
!
ís hardly noticeable here in France.
~
Unlike French leaders de Gaulle and
..
·~
Gisca rd, President Mitterrand re-
~
jects the policy of a special relation-
ship between Russia and France. To
put it bluntly, Mr. Mitterrand does
not trust Moscow. As a counterbal–
ance to the threat of Soviet militari–
zation, he favors deployment of U.S.
missiles in West Germany and other
NATO countries, as well as produc–
tion by the United States of the neu–
tron bomb. In fact, he has confirmed
that France will study the develop–
ment of its own neutron bomb. As
President Mitterrand has declared:
" 1 want to be sure that in 1985 the
Soviet Union and its allies do not
gain the strength to domínate the
world."
Sorne suggest, however, that the
French relationship with th e
United S tates, the Soviets a nd
NATO could eventually change
depending upon the success or fail–
ure of domestic programs.
If
France now agrees with the
R eagan admini s tr at ion on th e
necessity of maintaining a strong
European defense, there is sharp
disagreement on relations with the
Third World. Mr. Mitterrand , for
example, does not feel the United
States should try to prop up shaky
military dictatorships in Central
America. He believes the trouble in
that region to be the result of gen-
The PLAIN TRUTH