The Constitution of France : A Contextual Analysis (Paperback)

1 French Constitutional History: A Difficult Coming of Age The Constitutional 'Big-Bang': The Revolution of 1789 The Difficult Implementation of Constitutionalism Understanding French Constitutional History Conclusion: The Merger of Constitutional Traditions? 2 In Search of the Constitutional Fundamentals The Legitimacy of the 1958 Constitution The Integrity of the 1958 Constitution The Efficiency of the 1958 Constitution: The Political System Conclusion: Something Old, Something New 3 The Primacy of the Executive The Origins - The Search for a Strong Executive The President of the Republic: From Strength to Strength A Contested Bicephalous Executive The Difficult Accountability of the Executive Conclusion 4 Towards a Renewal of the Parliament A Return to Institutional Autonomy? The Constitutional Status of Members of Parliament Parliament's Work: A Great Improvement Conclusion: Further Reform? 5 The Rise of Judicial Power The Search for Judicial Independence The Rise of the Conseil constitutionnel Towards a Judicial Power? Conclusion 6 The Constitution and its People The French People and the Constitution The Sovereign Expression of the French People A Culture of Rights Protection Conclusion: A 'New' Citizen? 7 From Centralised Unity to Multilevel Constitutionalism The Rise of Territorial Government Keeping a Check on the European Union Conclusion 8 The Dynamics of Constitutional Change The Amendment Procedure: A Question of Choice? The Dynamics of Constitutional Change The Trends for Constitutional Reform Conclusion