France's New Deal: From the Thirties to the Postwar Era

Description

France's New Deal is an in-depth and important look at the remaking of the French state after World War II, a time when the nation was endowed with brand-new institutions for managing its economy and culture. Yet, as Philip Nord reveals, the significant process of state rebuilding did not begin at the Liberation. Rather, it got started earlier, in

Philip Nord is the Rosengarten Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Princeton University. His books include "Paris Shopkeepers and the Politics of Resentment" (Princeton), "The Republican Moment: Struggles for Democracy in Nineteenth-Century France", and "Impressionists and Politics: Art and Democracy in the Nineteenth Century".

"[S]uperb... [An] unparalleled contribution to the history of the state and society in France."--Paul V. Dutton, American Historical Review "Nord offers a magisterial, highly nuanced account of the dramatic remaking of the French nation after the crushing defeat of 1940 and the empty years of occupation by the Nazis."--Choice "Most of the time, reading a work on controversial eras of French history--and especially the Vichy regime--imparts a teeter-totter effect, as the historian seesaws between contrasting sides. Philip Nord, instead, quietly presents a convincing analysis that integrates and harmonizes the opposing sides without disservice to truth... On the author's insightful telling, what was new on the modern French scene was the presence, and concerted action, of Christians committed to democracy, some of them engaged as organized partisans, others as unaffiliated individuals. The emergent model--what Nord calls 'France's "new deal"'--was a thoroughly French version of the activist state: modern and modernizing in economic life, yet allergic to liberal laissez-faire individualism."--Steve Englund, Commonweal "ery wide-ranging and informed... This is a very thought-provoking work, which will be a point of reference for the discussion of French modernization in the future; it is also very well written even though it deals with daunting technical issues and is a work of primary research. It is rare to find such reader-friendly work at such a demanding level."--David S. Bell, European Legacy "Philip Nord's new book tells a big story and teaches us something novel and important about twentieth-century France... Nord's book makes an original and on the whole convincing argument."--Paul Cohen, Canadian Journal of History