The Changing Face of France

Once the Socialist Francois Mitterrand assumed power, the catchword “transformation” swept France. The term is rather apt, for since Mitterrand’s victory there has been a wave of reforms. The new Socialist cabinet has been tackling several important tasks at once. It has nationalized a number of the nation’s largest companies, including virtually all banks and savings and loan associations. (These nationalizations have met stiff resistance from the conservative right a...