The Sarkozy Presidency : Breaking the Mould?

From his beginnings as a figure on the political stage, Nicolas Sarkozy failed to conform to traditional expectations, either in his personality or a political actions. Unlike previous Presidents such Jacques Chirac or François Mitterrand, who underlined their attachment to their rural origins, Sarkozy was the son of a Hungarian immigrant who was brought up in a single-parent household. In contrast to Presidents like Chirac and Valéry Giscard d''Estaing, who were archetypal products of the Ecole Nationale d''Administration, or Georges Pompidou and Mitterrand who were pressed from the classic intellectual mould of the French university system, Sarkozy qualified modestly as a lawyer. It is no surprise therefore that Sarkozy should have portrayed himself as the man of ''rupture''. In this collection, a host of expert contributors analyse and discuss the Presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy, how he differed from his antecedents and the legacy that his tenure had on French society and political structures. This volume is perfect for anyone interested in contemporary French politics.