End of the Left-Right Dichotomy: The French Case

Abstract Consider the frequently cited quotation by the French philosopher Alain: “When I am asked if the division between parties of the Right and parties of the Left, between leftists and rightists still has any meaning, the first thing which occurs to me is that whoever is asking the question is certainly not on the Left.” Alain would be surprised to learn that today this question, which he thought could only have been posed by someone from the Right, is on everyone's lips — at least in France. During the past few years, all the Sofres opinion polls have shown that for most of the French people the Left-Right split is becoming increasingly meaningless.