First published in 1982 Problems of Contemporary French Politics looks at the most important political controversies that have preoccupied France from the death of de Gaulle up to and including 1981 presidential and legislative elections. Three areas are discussed: the evolution of government and opposition parties, focusing in particular on their electoral attitudes and on the relations between parties making up the respective coalitions; the changes in the European and world situation and their effects on French political thinking in the field of foreign policy; and the political situation in which the fourth President of the Fifth Republic – and the first socialist President – takes up his office. Dorothy Pickles looks dispassionately at what promise to be the main issues dominating French politics in the 1980s, asking questions rather than suggesting answers. This book is a must read for students and scholars of French politics, French history, European politics, and international relations.