Essay On French Democracy

1265 Words 6 Pages
The Democracy of France France has had a tumultuous political history. From the reigns of absolute monarchs, that led to French Revolution to the empire of Napoleon Bonaparte. Today, France is a democratic parliamentary republic called the Fifth Republic. France generally is a well-to do country, but it is currently having issues. Economic concerns, like lack of growth and unemployment, have shook the country. Other issues, like terrorism, have left citizens afraid and unprotected by their government. So, current French economic and social issues call for governmental reform for the French to trust their government again. Democracy is a form of government that self-governed by the people. In a democracy, everyone is free to participate in the governing process. Democracy guards …show more content…
The Declaration of the Rights of Man passed on August 26, 1789 by the French National Constituent Assembly is still upheld, binded in the current constitution. The Declaration of The Rights of Man was drafted by Thomas Lafayette who took inspiration from the writings of Thomas Jefferson, hence the similarities to United States’ citizen rights. However, these rights only applied to white, males until the extension made to women of people of color in the Constitution of the Fourth Republic in 1946. Rights include liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression. Citizens have the right to be innocent until proven guilty. They have the right to their opinions and freedom of speech and press. Everyone has the right to vote once they reach the age of 18. The people are all seen as equal. However some rights were left out including freedom to hold strikes, freedom of assembly, and freedom of association. These rights were made constitutional in 1948 when the United Nations’ The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was ratified by the French Government ("Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the

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