American Ideology in French Society

Introduction

The main features of the American ideology are:
- Belief in universal progress, whose apex is the Western capitalist civilization (the United States as the undisputed leader);
- Complete individualism, refusal of collective identities (religious, national, ethnic), destruction of traditional values: gender (gender policy), traditional family;
- Engineering and technical development recognized as the main objective, the moral aspect is insignificant and minor;
- The US and the West have the moral right to dictate to the rest of the nations which path to follow and live (American hegemony on a global scale).

Left-Right (in politics and the economy)

In order to see how the American ideology is implemented in the European space, it seems necessary to consider the political system’s scheme of the Western European societies; the division between the right and the left (in politics and the economy). The model of the left-right political party division appeared in the Constituent Assembly of France (in 1789) when the right of the hall was occupied by the monarchy’s supporters, the “Cavaliers”, the Conservatives, and the left by the revolutionaries, the anti-monarchists, and the radical democrats.
The main features of the right in politics are protection of traditional values, conservatism, defending past successes, ethnic, religious or national identity. In the economic sphere, the representatives of right-wing parties aim to protect private property (the declaration of private property and the superior principle of private ownership of collective property: state, national, communal), construction of a free world market without national, state and national borders.
The main features of the left are denial of identity (ethnic, religious, ethnic), the refusal of traditional values, anti-conservatism, and universalism. In the economic sphere the left favors various collective ownership forms over private ones (nationalization of private property).

France until 1968

Until 1968, the influence of the American ideology in France was weak, largely through the efforts of President de Gaulle, who consistently carried out an anti-American policy that aimed at building a sovereign continental Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals (Rimland):

- De Gaulle opposed the entry of England into the European Economic Community; the European Union sought to be built without the participation of the Anglo-Saxons;
- He removed the US military base from French national territory;
- France's liberation from NATO’s defense commitments (withdrawal from the military structures of the Alliance in 1966), the withdrawal from the Defense Planning and Nuclear Planning Group of the Committee (France continues to participate in the political structures of NATO (North Atlantic Council));
- In 1965, De Gaulle announced the refusal of the dollar’s use in international payments and the transition to the single gold standard;
- De Gaulle turned France into a leader of the nonaligned movement in the face of both the Cold War blocks, France chose the Third Way (Rimland as an independent zone);
- Disobedience to the American Empire (condemnation of the US’ actions against the countries of Indochina), support for Palestine in 1967 (the condemnation of Israel's actions in the Six Day War in 1967).

What happened in May 1968?

The American ideology came to France in May 1968; left-wing radical students participated in demonstrations and riots, with millions of students going to the streets. Ironically, at this time, France faced unprecedented economic growth (apogee of the Trente Glorieuses).
The structure of “Red May” has several distinguished areas: 1) anarchist (slogans: “Il est interdit d'interdire” – “It is forbidden to forbid”, “Ni Dieu ni maître!” – “Neither God nor Master”), 2) left, "gauchisme" (“Travailleur: Tu as 25 ans mais ton syndicat est de l'autre siècle.” – “Worker: You may be only 25 years old, but your union dates back to the last century.”) 3) liberal left, which aimed to destabilize the de Gaulle regime and remove him from authority.
If the first area had almost no positive programs, the second and especially the third areas of “Red May” had a clear view of the future of France, in which the figure of De Gaulle had no place. In France, the de Gaulle anti-American regime was overthrown by the left anti-American movements (left-wing demonstrators criticized the US intervention in Vietnam: “Imagine:! C'est la guerre et personne n'y va” – “Imagine: there was a war and no one turned up!”). The youth protested against the Vietnam War and the U.S’ military policy being under the influence of Anglo-Saxon culture.
The American ideology appeared in the French political arena through the anti-American protests.

France after “Red May”

After May 1968, the American ideology began to enter into French politics, there was a new society, and liberal libertarian became the main ideology, which had, as its main objective, the destruction of: 1) the social left model (which was protected by the French Communist Party), and 2) the moral right model (created by De Gaulle).
Gradually, the differences between the left and the right were blurred in politics and economics. The right started to act only for bourgeois liberalism, capitalism, ignoring conservatism, the left – in favor of globalization and progress, ignoring the economic sphere (the requirements of the protection of workers' rights, collective superiority over private property).
France under American Ideology Dictate
Today, France is under a true ideological dictatorship, hegemony of “pensée unique”, the American ideology. Anyone who is against left-liberalism (in this case, is not performing on behalf of right liberalism), becomes “untouchable”, marginalized, the enemy of the system, suicidal (indicative of increased attention to the National Front, recent searches in its main office lasting more than 24 hours). The ruling ideology in France (American ideology) is based on a combination of the right’s market liberalism and the left’s globalism.
France became under the full control of the American ideology during the presidency of Sarkozy:
- March 2009 - France's entry into NATO, a betrayal of the Gaullist heritage, official French submission to the control of the American command;
- Association with left liberals
- Aiding the U.S in overthrowing anti-American regimes in the Middle East (Libya 2011).
Since 2012, Hollande has consistently continued the policy of his predecessor (despite being a representative of the left, Hollande ignores the values ​​of the left in the economy; the unemployment rate rose to 10% under him).
- Support for sanctions against Russia, rupture of the Mistral contract;
- Legalization of gay marriage.

Alternative to the American ideology in France

Is there today, in the French political arena, a real alternative to the ruling U.S ideology? No, but the intensive search for it is underway. The political force that is opposed to the ideology of the American system in France and is developing alternatives is the National Front party. The criticism of the EU’s migration policy, euroscepticism, a focus on conservatism and the preservation of traditions (family, marriage, religion), and the criticism of the Atlanticist French ruling elite is reflected in the political space and the will of the French people, and is an alternative to the left-liberal government.

The National Front is perceived by the ruling political forces as a threat to the system, an anti-system party that unites in its program the anti-liberal values ​​of the left (social equality, justice, anti-capitalism) and the non-liberal values of the right (conservative, strong state, anti-migration policy).
In 2015, after the regional elections, it became clear that the National Front was not only legitimate, but also a legal political force. This greatly disturbed the liberal left (socialists) and right (Republican) party and sparked the creation of a unified coalition of the left and right to eliminate the National Front from the political struggle.