Preliminaries -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Acronyms -- Introduction -- 1 The French State in Historical Perspective -- 2 Governmental Institutions and Culture The Nation State vs European Institutions -- 3 Economic Policy: Colbertism vs. the Laissez Faire State -- 4 Social Policy The Welfare State against the Constraints of Convergence -- 5 Monetary Policy National vs Federal Currency -- 6 Security Policy National Autonomy vs Deepening Integration -- 7 Territorial and Identity Politics Jacobinisme vs Post Modernism -- Notes -- Glossary of Key French Expressions -- Brief Chronology of French History 1936 2000 -- Selected Bibliography -- Index.