French National Character in the Twentieth Century

Abstract

Despite a long history as a political entity, France cannot be said to have developed a distinctive national charac ter much before the seventeenth century—a peasant, artisan, bourgeois type of character, sociable but not hospitable, pre ferring a settled existence, and inclined to fall into routine. But this is only one pole of French character. There is the opposite pole of the aristocracy, with its penchant for glory. Memories of grandeur can still be revived, although modern conditions make a return to days of grandeur impossible. Salvador de Madariaga wrote one of the most suggestive analyses of French character, showing how the French tenden cies toward rationalism, abstraction, and codification have been manifest in all fields of social life. These tendencies have been seen in the "stalemate society" of the first part of the present century. There are many signs that the national character is undergoing basic modifications. The old emphasis on status is gradually changing. Even the traditional rationalism is be coming more flexible.