Origins of the French Welfare State: The Struggle for Social Reform in France, 1914-1947 - New Studies in European History (Hardback)

Paul V. Dutton (author)

£93.00

Hardback 268 Pages / Published: 16/05/2002

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Synopsis

This is the first comprehensive analysis of public and private welfare in France available in English, or French, which offers a deeply-researched explanation of how France's welfare state came to be and why the French are so attached to it. The author argues that France simultaneously pursued two different paths toward universal social protection. Family welfare embraced an industrial model in which class distinctions and employer control predominated. By contrast, protection against the risks of illness, disability, maternity, and old age followed a mutual aid model of welfare. The book examines a remarkably broad cast of actors that includes workers' unions, employers, mutual leaders, the parliamentary elite, haut fonctionnaires, doctors, pronatalists, women's organizations - both social Catholic and feminist - and diverse peasant organisations. It also traces foreign influences on French social reform, particularly from Germany's former territories in Alsace-Lorraine and Britain's Beveridge Plan.

Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521813341
Number of pages: 268
Weight: 538 g
Dimensions: 236 x 160 x 21 mm

MEDIA REVIEWS

'Although this is a book of finely crafted history, complete with ample archival sources and rich empirical detail, it will be of interest to a much larger readership than period or area scholars only. This is the case particularly because Dutton is interested in the associational origins of the welfare state, a topic that has generated a great deal of research of late.' Canadian Journal of Sociology Online
'... refreshingly clear and concise account ...'. The Times Literary Supplement
' ... excellent study.' J. Colman
"Dutton's analysis offers the first comprehensive overview of welfare state evolution in France in English...Dutton's work is intended primarily for professional historians, but should be accessible to graduate students and advanced college students." History
"Although this is a book of finely crafted history, complete with ample archival sources and rich empirical detail, it will be of interest to a much larger readership than period or area scholars only. This is the case particularly because Dutton is interested in the associational origins of the welfare state, a topic that has generated a great deal of research of late." Canadian Journal of Sociology Online
"The major strength of this carefully-researched, well-written book is the rich account that it offers of the struggle for control over social policy by major interest groups and sectors in the interwar period. Dutton's book is a fine contribution to the limited literature on this subject." American Historical Review
"This is an important and informed work. Highly recommended." Choice