Paul Smith examines how the Senate has attempted, since 1958, to locate itself within the French (semi-) presidential system, how it asserts its place in relation to the President, Government and National Assembly and how it has sought, in recent years, to develop an autonomous and particular sense of identity.

Autorentext
PAUL SMITH is Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer in the Department of French and Francophone Studies at the University of Nottingham, UK. He is the author of Feminism and the Third Republic and A History of the French Senate.

Inhalt
Introduction PART I: THE SENATE IN THE FIFTH REPUBLIC Bicameralism and Political Culture in the French Republic De Gaulle and the Senate 1958-1969 The Parliamentary Other 1969-1997 Anomaly and Apotheosis 1997-2009 PART II: SENATORS AND THE SENATE Departments, Seats and Colleges Les Élus des Élus Being a Senator Conclusion