As a Frenchman living in Paris, I would like to give you my idea and the findings. Our revolution of 1789 is incomplete, because it was based on the replacement of the nobles by the great bourgeoisie, and because attempts to involve the people (at the time poorly educated and highly instrumentalized) failed or led to situations of violence (including the so-called "Terror" period).
The people, left free, naturally turned to charismatic leaders (Louis-Philippe, Napoleon) so that this supposedly temporary step could lead to better systems for all. The only time the people have practically achieved a literally democratic feat is the episode of the "Paris Commune" in 1871.
Unfortunately, the educational gaps in French society led to the violent repression of these political projects (the "Commune of Paris" was violently repressed by the army, which was mainly monarchist at the time).
Our current system expresses this duality: we are a republic, certainly, but whose system produces an elite capable of manipulating the people "in its interest". Unfortunately, man being what he is, the elite is not benevolent and will protect his interests more than attempt to raise the whole society. Moreover, the people themselves do not share the same conceptions: thus, in the 1980s, the left-wing government tried to put an end to "private" schools to limit these inequalities. The people, still predominantly Catholic at the time, strongly disagreed that private Catholic schools (although more expensive and producing elite) should not be abolished, and the project was abandoned.
As long as the country's growth was correct, this situation was not problematic because, despite this creation of elites, the whole society continued its "social ascent" until the early 2000s.
Today, the situation is no longer the same because elitism is continuing (or even increasing) while society as a whole remains stable or even regresses. Elitism is therefore losing its legitimacy, which is why the "yellow vest" movement continues and mistrust of institutions is increasing. The elites are therefore trying to destroy this protest in order to maintain their privileges by fragmenting society, whether media or political: in particular by seeking to present to French citizens the success of so-called more virtuous models such as the American model or the German model (much more unequal). It is not a conscious phenomenon, it is unfortunately the logical consequence of the evolution of an unequal society that justifies this inequality by the social and economic stability it induces.
The people, left free, naturally turned to charismatic leaders (Louis-Philippe, Napoleon) so that this supposedly temporary step could lead to better systems for all. The only time the people have practically achieved a literally democratic feat is the episode of the "Paris Commune" in 1871.
Unfortunately, the educational gaps in French society led to the violent repression of these political projects (the "Commune of Paris" was violently repressed by the army, which was mainly monarchist at the time).
Our current system expresses this duality: we are a republic, certainly, but whose system produces an elite capable of manipulating the people "in its interest". Unfortunately, man being what he is, the elite is not benevolent and will protect his interests more than attempt to raise the whole society. Moreover, the people themselves do not share the same conceptions: thus, in the 1980s, the left-wing government tried to put an end to "private" schools to limit these inequalities. The people, still predominantly Catholic at the time, strongly disagreed that private Catholic schools (although more expensive and producing elite) should not be abolished, and the project was abandoned.
As long as the country's growth was correct, this situation was not problematic because, despite this creation of elites, the whole society continued its "social ascent" until the early 2000s.
Today, the situation is no longer the same because elitism is continuing (or even increasing) while society as a whole remains stable or even regresses. Elitism is therefore losing its legitimacy, which is why the "yellow vest" movement continues and mistrust of institutions is increasing. The elites are therefore trying to destroy this protest in order to maintain their privileges by fragmenting society, whether media or political: in particular by seeking to present to French citizens the success of so-called more virtuous models such as the American model or the German model (much more unequal). It is not a conscious phenomenon, it is unfortunately the logical consequence of the evolution of an unequal society that justifies this inequality by the social and economic stability it induces.