Trente Glorieuses
Encyclopedia
Les Trente Glorieuses refers to the thirty years from 1945-1975 following the end of the Second World War in France
. The name was first used by the French demographer Jean Fourastié
. Fourastié coined the term in 1979 with the publication of his book Les Trente Glorieuses, ou la révolution invisible de 1946 à 1975 ("The Glorious Thirty, or the Invisible Revolution from 1946-1975"). The term is derived from Les Trois Glorieuses
("Three Glorious Days"), the three days of revolution on 27–29 July 1830 in France.
Over this thirty-year period, France's population and dirigiste
economy grew rapidly. These decades of economic prosperity combined high productivity with high average wages and high consumption, and were also characterised by a highly developed system of social benefits. The French standard of living, which had been ruined by both World War
s, had become one of the world's highest. The wages of the French working class rose significantly as the economy became more prosperous. As noted by the historians Jean Blondel and Donald Geoffrey Charlton in 1974,
“If it is still the case that France lags in the number of its telephones, working-class housing has improved beyond recognition and the various ‘gadgets’ of the consumer society – from television to motor cars – and now purchased by the working class on an even more avid basis than in other Western European countries.”
Since the 1973 oil crisis
, France's economy, while still faring well under François Mitterrand
and Jacques Chirac
, slowed down its explosive growth, thus the mid-1970s mark the end of the period.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The name was first used by the French demographer Jean Fourastié
Jean Fourastié
Jean Fourastié was a French economist, notable for having coined the expression Trente Glorieuses to describe the period of prosperity that France experienced from the end of World War II until the 1973 oil crisis .-Biography:Fourastié received his elementary...
. Fourastié coined the term in 1979 with the publication of his book Les Trente Glorieuses, ou la révolution invisible de 1946 à 1975 ("The Glorious Thirty, or the Invisible Revolution from 1946-1975"). The term is derived from Les Trois Glorieuses
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
("Three Glorious Days"), the three days of revolution on 27–29 July 1830 in France.
Over this thirty-year period, France's population and dirigiste
Dirigisme
Dirigisme is an economy in which the government exerts strong directive influence. While the term has occasionally been applied to centrally planned economies, where the state effectively controls both production and allocation of resources , it originally had neither of these meanings when...
economy grew rapidly. These decades of economic prosperity combined high productivity with high average wages and high consumption, and were also characterised by a highly developed system of social benefits. The French standard of living, which had been ruined by both World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
s, had become one of the world's highest. The wages of the French working class rose significantly as the economy became more prosperous. As noted by the historians Jean Blondel and Donald Geoffrey Charlton in 1974,
“If it is still the case that France lags in the number of its telephones, working-class housing has improved beyond recognition and the various ‘gadgets’ of the consumer society – from television to motor cars – and now purchased by the working class on an even more avid basis than in other Western European countries.”
Since the 1973 oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
, France's economy, while still faring well under François Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
and Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
, slowed down its explosive growth, thus the mid-1970s mark the end of the period.
See also
- Economic history of FranceEconomic history of FranceThis is a history of the economy of France. For more information on historical, cultural, demographic and sociological developments in France, see the chronological era articles in the template to the right...
- Post-World War II economic expansionPost-World War II economic expansionThe post–World War II economic expansion, also known as the postwar economic boom, the long boom, and the Golden Age of Capitalism, was a period of economic prosperity in the mid 20th century, which occurred mainly in western countries, followed the end of World War II in 1945, and lasted until the...