Immobolisme (immobilism) refers to a period of political instability and inaction in France from the late 1800s through the mid-1950s. During the Third and Fourth Republics the French government was characterized by a weak executive and a strong legislature. Within the National Assembly, the number of political parties precluded majoritarian governments, and instead, the country was governed by a series of fragile coalition governments. These cabinets frequently disintegrated over policy or personality issues and often lasted less than a year. Between 1947 and 1958, the office of prime minister changed twenty-one times. This instability prevented the formulation and implementation of long-term planning and policy implementation, leading governments to be characterized as immobile or static. Immobolisme was especially damaging to France because of the dramatic socioeconomic changes that occurred and the high level of external security threats faced by the country, including the initial period of decolonization. There was a rise in the power of the bureaucracy, which itself began to develop and adopt policies in the absence of formal direction from the executive or the legislature. Although particularly associated with France, the tenets of immobolisme may also be applied to other countries with a history of short-lived governments, including Italy.
Bibliography:
- Furniss, Edgar. France,Troubled Ally: De Gaulle’s Heritage and Prospects. New York: Harper, 1960.
- Rioux, Jean-Pierre. The Fourth Republic, 1944–1958. Translated by Godfrey Rogers. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
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