The Empire Strikes Back Essay -- French Revolution, French Society

Frances revolution of 1789-1799 destroyed the age-old monarchy, eliminated aristocratic privilege, and accomplished the inalienable rights of all citizens. Dedication to the ideals of equality and freedom for all custody is enshrined in the national motto, libert, galite, fraternit. Regardless of Frances longstanding commitment to the principles of liberty, present-day(a) social attitudes and policies have fallen far from the revolutionary ideal, particularly vis--vis Frances burgeoning population of immigrants and their descendants. Despite its extensive and tortuous history of immigration, twenty-first coulomb France remains vehemently committed to antiquated notions of citizenship and national belonging. Frances inexorable refusal to acknowledge its de-facto multiculturalism has created a brutal cycle of marginalization, in which ethnic minorities ar prevented from expressing their cultural identities and successfully integrating into mainstream French society.Immigrant s from the Maghreb a hilly, arid role in North Africa situated between the Atlas Mountains and the Mediterranean ocean represent the largest segment of Frances considerable ethnic population. France is currently kin to over 3.5 million foreigners, more than a million of whom are Magrbins, for the most part from Algeria and Morocco (Sekher 25). Contemporary Magrbin immigration began in earnest in the years following World War II. After defeating Germany, the United States launched an ambitious course to revitalize the devastated economies of Western Europe and create dynamic markets for mass-produced American consumer goods. From 1948-1951, The European Recovery Program, commonly known as the Marshall Plan, provided incomparable levels of developm... ...ologist Franois Dubet notes, Une socit construite sur une galit des chances parfaitement juste pourrait, en mme temps, tre parfaitement ingalitaire (qtd. in Rosello 237). To provide special benefits to minorits visible s would undermine the egalitarian ideal of republican assimilation by treating them as more than equals. Such reverse inequality would represent an unacceptable breach of the sacred credo of libert, galite, fraternit. Hence, minorits visibles generally receive an insufficient level of social spending, with derelict public lodgement projects and minimal welfare payments the only programs currently providing benefits (Smith 176). Continued adherence to overaged concepts of citizenship therefore facilitates the separate and unequal treatment of minorits visibles by concealment persecution under the guise of official equality.