Francois Mitterand [Hardcover]

Ronald Tiersky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 2000

François Mitterrand was a controversial politician with a contested strategy and a flawed character. In spite of being one of France's most detested political figures, he was also undoubtedly one of twentieth century Europe's most substantial, durable and statesmanlike leaders. From his much-disputed passages at Vichy during WWII through the major policies of his presidency, Mitterrand's career is a lens through which one can view the anxieties, fears, and instabilities, as well as achievements and successes of contemporary French political history. In this first major political biography since his death, Ronald Tiersky looks at the contradiction that was Mitterrand and the legacy he left to France and the world. This promises to be the standard book on this great world leader for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The multitude of Fran?ois Mitterrand's political guises, and the ease with which he discarded one to don another, have led many commentators to cite relentless ambition as the guiding principle of the late French president's career. Tiersky (France in the New Europe, etc.) insists, to the contrary, that the conundrums of Mitterrand's public life were due to the constancy of his personal convictions. During his more than half a century as a public figure in France, Mitterrand re-created himself continuously. He was a member of both the Vichy regime and the Resistance. He opposed Charles de Gaulle's policy on Algeria, while positioning himself as the leader of the French socialist movement. His adoption of socialist reforms at the beginning of his first term as president, in 1981, plunged the nation into a decade-long economic crisis, yet he won reelection and served as president for no less than 14 years. Tiersky does not seek to hide the enigmatic nature of his subject; instead, he traces minutely the many threads of Mitterrand's philosophical wanderings. His crisp, energetic narration gives both a sense of the biographer's fascination with his subject and an appreciation for the sheer breadth of Mitterrand's experience. The author succeeds in untwining the many conflicting motivations for Mitterrand's maneuvers, but perhaps is less adept at proving his thesis: that a single thread of principle linked the man's political experiments. In portraying Mitterrand (and thus rejecting de Gaulle) as the embodiment of postwar France, Tiersky proclaims that ambiguity has been the defining characteristic of recent French history. (July)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Even in death, Mitterrand remains a controversial and contradictory figure. After the Nazi conquest of France, he spent a year working for the collaborationist Vichy government; yet by 1944 he was a major figure in the French Resistance. Although he was a committed socialist, he was an imperious, aloof man who was never comfortable with those on the lower social rungs. He spoke out eloquently against anti-Semitism, but he defended associates who had aided the persecution of Jews under the Vichy regime. Tiersky, who teaches politics at Amherst College and specializes in French political culture, views Mitterrand as an immensely gifted man whose personality quirks prevented him from becoming a truly great democratic politician. Like Richard Nixon, Mitterand was an inherently suspicious person who feared that associates were plotting against him, and he seemed to delight in launching his own Machiavellian maneuvers. A vital, valuable work for understanding the politics and history of post^-World War II France. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (July 21, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312129084
• ISBN-13: 978-0312129088
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,672,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best on Mitterand in english, July 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Francois Mitterand (Hardcover)

This is the best and most comprehensive biography of Mitterand written in english. Neither condenatory or adulatory, is a most for the study of modern political leadership.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading on the "Machiavellian Republican", February 25, 2001

By 

Tom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Francois Mitterand (Hardcover)

Five years after his death, François Mitterrand has few defenders in France. The corruption scandals and personal revelations overshadowing his final years still tarnish his 14-year presidency. Amhearst College professor Ronald Tiersky has stepped into this void with an excellent biography that takes a fuller view of the paradoxical man known as "the Sphinx." His book François Mitterrand: The Last French President presents a fascinating account of the opportunistic twists and inspired turns of his long political career. Much of this manoeuvering was Machiavellian, but he had several long-term goals that were positive for France. Mitterrand's success in sidelining the Communist Party, reconciling the Left with market economics and promoting European integration -- all clearly explained in Tiersky's highly readable account -- were major achievements.

François Mitterrand: The Last French President is required reading for anyone wanting to understand Mitterrand and contemporary France. It is very usefully split into three sections dealing with Mitterrand's pre-1981 career, his record as president and (the longest section, and rightfully so) his complex "Machiavellian republican" personality and its legacy. The personal insights the author brings thanks to his many interviews with Mitterrand over the years contribute to the authority and depth of this lively book. That unique access can also be a weakness. Understanding him so well, Tiersky tends to excuse Mitterrand's duplicity more than a democratic leader deserves. But this is a small point compared to the book's overwhelming strengths. Even French Foreign Minister Hubert Védrine admits, in his back-cover endorsement, that Tiersky's book has "some new insights, even for the French."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, February 4, 2003

By 

Bradley K. Stilwell (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Francois Mitterand (Hardcover)

This is a fascinating account of a fascinating life. Tiersky's own interactions with Mitterand over his decades-long career provide insight and color without exaggerating the author's importance or insider status. Tiersky examines all the key chapters of Mitterand's career: his Vichy past, his Resistance involvement, the Observatory Affair, Mitterand's triumph over the Far Left, his anti-Soviet geopolitical maneuverings, and his curious extramarital affairs. Mitterand's contradictions and humanity make for great material, and Tiersky delivers a gripping read. This biography is nearly flawless with only minimal repetition near the end.