Depending on who you ask, the government or the protesters, between 1 million and 3 million people took to the streets of France, Thursday, March 19th.  They clogged the main arteries of major cities and smaller towns. Private and public sector workers alike. The reason, the French economy, hit hard by the global economic downturn.

France is notorious for its strikes, in a society born of revolution, wherein high school students can reasonably expect to miss a quarter of their classes some years, this comes as no surprise. However, this strike is different from many that have come before. This strike had many participants from both the public and private sectors. Normally only the public sector strikes whilst the private continues working, although in a society that is easily one of the most socialist in Europe, if not the world, large strikes by just public sector workers can be crippling.

A major strike in January of this year led President Nicholas Sarkozy to introduce bonuses to the needy. The essential mentality in France is that the people strike, the government gives a little, and then the cycle is repeated. Although an effective system, there are many costs derived from it. Most rail traffic suffered in France Thursday as transit workers left their posts, almost a third of flights out of Orly, one of Paris’ largest airports were canceled because of a shortage of staff and over 10 000 megawatts of power was never provided on the night leading up to the marches.

The large unions which have organized and mobilized these marches are doing so in order to pursue more support for the unemployed and economically disadvantaged, from the French government. The numbers of those being hurt by the downturn will only continue to grow in a nation which has 65% of its population within the age range of employment. Compounding the problems, the national economy is expected to contract by 1.5% in the first quarter of 2009, the worst figures projected since the beginning of 1975. With fewer tax payer dollars it’s going to be hard to create further support plans in a heavily socialized state.

There is one area which many of the Socialist and Unionist movements may be looking towards, France has becoming increasingly militarily involved under Nicholas Sarkozy, who has just survived a confidence vote regarding France’s return to NATO Command. The Fifth Republic has also been one of the main forces behind developing a European Command, through which the European Union would be able to exercise a coherrent regional defence and a unified voice militarily in the matter of international conflict. In a nation which became increasingly disenfranchised by involvement in the NATO campaign in Afghanistan, perhaps Sarkozy will look to the 2.6% of the GDP expended on the military and dish out something for the disenfranchised.

Also national leaders of the EU have agreed that they will not increase their stimulus spending for now, as the bill mounts higher and higher. This is good news for countries which would be footing most of the bill; Britain, France and Germany, are hit the hardest by taxation and equalization throughout the European Economic Zone. Perhaps Barack Obama will heed the calls of Gordon Brown and help lead a ‘Global Economic Stimulus Plan’. But until that time leaders around the world, especially Sarkozy will have to deal with the protests and possibly riots which will express the voice of the people.

Although Sarkozy’s party holds a majority in the National Assembly, it is possibly that with increasing economic turmoil and a deisenfranchised mass populace that the political pendulum will swing in the direction of the Socialists. His only hope will be to continue to ride the wave of adoration for his beautiful wife, continue being the ever changing man of French politics, and keep the protesters at bay, by giving them small gifts to stave the tide.

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