The constitutional development of France, which gave rise to the ideals of “freedom, equality, and fraternity”, and the Declaration of Human and Civic Rights, was a complex process, accompanied by several revolutions and constitutional reforms. Nevertheless, the 1958 Constitution proved to be remarkably stable. This stability can be attributed to the fact that the Constitution most fully reflected the legal culture of French society. This article examines how the cultural codes of this nation are manifested in the legal and political cultures of France and its Constitution.
Keywords
legal culture; political culture; Declaration of Human and Civil Rights, cultural traditions of France.