Francois Hollande's victory in the French presidential election is not only part of a sea change in European politics, marked by continent-wide disillusionment with austerity, but also represents a return to socialism, which remains the intellectually and culturally dominant ideology in France. The public turned against the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy partly because of his association with the prevailing climate of budgetary discipline within the EU and failure to reinvigorate the economy, but the extent of his unpopularity lies in his betrayal of the core values of French socialism.
History weighs heavily against the French right, especially in the current climate, and the French Revolution has lost none of its symbolic value. Left Front presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon led a march on the Bastille as part of his campaign and even the placid Hollande was prepared to invoke the revolutionary spirit. Louis XVI's execution serves as a continual reminder of the French government's duty to its people. The "president of the rich" had to go.
Sarkozy's economic liberalism was the antithesis of French socialism, and not just because itresulted in rising inequality and unemployment. It also threatened the welfare state, held by many to be sacrosanct, and drove a wedge between the government and the people. Pension reforms, tax increases and reductions in welfare spending shifted the burden of fiscal responsibiliy to those who could least afford it, raising the question of who is serving who.
Strict demands on the state can only be supported by solidarity among the people, and French socialism has always had a communal spirit. Throughout his presidential campaign, Hollande presented himself as Mr Normal, steering clear of the divisive rhetoric of his right-wing opponents and differentiating himself from the prickly Sarkozy. This unity provides a partial solution to the identity crisis which has marred the French Socialist Party since its modernisation under Francois Mitterrand.
Responding to the crisis of liberalism and problems caused by austerity, the French left has revitalised itself along traditional lines. Hollande has little romantic idealism, but his policies suggest that he will seek to place the government once again in the service of the people, returning to the principle at the heart of French socialism which causes it to be valued so highly by the nation.