Rekindling Gaullian Participation

Charles de Gaulle's concept of ‘participation’ was one the first actual, State-led attempts at a third way between capitalism and communism that sought to empower workers and promote national sovereignty. De Gaulle’s vision, which resonated with J. D. Vance's admiration for the French leader, is examined in the context of France’s post-war era and its relevance to contemporary Western societies. This paper discusses the attempts at implementing participation in France, including the Ordinance n°59-126 of 1959 and the Vallon amendment, and their fate in the face of the May 1968 liberal-libertarian paradigm shift. The legacy of Gaullist participation is then traced in France and the West, highlighting its potential to address economic imbalances, promote worker empowerment, and foster corporate stability. The time may be ripe for a revival of Gaullist participation, after the advent of such comparable systems Germany’s Codetermination System, the Nordic Model, and the Mondragon Corporation, in our contemporary, crisis-ridden context. As the globalist liberal establishment faces collapse, the U.S. and France may find common ground in Gaullist participation, paving the way for a more sovereign and self-reliant alliance in the West that also carries a desirable new vision for economic life.