France — De Gaulle presidency (1959–1969)
France
Basis for the estimate: Fifth Republic, strong presidency, dirigisme, independent nuclear deterrent, left NATO command.
Official system and how it worked in practice
| Official system | Semi-presidential republic (Fifth Republic) |
|---|---|
| In practice | Liberal democracy electoral democracy plus strong rule of law, judicial and legislative checks, and protected individual rights |
“In practice” is V-Dem’s Regimes of the World classification for France, 1959–1969, from expert-coded data (V-Dem Regimes of the World (v2x_regime), V-Dem dataset v16, March 2026). V-Dem codes each country as it stood at the end of each year, so the first and last years can reflect the previous or next government. The official system is the constitutional form during the period.
Political placement
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 45 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 67 | toward traditional | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 52 | near the center | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 97 | strongly toward nationalist | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 45 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 50 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 54 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 97 | strongly toward nationalist |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 73 | toward traditionalist |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 50 | near the center |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 60 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 64 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 45 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 52 | near the center |
Country and government scores interpret the policies of a specific government or period; they are not an authoritative ranking of countries, and official constitutional structures can differ from how power is exercised in practice. How scores are made.
Key positions (estimated)
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated |
| Governments should be able to require vaccination during a public health emergency. | Strongly agrees | from their record |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| A naturalized citizen can belong to the nation as fully as someone born there. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Disagrees | estimated |
| Traditional values should guide what society considers right and wrong. | Agrees | estimated |
| Class distinctions should gradually disappear. | Strongly disagrees | estimated |
| Military power should be used proactively when serious external threats are emerging. | Disagrees | estimated |
| Worker-owned cooperatives should replace traditional shareholder-owned corporations. | Disagrees | estimated |
Closest ideologies
Most similar governments
Sources
- Wikipedia: Presidency of Charles de Gaulle (Wikipedia search)
Last reviewed October 11, 2026.