A book that provoked spirited opposition in France when it appeared some months ago. The author, who has distinguished himself as a politician and a diplomat, argues that France has become weak and pale, has lost her drive and initiative, has ceased to function effectively - and through no fault but her own. He attributes her decline to the centralization and bureaucratization of state and society; an argument which is not original, but which has rarely been advanced so passionately and incisively.
