Declinism

The declinism is a pejorative term indicating a French tendency to note a “decline” of the country, as well economic as cultural or geopolitical.

Quoted examples are the following:

lowers France in the international classifications enonomic, in various social classifications;
comparison of the social system, monk and moral French with others in Europe;
debate on the concept of “repentance”: if this one were carried out on the mode of Vichy, it is not complete on torture during the war of Algeria, and causes a sharp debate about colonialism. Pascal Bruckner denounces the " thus; Tyranny of the repentance" ;
comparisons of cultural activity (in particular the comparison between Paris and London, on the number of theaters, the reports on the Parisian ones going in the London nightclubs the weekend, the Olympic Games, etc);
idea of the influence of France in the world, in particular on the description of a loss of influence of France in Africa or engagement of France in China and India, country in strong growth.

Nicolas Baverez, which notes a “decline” of France, is one of the representatives of this " courant".

Dominique de Villepin popularized the term of " déclinologue" by giving him to the pejorative direction people seeing all in black.

Critical

The decline admitted in the political sphere of activity is a vague event, supplied with a sharp polemic. It is rather not easily verifiable because more often concerns turnings of speech and rhetoric. Generally, it is defined in geopolitical comparisons of indicators (GDP, growth, trade balances, IDH, etc) between various countries. The comparison finds however its limits when one compares France with another country developed on a topic in which the two States evolved/moved differently, but that it is advisable within sight of the thought declinologist to put on an equal footing. Thus one will easily compare the two systems of education American and French, as if they were with equal conditions to provide similar results; what actually concerns the absurdest syllogism. By extension, the declinism is an assertion of the national identity in hollow.

In the War of both France , Jacques Marseilles attempts to show contrary to the report made by the declinologists that the 30 last years were as well as the glorious 30 years of growth.

External bonds

the criminalisation of the declinologists, new illusion of progress, Pierre-André Taguieff, Le Figaro , July 3rd, 2006

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