Hello

[Alpa]

Hello! I am a new member from France.
I have been reading this forum for a few months and thought I could join in.

I am not a “monarchist” : I don’t believe monarchy is always the best political system available. What I do believe is that every country must find the one democratic system that suits it best, whether it is a monarchy or a republic, and that this is down to culture, history, etc. As far as France is concerned, I am a republican : I am proud of our past, but for me, our modern nation was built on the French Revolution and I can’t imagine France being something else than a republic.

But I do understand and appreciate other countries’ heritage and culture. And I am quite fascinated by the whole idea of “destiny” monarchy implies : to have someone getting a position by birth and from which he or she can’t escape. Indeed, what I am most interested in, I think, is not the institution itself, but the people in it and how they fit in their role and make something - or not - out of the life they have been given.

I apologize in advance for all the mistakes I am going to make while writing : I will do my best, but English isn’t my first language. So thank you for your patience and understanding !

 

[Duke-of-Earl]

Hello Alpa and welcome to TRF

 

[Alpa]

Thank you!

 

[Molly2101]

Hello and welcome to TRF. Your English is very good and it is probably much better than mine, even though English is my mother tongue!

Ps. I'd LOVE to go to Paris.

 

[Artemisia]

As an ardent Francophile, it is my pleasure to welcome you aboard, Alpa!

 

[Princess Luna]

Welcome alpa

 

[MagMil]

enjoy your time here!!!

 

[Daria_S]

Enjoy your time on the site.

 

[Catherine J]

Welcome

Welcome Alpa!

I'm a Canadian and believe strongly in both our democratic process and our Monarchy and believe the combination of the two to be as perfect a system as is possible. I feel lucky to live in a country and be part of a Commonwealth that was able to find a way to have both - I think it makes us rich, for lack of a better word.

That said, I respect your position as a firm Republican and fully understand your interest from a historical and cultural perspective.

I hope you enjoy it here. I am a sporadic poster and visitor (I tend to be here when I am in between professional projects) but try to keep up on the conversations. I hope we can chat sometime, I'd like to hear your views on things - coming as you do from a country whose shift from Monarchy to Republic is so often referred to in literature and popular culture...I've often wondered what handprint that has left on its citizens.

Again, welcome.

 

[Alpa]

Thank you all for this nice welcome!

Welcome Alpa!
I hope we can chat sometime, I'd like to hear your views on things - coming as you do from a country whose shift from Monarchy to Republic is so often referred to in literature and popular culture...I've often wondered what handprint that has left on its citizens.

Hi Catherine, I will gladly talk to you about France if you want!

To answer quickly your question about the impact the French revolution has had, in my opinion, it is huge. France's main symbols of state come from the Revolution (anthem, flag, Marianne, ...) and 1789 is the one date in history everyone knows. But France didn't become a republic overnight : we had to wait until 1870 to definitely become one ; between 1789 and 1870, we had time to try constitutional monarchy, Empire (twice) and various forms of republic.

The French Revolution is sometimes referred to in the public arena, but I think politicians and commentators refer more to the "Republic" in general (we often talk about defending the "values of the Republic") : it encompasses the Revolution and the individual and political rights given to each citizen, but also some important laws from the third Republic (1870-1939), especially the ones regarding free press, free association, "laïcité" (secularism... sort of!), free education, etc. That doesn't mean we are not happy with our past : François 1er, Henry IV or Louis XIV are as well-known as Napoleon and De Gaulle. But "republic versus monarchy" is not an issue in France today : there is no public debate about that.

I could talk more about it if you want ; I just don't know if the moderators would agree if I do so here.