France, a potential market?

The country that I find very interesting to me is France. France is very unique to me so that is why I have chosen to written my essay on this particular country. In the following essay I will discuss the type of political and legal systems that exist in France today, and I will also discuss the involvement of the government in the economy as far as how much influence it has on the economy.

"France has a centralized government, although it is decentralized to the extent that there are 22 regions, 95 departments, and 36,000 municipalities, each of which can derive benefits from the central government, while maintaining a certain amount of autonomy" (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/wfbcjfra.txt). France's legal system is very unique. Unlike the United States where criminal and civil cases are heard in two different courts, France's legal system abides by the principal of unity of the criminal justice system which means that one court can hear both criminal and civil cases (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/ascii/wfbcjfra.txt).

British autos with cannon in France (LOC)

No Mans Land, Flanders Field, France, 1919 (LOC)

[Opera House staircase, Paris, France] (LOC)

Elections are a major event in France. "Except for Senate elections, voting is by direct universal suffrage and there just over 41 million electors (out of a total population of 60 million)" (http://www.ambafrance-au.org/aboutfrance/pages/elections.en.htm). In order to vote, electors must be at least 18 years of age, be of French nationality, except for municipal and European Parliament elections, be on the electoral role in their commune of residence and be in full possession of all civic rights which means the elector can not be convicted for a certain serious crime in which he/she would lose their civic rights for a certain length of time (http://www.ambafrance-au.org/aboutfrance/pages/elections.en.htm).

In France, the government is greatly involved in the way that the economy is run. "The government retains considerable influence over key segments of each sector, with...