Society of lost illusions

Abstract

Modern French society, with a light hand of the sociologist J. Fourquet, is more often called the «archipelago». Social splits in it run along many lines: socio-economic inequality is growing, socio-territorial disproportions are growing, and the conflict of generations is becoming more and more visible. France is not the only country where social divisions are strong, but its feature is that 56% of GDP is redistributed by the state, according to this indicator, France is the leader of the EU. Generous social policies help to fight poverty, but they don't save the middle class. Its numbers are dwindling and fragmented. The «pauperization» of the middle class is one of the most serious social consequences of France's entry into the global information economy. Another consequence of this process is the division of workers into those who have joined the open knowledge economy and those who have been left behind. Contradictions between generations are growing, French youth are «plunging» into poverty. Socially homogeneous territories are formed within the country, which means that different social classes and groups no longer «meet», and each lives in his own space. The article examines new and previous social divisions that have serious political and social consequences.