France and Italy
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Choose three French presidents since 1990 and write one important event of each.
Mitterrand – the Maastricht referendum (1992); Chirac – adopting the euro (2002) and refusing the Iraq war (2003); Macron – the pension reform (2023).
2
Why did France not take part in the Iraq war in 2003? Write 4 sentences.
France favoured giving UN inspectors more time and relying on a UN Security Council decision; it did not consider the evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq sufficient.
3
Explain in 4–5 sentences why Italy’s party system collapsed in the 1990s.
Corruption was exposed, the “Mani pulite” investigation brought many politicians to court, the end of the Cold War reduced the importance of the old blocs, and the electoral law changed.
4
Name three problems common to France and Italy and give one example of each.
Public debt (high in Italy), security linked to terrorism and migration (the attacks in France), and domestic discontent and political instability (the yellow vests, government crises).
5
Explain the principle of laïcité in France in 3–4 sentences.
The 1905 law separated the state from the church; the state does not support any religion and citizens’ freedom of belief is guaranteed; there are debates in society over how to apply it.