Why is France very 'Paris-centric'?

Historically under the “Ancien Regime” (Ancient Regime), mostly when Louis XIV ruled in France, the country became very centralized around Paris as being in the Royal Court was now the most important position you could dream of. It became custom f... read more

Paris (region) accounts for 25% of France’s GDP while having only about 15% of France’s population. While France is not known to have a great financial impact, the little it has is at the “Bourse de Paris” (Stockmarket of Paris). read more

All governments try to subsidize farmers and France gets away with doing this more than others because they have more influence in international bodies. I remember talking to farmers in Spain under Franco and there was legitimate feelings of being exploited. I think the situation in France is very different. read more

They are certainly very distant from the France of wine and charcuterie, chateaux and cheese. This gap has not been closed by the French policy of “assimilation” rather than multi-cultural integration into the supposedly secular republique, and has, critics say, created fertile ground for polarisation. read more