IMO the idea that France was unusually left wing for Europe is just a meme. It's a fairly large country with the same rural urban divisions the US has.
@Weird Tolkienish Figure That is true TODAY,but it wasn't always. At one time not too long ago in America,the big cities didn't control the political system. The Dims/Communists "fixed" that by providing public housing,free food,and free everything else to anyone that had a pulse and was willing to move to a slum in the city in order to become a professional "Vic-Tum" and register Dim.
The rural areas in the America of today are still as conservative as ever,but their political power has been undercut by the parasites living in the big cities.
This was no accident.
Remember back when young people would move to a city to find a high-paying job,but then move back home when they retired,bringing their children with them,or at least having their young adult children visit them often enough to see what rural living was like?
This doesn't happen anymore. It used to be a case where only the really big cities like NYC or Chicago had majority multi-generational city dweller populations,but it seems to be normal now to have families originally from rural areas who haven't had anyone living or moving "back" home in two or three generations.
Sooo,"Big Massa Goobermint" that sees all,knows all,and writes the checks,is the norm for most citizens. They see multi-generational people living in welfare housing that barely speak understandable English and can't read or write who can't remember the last time anyone in their family had a job,and accept this !as normal. "Hit bees de rural white man redneck MoFo what bees keep-in de bruthers doawn,dontcha no,and dey bees Republicans."
