France: Coping with an Old Foe

The joke in Paris was that Charles de Gaulle did not know bifteck prices were going up until his wife, Tante Yvonne, told him. Wherever De Gaulle got the news about French inflation, he moved swiftly last week to bring it under control.

Inflation is as typically French as are street demonstrations—and often the two are linked. All French governments tend to grapple vainly with the problem. Premier Paul Ramadier fought a game but losing battle in 1947; Premier Antoine Pinay launched a "Save the Franc" campaign in 1952. Now De Gaulle is struggling against the same hydraheaded enemy: rising...

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