ABSTRACT
The tendency to personalize politics is universal. In France the history of education is often charted in the name of reforming ministers. The lois Ferry (1879-86) mark the start of compulsory education in France: ‘obligatory, secular and free’. The loi Haby (1975) introduced comprehensive education. In the period covered by this book, the loi Savary (1984) outlawed university selection and the loi Jospin (1989) set out to define a framework for the system for the beginning of the twentyfirst century.
