ABSTRACT
The first summit was held in Rambouillet, France, on 15-17 November 1975. With San Juan, the summit became a regular annual event, taking place in strictly determined rotation among the Group of Seven (G7) countries: France, US, UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada. In addition to the regular annual summits, there have been two special summit meetings: in 1985 and 1996. The special summit held by the US, Germany, the UK and France in Guadeloupe on 5-6 January 1979 was not part of the regular G7 cycle but rather a legacy of past Atlanticism. Chronologically, the summit meetings-until the full inclusion of Russia-can be viewed in septennial cycles defined by hosting rotation, but there are a number of other ways of viewing summit history. Nicholas Bayne, writing in May 1997, distinguishes four cycles by rhythm and pace of activity: the first, 1975-1980, had summits that “were very ambitious in economic policies, arguably too ambitious”.
