ABSTRACT
Rights were fundamental as a basis for French housing policy and for social housing allocations, and both were powerfully influenced by historical events. The revolution, from 1789, was both the dawn of human rights in France and a national trauma. It heralded new forms of private and public law, which have different meanings, weight and connotations than in England. This chapter looks at how these different perceptions of rights developed within a different institutional structure, to illustrate key aspects affecting social housing.
