Le Siècle is an elitetranspartisan social club in France that meets once a month for dinner at the French Automobile Club in Paris's Place de la Concorde.[1][2][3] Membership in Le Siècle "symbolizes the French nomenklatura" and includes France's top intellectuals, politicians, chief executives, journalists, and artists; since the 1970s, one-third to half of all French government ministers were members of Le Siècle, regardless of political affiliation or party membership.[4]
History
Le Siècle was founded in 1944 by Georges Bérard-Quélin, a journalist and Freemason.[3] The small group of the 1940s and 1950s eventually expanded to include major politicians across the political spectrum, from François Mitterrand, who was close associate of Bérard-Quélin, to Georges Pompidou via Pierre Mendès France.[5] When a similar think tank called the Saint-Simon Foundation dissolved in 1999, many of its former members joined Le Siècle.[6] Former CFDT Secretary General Nicole Notat has served as president of Le Siècle; not only is she the first woman to serve as president, she was also the first woman to lead a trade union in France.[1]
Membership
Membership in Le Siècle "symbolizes the French nomenklatura" and includes France's top intellectuals, politicians, chief executives, journalists, and artists.[4] In fact, between one-third and a half of all French government ministers were members of Le Siècle since the 1970s, regardless of political affiliation or party membership. That percentage peaked at 72% under Prime MinisterÉdouard Balladur (1993–95).[7] French journalist and writer Emmanuel Ratier wrote in 1996 that the club's membership controls 90% of French GDP.[8]
According to a 2011 article in Le Monde diplomatique, the members of Le Siècle are predominantly:[9]
Male (85%)
Over 55 years old (80%)
The sons of captains of industry, high-ranking public servants, or senior liberal professionals (55%)