Value change in western democracies

Résumé du document

In the recent French cantonal elections, some members of left wing and right wing parties proposed an alliance against the rising Front National. This proposition was based on the fact that, according to these politicians, they shared certain values that went against the values defended by the FN, and thus they could overcome their differences to make sure that their values prevailed. This can make one wonder what "values" are, this notion being so strong that it can bring the idea of a bridge between right and left. The word comes from the French "valoir", meaning being worth, and the word "value" does refer to the measure of something's worth. In this case, "value" refers to an important concept that has so much value to us that it is simply called a value, as an ethic. Examples of values are freedom or wanting to maintain order in the nation. Our values depend on a certain number of factors, such as our needs (a person that doesn't eat often will for example have for value to always finish his plate, whether he/she likes it or not).

Due to this dependence, it is logical that if the needs change, the values change too. A change in the society can also induce a value change, which can have repercussions back on the society. In the past centuries, Western democracies have gone through several decisive changes: industrialization, democratization and several wars, with such changes for consequences. In the past century, the Western democracies have notably suffered two World Wars, before entering a period of prosperity. We can thus wonder if the values in Western democracies have changed during this period. If so, what are the processes that led to this change and their repercussions?