Geografia della popolazione in Francia: l'eccezione transalpina tra movimenti migratori e politiche demografiche

Is there a correlation between the population and the migration factors in the French historical and political context? And, above all, what are the reasons of the French obsession for birth policies? These are the key questions this paper seeks to answer. It is common knowledge that, at European level, and not only, France represented and, in some ways, still represents a reference model not only on the management of the stock of immigrants but also on population policies. There are numerous studies on the migration and demographic phenomenon in France, especially relating to the period following the second postwar years. Literature, on the contrary, has given less space to the historical and political events which occurred in France during the 19th century. Underestimating how crucial the 19th century was in outlining the French immigration policies. Not to mention that just in those years a series of social changes occurred, explaining the key role that the demographic factor has played within the French politics. These are the reasons why this paper largely focus on the 19th century history of France in order to outline the demographic and migration picture of France until today. Aiming at answering the above mentioned questions but also identifying useful indications for a country like Italy that, compared to France, represents “the other side of the same Europe”. Since, besides becoming the destination of huge migration flows only at the beginning of the 90s, it is at the top of the list of the developed countries which report a worrying “demographic winter”.