Former French President F. Hollande, whose policies are generally described by many experts and the media as “ineffective” and “weak”, undermined the prestige of the presidency. As a result of such a policy, the concept of “anti - sarcosism”, which arose under his predecessor, developed into an attack on President Hollande-bashing. In general, with his presidential term F. Hollande finally completed the traditional political cycle of France, which began back in 1965. When traditional political leadership enters a period of crisis, the emergence of a new political leader is inevitable. Such an unexpected leader was the eighth president of France, E. Macron. In the article, the author considers the changes in the political vector and political culture of France with the advent of Macron to power. A series of comparative assessments of the French leaders of the Fifth Republic and observations of changes in the mood of French society and the political elite are given. The main domestic and foreign policy priorities of the new president are shown. The author also considers the features of the dynamics of the reforms introduced, their goals and, as a result, the public’s response to them.
