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Democratic change in the ligue (1925-1940) After the First World War, the Ligue de l'Enseignement, reduced to its leading authorities, comes up against the departmental federations of secular continuing education which restructure in an autonomous way and wish to create their own national institution The organization recognizes these federations as decision-making structures and becomes a confederation (1925). The federative form allows the militant in primary school, although channeled, to have a significant weight in the orientations of the organization which becomes a place of negotiation between the administration of the State Education and the Syndicat National des Instituteurs et Institutrices. The confederal League must however make sure that the democratization of these mechanisms of decision does not generate any infeodation.

Young alsace, school of the nation (1944-1947) In Alsace during the post-war period, the will to take part in the cultural reintegration of the populations in the French nation characterizes the revival of youth associations. The ambition, almost unanimously shared, is to make of these associations the " schools of the nation". We then seek to see how those constitute, in the context of the Liberation, the privileged places of learning behaviors, ways of thinking and values perceived like peculiar to the French nation. In other words, we show that these associations which want to be spaces of education to citizenship can be links of republican integration.

The MJC, trade councils of the associations From the Liberation to the turn of the 1980' s, the MJC -associations law of 1901 -claimed to exert a role of reception and dialogue for other associations, on the model of trades councils. Supported by their semi-institutional character, they took part in the rationalization of community life in the medium-sized cities and the rural world. They largely opened to other associations and, for this reason, sometimes asserted the role of " associative opposition power" after May 68. But, in the late 70' s, they were not any more in a position to seek the role of " trades councils of the associative world" : victims of their banalization and of the institutionalization of the local cultural policies and they were only considered from now on like associations among others.

Democratization of the Secours Populaire Français Former communist mass organization become great humanitarian association, the Secours Populaire Français operated since the middle 1950' s an aggiornamento going through an internal democratization, the guarantee of its emancipation from the PCF and of its new democratic function in the public space (" stimulus of the authorities " and reinvention of the forum function ", via an ambivalent relation to policies). The monographic prism however makes it possible to point up the persistence of the legacy which, although specific for certain, refer to more general characteristics of the associative world.

municipality). Which are the bonds of these associations with the municipal political power ? The Ligue de l'Enseignement organizes the leisure centres of cities led by the Socialist Party while the Francas train organizers, in particular in municipalities run by the Communist Party.

Democracy in cultural associations The ministry for the Arts published in 2001 an issue to celebrate the law of 1901 on associations. It showed the importance and the fragility of culture and arts associations. To present this publication today is to show that these difficulties persist. Reality is rougher than the generous speeches : the budgetary cuts threaten 157 000 (out of 880 000) associations concerned. Associations " false nose" created by the ministry for accountable reasons are the tree hiding a devastated forest which one knows well the internal strength, but badly the paths and the perimeter. This synthesis presents articles inspired by law, economics, statistics and politics, which come close to the more historical approach published here for Agora débats/ jeunesses.

Young germans' political culture The authors note a coming together of the political attitudes of young Germans of the old and new Länder which does not erase the differences in political V. O. culture between the West and the East. Examining the young people's interest for politics, their opinions about the systems of government, the institutions and the political actors, they note the specificity of the opinions of uneducated young people showing the influence of social inequalities. They name " critical democrats" the young people combining a dissatisfaction towards the running of democracy to a strong political competence and to a will to act to improve this political system.

Catherine Tourrilhes Youth at risk appears as a social construction made progressively through difficulties encountered by the social and educational institutions but also within the framework of policies of integration supposed to be only temporary in the ordinary world of labour. In its individualization, the integration declares the young to be the actor and sole responsible for his own project, thus reinforcing the interiorization of its failure and disqualifying the social work in its function of assistance. Hardship and deviant careers are built then in rupture with the social workers, even if paradoxically one can observe, for some young people, a capacity of mobilization and collective action to affirm their social and cultural identity.