French history is one of revolution, sometimes bloody, but always accompanied by cultural and political upheaval.  France is a far more revolutionary country than the U.S., although that may be due more to the political stability of the two-party system in America.  There have been five different "republics" in France since 1790 as the French have tinkered with how their governments work.  Will we see a sixth?

Once again, France appears to be roiled by revolution.  The yellow vest protests that have been going on since November are only the outward manifestation of an inward convulsion.  But the cause is an old one: equality.

Far more than the U.S., French society is stratified and riven by class struggles.  Today, those elites have gotten so out of touch with ordinary Frenchmen that many have taken to the streets.  How far will this revolution go?

France 24:

The failure of Macron's bid to restore faith in politicians in France could have repercussions in a country where anti-establishment far-right and far-left parties have never been so popular.

Research published last week by the Cevipof political institute at Sciences Po university found more than two thirds of the French people still had overwhelmingly negative views of politicians.

When asked to sum up their feelings towards them, 37 percent said they felt "distrust", 32 percent "disgust", eight percent "boredom" and four percent "fear".

Only France's roughly 35,000 mayors, seen as close to the people they represent, inspired confidence in a majority of people.

Overall, cynicism was at its highest level since Cevipof began its surveys in 2007, before the presidencies of Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, which were both judged harshly by French voters.

"The surge in confidence hoped for by Emmanuel Macron after his election has not materialised," Cevipof director Martial Foucault commented last week, calling the results "alarming".

Many of the new MPs in Macron's Republic on the Move (LREM) party have been shocked by the abuse directed at them since the "yellow vest" protesters from rural and small-town France took to the streets in late November.

Many of the new M.P.s are drawn from the middle and professional classes.  They have had very little exposure to the difficulties of those in rural areas and lower classes.  The hope they had when they first arrived in Parliament has been replaced by cynicism:

Macron has interpreted the protests as a sign of impatience from an electorate desperate for change – for lower taxes, better public services and democratic reforms.

All of those were campaign promises from the 41-year-old ex-banker, who like many of his MPs had never been elected before becoming president.

But analysts also see Macron's perceived arrogance, top-down governing style, and tax policies favouring high earners as reasons behind the "yellow vest" revolt.

The warning sirens for Macron are blaring:

"You can see in the 'yellow vest' movement the idea of what was called the 'abolition of privileges' during the Revolution," he said, referring to the 1789 revolt that toppled the monarchy.

"There is this revolutionary idea, that is recurrent and cyclical in French society, of wanting to take revenge on people that are seen as the privileged," he said.

"It's an old theme of the people against the elite."

This fifth republic in France is more stable than the others.  But as the protests continue in the streets, the much larger number of dissatisfied citizens who aren't demonstrating might end up joining their comrades in the streets if they feel that Macron and the politicians are continuing to ignore their concerns.