The French education system was created as a means to uphold the republican principles emanating from the Revolution. The first Article of the 1958 French Constitution says the Republic assures equality before the law of all citizens without distinction of origin or race. Theoretically at least, it is not only forbidden to discriminate, but to make distinctions that favor one category over another. The republican ideal is that all citizens are French and nothing else--the privileges bestowed by French citizenship override identification with ethnicity or religious groups and stipulate that difference does not exist in the French public sphere. This means that all French citizens, irrespective of religion, race, or social standing, should receive the same education and be afforded the same opportunities and rights. Furthermore, the French republican model implies that "the nation-state must always give preference to collectivity over the individual." This article discusses the history of the French affirmative action policies. (Contains 20 notes.)