Old-age policy in France has evolved historically in three critical dimensions that also correspond generally to post-World War II developments in France: the right to retirement (pensions); improved living conditions (e.g., autonomy, housing); and continued participation in the labor force. The last focus is currently a controversial one, given the high unemployment France is facing. Two fundamentally different systems of action have spawned these policies. One system sees social policy as compromises proposed by the state in disputes between labor and management. The other system of action sees social policy as the result of the dialectical relations between the state's administration and society. The present crisis, both of old-age policies and of the welfare state, represents a crisis of the rationale behind social interventions. Moreover, the contradictory nature of public interventions has blurred the very meaning of old age. Therefore, the very policies that have played a fundamental role in making old age a coherent and autonomous category are now breaking down the boundaries of this category. This breaking down of the category of aged persons might lead to the development of other ways of managing the relationships between old age and society. (KC)