New Delhi, Oct. 19 -- FRENCH HISTORY has long been marked by upheaval and revolt. The republic established by Charles de Gaulle in 1958 erupted a decade later in the student protests of May '68; the following year the general resigned. Emmanuel Macron faced months of widespread and violent demonstrations by gilets jaunes (yellow jackets) in 2018-19; the president sent armoured vehicles rolling over the cobblestones of the capital to restore order. Yet the apocalyptic scenes of torched civic buildings and looting in cities across France on October 17th were in some ways worse: they could lead the country into even greater division, and hand voters at next spring's presidential election a choice between two extremes.

Even for a country har...