La doctrine oppose traditionnellement deux modèles de séparation verticale des pouvoirs : l'État unitaire et l'État fédéral. Il est en outre admis que la structure fédérale de l'État est intrinsèquement favorable à l'autonomie locale. Les récentes et nombreuses réformes de l'organisation territoriale des compétences menées en France et en Allemagne obligent à questionner la pertinence de cette présentation doctrinale désormais classique et à réviser l'état des connaissances sur les droits positifs de ces deux pays. Pour cela, l'étude opte pour un angle de vue original car elle propose de saisir le fédéralisme par le prisme de l'autonomie locale, en comparant la situation constitutionnelle des «collectivités locales», respectivement dans un État unitaire et dans un État fédéral. D'autre part, cette recherche comparative démontre l'intérêt de s'appuyer sur la typologie de la décentralisation élaborée par Hans Kelsen afin de dépasser les classifications doctrinales classiques surdéterminées par le référentiel national. Il est alors possible de constater une convergence entre la France et l'Allemagne au regard des garanties formelles et matérielles du droit à l'autonomie locale, en particulier suite à la constitutionnalisation du droit des collectivités territoriales en France. Ce constat se confirme au regard du « pouvoir de surveillance » de l'État sur les actes des collectivités locales, les possibilités des autorités étatiques d'interférer dans la vie juridique locale étant plus limitées en France qu'en Allemagne. Il en ressort que la structure fédérale de l'État n'est pas nécessairement plus respectueuse des libertés locales que la structure unitaire de l'État. / The legal doctrines distinguish traditionally two different models of vertical separation of powers: the unitary state and the federal state, France being supposed to represent the first, Germany the second. Moreover, it is generally acknowledged that federal states are more respectful of local freedoms. However, the decentralization reforms carried out in France and in Germany oblige to question the relevance of this doctrinal assumption and to review the current state of knowledge on the legal systems of both countries. This research is based on an original approach seizing the federalism by the prism of local autonomy and comparing the legal situation of the "local government authorities", respectively in a unitary state and a federal state. ln addition, this comparative research is based on the decentralization theory of Hans Kelsen. This allows avoiding the use of the traditional doctrinal classifications that remain largely determined by the national reference frame. This examination of the legal relationship between central and local authorities allows to note a significant convergence between France and Germany regarding the formal and material protection of the right to local autonomy, in particular due to the constitutionalization of local government law in France. This first research result is confirmed by taking into consideration the "power of surveillance" of the central state on the local authorities, the legal opportunities to interfere in the self-government being even more restricted in France than in Germany. This reveals that federal states are not necessarily providing a greater legal protection of local autonomy than unitary states.

This thesis aims to analyse the similarities and differences in Guy Debords' and Michel Foucaults' approaches to the relationship of vision and power. Its purpose is to show the power of visual discourse and define whether it is possible for society to resist or escape from this power. The thesis is methodologically based on the distincion of political and philosophical thoughts of both authors: according to Debord, society emerges from the power of the spectacle through the non-capitalist class order of society, alternatively, Foucault sees power relations as a set of practices that permeate the entire society and each one of us. These are practices which we are formed by and which we also form ouselves. Therefore, it is impossible for him to overcome or completely eliminate interconnection of power and vision from society. Based on this distinction, the thesis attempts to verify the assumption that Debord's inspiration by Marxism does not allow him to reflect the relationship of vision and power in its whole range in the context of non-capitalist order. Unlike Foucault's concept of surveillance, Debord's theory of spectacle is utopian.