PARIS — In Paris, it is always possible to wander into the past. But this year, it was also possible to glimpse the future.

France embraced a new president and a new governing party that in some ways represented the polar opposite of the politics finding favor in the United States. But President Emmanuel Macron’s moves were criticized as helping business at the potential expense of workers.

The extreme right in France suffered a serious defeat, showing that the country was not ready to embrace anti-globalization and anti-immigration politicians like Marine Le Pen.