France

Alphabet

A ah
B beh
C seh
D deh
E uh
F eff
G zheh
H ahsh
I ee
J zhee
K kah
L ell
M em
N en
O oh
P peh
Q koo
R air
S ess
T teh
U ooh
V veh
W doo-blah-veh
X eeks
Y ee-grek
Z zed

Flag



Map



History

Europe began being occupied from about 200,000 BC by the Homo sapiens, but they all died 30,000 years ago, supposedly during a period of cold weather. Around 2500 B.C, the Celts came from Central Europe and settled in Gaul. The Celts were iron workers and dominated Gaul until 125 B.C., when the Roman Empire began its reign in southern France. The Greeks and Phoenicians established settlements along the Mediterranean, most notably in Marseille. Julius Caesar conquered part of Gaul in 57-52 B.C., and it remained under Roman rule until the Franks invaded Gaul in the 5th century A.D.

Gaul was divided into seven provinces. The Romans were afraid of populations having local identities and began to displace them, so they avoided a threat to the Roman integrity. That's why many Celts were moved and enslaved out of Gaul. Many changes occurred during the cultural evolution under the Roman Empire. One of them was the change of the Gaulish language by to vulgar Latin. The similarities between the two languages favoured the transition. Gaul was under Roman control for centuries.

In 486, Clovis I, leader of the Salian Franks, defeated Syagrius at Soissons and then united most of northern and central Gaul under his rule. Christianity in France received a boost when in 496, Clovis adopted the Roman Catholic form of Christianity. In some ways Clovis' reign brought stability and unity to France, but in some other ways it contributed to fragmentation, because Clovis divided up the territory as gifts and rewards.

Charles Martel was the first leader of the Carolingian dynasty and was responsible for the expansion of the Frankish kingdom and also stopped the Muslim advance. Charlemagne was not only an able military leader, but was also a great supporter of education and the arts. During Charlemagne's period, there was a Carolingian renaissance, but shortly after his death the kingdom was divided. Hugh Capet was elected to the throne of France, and this way the Carolingian dynasty ended and the Capetian Dynasty began. In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy invaded England and was crowned as the English King of England on Christmas Day, 1066. Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was once married to King Louis VII of France, married Henry II of England, and as a result, most of the western part of France was yielded to the British Crown. After the death of the last Capetian King, Charles IV, Edward III of England claimed the French Throne and started the Hundred Years' War in 1337. With the help of a French peasant girl, Joan of Arc, Charles VIII emerged victorious in the war and drove the English back to Calais.

France became a centralized state where an absolute monarchy was established, retaining the doctrine of the Divine Right of Kings and the explicit support of the established Church. The long Italian Wars (1494-1559) marked the beginning of early modern France. Once Francis I was captured at Pavia, the French monarchy had to look for allies and found one in the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Admiral Barbarossa captured Nice on 5 August 1543, and handed it down to Francis I. During the 16th century, the Spanish and Austrian Habsburgs were the dominant power in Europe, controlling some other duchies and kingdoms across Europe. Despite all of this, French became the preferred language of Europe's aristocracy.

During the early 16th century, Francis I strengthened the French Crown. He also welcomed many Italian artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, who was an Italian polymath: scientist, architect, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, engineer, painter, sculptor, musician, and writer. Their influence assured the success of the Renaissance style.

Between 1562 and 1598 there was an increase in the number of Protestants, which this led to the Religious Wars between Catholics and Protestants. Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, wife of King Henry II of France, ordered the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of hundreds of Protestants. Henry IV, of the Bourbon dynasty, issued the Edict of Nantes (1598), granting religious tolerance to the Huguenots (French Protestants).

The 17th century was a period of extravagance and power for the French Monarchy. King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu transformed France's feudal monarchy to an absolute monarchy. But the French King most associated with this period is Louis XIV. Also known as the Sun King, Louis strengthened his own power having all the local Princes and Lords engaged within the elaborate court life in his palace at Versailles. The objective of this court life was to keep the local Princes and Lords from focusing on trying to undermine his power. This period is also famous for the genius of the writers, architects and musicians who were promoted by the royal court. The extravagance of Louis XIV, the costly foreign wars that weakened the government, plunged France into an economic and financial crisis. Louis XIV died in 1715 and Louis XV assumed the throne. The Bourgeoisie began to demand more political rights, and this became a big problem for Louis' successors.

France was the scene of many battles during the French Revolution. At the beginning of 1789. The First Republic was also established and an authoritarian period under Napoleon Bonaparte began. He had successfully defended the infant republic from the enemy and then made himself first consul in 1799 and emperor in 1804. The Congress of Vienna (1815) tried to restore the pre-Napoléonic order in the person of King Louis XVIII, but industrialization and the middle class, were under Napoléon and they demanded change. Finally Louis Philippe, the last of the Bourbons was driven into exile in 1848. In 1852, Prince Louis Napoléon, a nephew of Napoléon I, declared the Second Empire and took the throne as Napoléon III. But he was against the rising power of Prussia and that ignited the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871), and that war ended in his defeat, his abdication, and the creation of the Third Republic.

This is how the French Monarchy came to an end in 1871 and the Third Republic was formed. In 1889, what is now one of the world's most impressive and visited monuments was constructed. The Eiffel Tower was built to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. The paintings of the Impressionists, the works of the satirist Zola and the novelist Flaubert, and the Art Nouveau style also made a big and important contribution in nineteenth century France.

World War I meant great losses for France's troops and army. The northeast of France had been reduced to ruins, although despite this France became one of Europes main powers. Beginning in 1919, France's objective was to keep Germany away from its territory and an elaborate system of border defences and alliances was created. But unfortunately this was not enough and on May 10, 1940 at the beginning of World War II, the Nazis attacked and occupied Paris, the Italians joining with German troops. On July 10, 1940 the Vichy Government was established. In August of 1944, France was finally liberated by the Allied armies and a transitorial government headed by Charles de Gaulle was established. The Fourth Republic was born on 24 December, 1946. France joined NATO in 1949.

But in May 1968 many violent student protests and factory workers strikes brought down the government of Charles de Gaulle. The next year de Gaulle's policies were modified by his sucessor Georges Pompidou with a policy of a classical laissez-faire in relation to domestic economic affairs. The conservative, pro-business climate contributed to the election of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing as President in 1974.

The winner of the 1981 presidential election was the socialist François Mitterrand. The first two years of government created a 12% rate of inflation and the devaluation of the Franc. In 1995 the neo-Gaullist Jacques Chirac was elected. French leaders are increasingly tying the future of France to the continued development of the European Union. France is one of the founding members of the European Union, and has the largest land area of all members. During President Mitterrand's tenure he stressed the importance of European integration and advocated the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty on European economic and political union which France's electorate narrowly passed in September 1992.

Nowadays France is a developed country with the sixth-largest economy in the world. Its main ideals are expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. France is also a founding member of the United Nations, and a member of the Latin Union, the Francophonie, and G8. It is one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council wielding veto power, and it is also an acknowledged nuclear power. It is considered as one of the post World War II great powers. France is the most popular international tourist destination in the world, receiving over 75 million foreign tourists annually.