TIME: Almanac 1995

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<text id=93CT1691> <title> France--History </title> <history> Compact ALMANAC--CIA Factbook Europe France </history> <article> <source>CIA World Factbook</source> <hdr> History </hdr> <body> France was one of the earliest countries to progress from feudalism into the era of the nation-state. Its monarchs surrounded themselves with capable ministers, and French armies were amoung the most innovative, disciplined, and professional of their day. During the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715), France was the preeminent power in Europe. But overly ambitious projects and military campaigns of Louis and his successors led to chronic financial problems in the 18th century. Deteriorating economic conditions and popular resentment against the complicated system of privileges granted the nobility and clerics were among the principal causes of the French Revolution (1789-94). Although the revolutionaries advocated republican and egalitarian principles of government, France reverted to forms of absolute rule or constitutional monarchy four times--the Empire of Napoleon, the Restoration of Louis XVIII, the reign of Louis- Philippe, and the Second Empire of Napoleon III. After the Franco-Prussion War (1870), the Third Republic was established and lasted until the military defeat of 1940. World War I brought great losses of troops and materiel. In the 1920s, France established an elaborate system of border defenses (the Maginot Line) and alliances to offset resurgent German strength. France was defeated, however, and occupied in 1940. Following 4 years of occupation and strife, Allied forces liberated France in 1944. The nation emerged exhausted from World War II and faced a series of new problems. After a short period of provisional government, initially led by Gen. Charles de Gaulle, the Fourth Republic was established under a new constitution with a parliamentary form of government controlled by a series of coalitions. The mixed nature of the coalitions and the lack of agreement on measures of dealing with Indochina and Algeria caused successive cabinet crises and changes of government. The government structure finally collapsed over the Algerian question on May 13, 1958. A threatened coup led parliament to call on General de Gaulle to head the governement and prevent civil war. He became Prime Minister in June 1958 (the the beginning of the Fifth Republic) and was elected President in December. On December 5, 1965, for the first time in the 20th century, the French went to the polls to elect a president by direct ballot. General de Gaulle defeated Francois Mitterrand with 55% of the vote. In April 1969, President de Gaulle's government conducted a national referendum on the creation of 21 regions with limited political powers. The government's proposals were defeated (48% in favor, 52% opposed), and President de Gaulle resigned. Floowing de Gaulle were Gaullist Georges Pompidou (1969-1974), and Socialist Francois Mitterand (1981-present). Government and Politics The consititution of the Fifth Republic was approved by public referendum on September 28, 1958. It greatly strengthened the authority of the executive in relation to parliament. Under the constitution, the president is elected directly for a 7-year term. Presidential arbitration assures regular functioning of the public powers and the continuity of the state. The presidnet names the prime minister, presides over the cabinet, commands the armed forces, and concludes treaties. The president may submit questions to a national referendum and can dissolve the National Assembly. In certain emergenct situations, the president may assume full powers. The president is thus the dominant element in the constitutional system. Parliament meets in regular session twice annually for a maximum of 3 months on each occasion. Special sessions are common. Although parliamentary powers are diminished from those existing under the Fourth Republic, the National Assembly can still cause a government to fall if an absolute majority of the membership votes to censure. The National Assembly is the principal legislative body. Its deputies are directly elected to 5-year terms, and all seats are voted on in each election. Senators are chosen by an electorial college for 9-year terms, and one-third of the Senate is renewed every 3 years. The Senate's legislative powers are limited; the National Assembly has the last word in the event of a disagreement between the two houses. The government has a strong influence in shaping the agenda of parliament. The government also can link its life to any legislative text, and unless a motion of censure is introduced and voted, the text is considered adopted without a vote. The most distinctive feature of the French judicial system is that it is divided into two categories--a regular court system and a court system that deals specifically with legal problems of the French administration and its relation to the French citizen. The Constitutional Council rules on constitutional questions. Traditionally, decisionmaking in France has been highly centralized, with each of France's departments headed by a prefect appointed by the central government. In 1982, the national government passed legislation to decentralize authority by giving a wide range of administrative and fiscal powers to local elected officials. In March 1986, regional councils were directly elected for the first time. In the National Assembly (577 seats), the Socialists and their allies currently hold 271 seats; the Communists, 26. The center- right opposition consists of the neo-Gaullist RPR (132 seats), the UDF coalition (90 seats), and the UDC (Centrists--41 seats). Sixteen members have no parliamentary group affiliation. The far-right National Front currently has one deputy. The cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Rocard, is composed of 47 ministers, minister-deligates, and secretaries of state. Cultural Achievements Since the time of the Roman Empire, France's achievements in literature, the arts, and science have profoundly influenced Western culture. In architecture, the Romanesque basilicas, soaring Gothic cathedrals, the formal gardens of Versailles, the imperial design of Parisian boulevards and squares, and the modern designs of masters like Le Corbusier attest to France's continuing influence. French painting has spanned the centuries in greatness and includes such names as Watteau (1984-1721), who depicted the polished, elegant society of his time; David (1748-1825), the neoclassical artist of the Revolution and Empire; Delacroix (1798-1863), the romantic; naturalists and realists Corot (1796- 1875), Millet (1814-75), and Courbet (1819-77), who painted realistic landscapes and scenes from rural life; the impressionists, including Monet (1840-1926) and Renoir (1841- 1919), who explored light on canvas; and Cezanne (1839-1906), whose ideas about the treatment of space and dimension are at the base of 20th century modern art. Other famous artists, such as Van Gogh and Picasso were drawn to France from other countries. In music, Berlioz (1803-69) and Saint-Saens (1835-1921) in the romantic period were followed by Debussy (1862-1918) and Faure (1845-1924), who were inspired by the impressionist movement in painting. In the 19th century, Bizet (1838-75) wrote the opera Carmen, and Gounod (1818-93) wrote Faust and Romeo et Juliette. Although born in Poland, Chopin (1810-49) spent his adult life in Paris. France has played a leading role in the advancement of science. Descartes (1596-1650) contributed to mathematics and to the modern scientific method; Lavoisier (1743-94) laid the fundamentals of modern chemistry and physics; Becquerel (1854- 1912) and the Curies jointly discovered radium and the principle of radioactivity; and Pasteur (1822-95) developed theories of germs and vaccinations. Several important French inventors were Daguerre (1789-1851), a theatrical scenery painter who invented the daguerro-type, an early photograph; Braille (1809-52), a blind teacher of the blind, after whom the system of raised lettering enabling the blind to read is named; and Bertillon (1853-1914), an anthropologist and criminologist who organized the fingerprint system of identification. French scientists have won a number of Nobel Prizes during the 20th century. French literature is renowned from the medieval reomances of Marie de France and Chretien de Troyes and the poetry in Old French of Francois Villon to the 20th century novelists Colette, Proust, Sartre, and Camus. Over the intervening centuries, a number of renowned artists flourished that included the Renaissance writers Rabelais (fiction), Ronsard (poetry), and Montaigne (essays); the 17th century classical dramatists Cornielle, Racine, and Moliere; the 18th century philosophers Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau; the romantics Germain de Stael, Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumas (father and son), and Alphonse de Lamartine; 19th century novelists Stendhal, George Sand, and Balzac; realist Flaubert; naturalists Zola and Baudelaire; and 19th century poets Verlaine, Rimbaud, and Valery. French filmakers from Jean Renoir to Francois Truffaut have won acclaim in recent decades. Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, October 1990. </body> </article> </text>