Tours to France

In the 18th century AD, enlightenment philosophers such as Voltaire and Rousseau brought great social transformation in France and people for the first time rose against the old aristocratic order, triggering the 1789 Revolution. The Revolution of 1789 ended the Bourbon dynasty and led to the establishment of the First Republic, but soon Napoleon Bonaparte emerged on the seen to declare himself first consul in 1799 and emperor in 1804. The 19th century in France was dominated by Napoleon I and Napoleon III. The Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871) led to the defeat and abdication of Napoleon III, and the creation of the Third Republic. Since the overthrow of Napoleon III in 1870, France has been a republic.

The period between second half of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century in France was dominated by German rivalry. Soon in 1914, the World War I started and France suffered heavy losses on terms of population and property. But the War led to the military supremacy of France in the region. From 1919, French foreign policy aimed at keeping Germany weak through a system of alliances, but it failed to check the rise of Hitler and the Nazi war machine. On May 10, 1940, Nazi troops attacked Paris, and Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain had to sign an armistice on June 22, 1940, which led to partition of France into an occupied north and an unoccupied south. France remained under German occupation during 1940-44, and was liberated by Allied forces only in August 1944.

On 13th November 1945, the first Constituent Assembly unanimously elected de Gaulle as head of the French government but he had to resign on 20th January 1946. He returned to politics in 1958 when he was elected president during the Algerian crisis. He granted independence to all 13 French African colonies but the Algerian War continued until 1962. In 1966 de Gaulle withdrew France from the integrated military command of NATO and expelled all foreign-controlled troops from the country. De Gaulle's government was weakened by massive protests in May 1968 when student rallies became violent and millions of factory workers engaged in wildcat strikes across France. He resigned from office in April 1969 and Georges Pompidou emerged as his successor. The conservative, pro-business climate led to the election of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing as president of France in 1974.

In May 1981 presidential election, the Socialist François Mitterrand became the president of France, but his socialist policies led to high inflation rate, a huge trade deficit, and devaluations of the Franc. In March 1986, a center-right coalition led by Jacques Chirac won majority in legislative elections. He was chosen as the prime minister of France, working in coordination to the Socialist president, Mitterrand. Mitterrand's decisive reelection in 1988 led to Chirac being replaced as prime minister by Michel Rocard, a Socialist. In May 1995 presidential elections, Chirac decisively defeated Mitterrand and became the new president of France. In July 2002, Jacques Chirac was re-elected as the president of France.

France vehemently opposed attack on Iraq during 2002-03 at the United Nations. In 2004 regional election Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) Party led by Chirac suffered heavily at the hands of socialists. Next presidential elections in France are due in 2007.

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