Rental Cars France

History of France

Pre-Christian France was inhabited by Celtic Gauls, but overrun by Franks in the 5th century. The Middle Ages were marked by the Crusades, warring dynasties (notably the Capetians), Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and Wars of Religion (1562-98) - resulting in mass persecutions, until Cardinal Richelieu, finally succeeded in established an absolute monarchy.

The first centralized French state was established under Louis XIV (the Sun King) who ruled for 72 years from 1643. The aristocracy however lost touch with the people and bankrupt the country by drawing it into the Seven Years' War (1756-63) and the American War of Independence (1776-83).

Finally the common people had had enough by the reign of Louis XVI and stormed the much hated Bastille (prison) in Paris, sparking the French Revolution (1779). The monarchy was disposed of by the radical Jacobins who set about mass executions and persecution. Significant as it was in world politics, this reign of terror lasted a mere two years before these leaders in turn were also guillotined.

Emerging from this upheaval was the mercurial Napoleon Bonaparte who rapidly strengthened the military and drew France into various wars which eventually saw France controlling much of Europe in the early 19th century. His overly ambitious crusade proved disastrous in Russia, leading to his downfall and exile. A brief return lasted 100 days as Emperor before being defeated by the English at Waterloo. Non-the-less he is revered by the French for bringing about significant civil and legal changes to the country.

The Third Republic was founded in 1870, and the ending of colonial rivalry was one of the few achievements of the otherwise inept governments. World influence declined and WWI cost the country millions of lives and devastated the economy. WWII was even more disastrous seeing the country capitulate to Hitler under the lackey Vichey government. General Charles de Gaulle returned from exile in 1944 to lead France forward. His second term (from 1958) saw him become one of the country’s greatest statesman during a period when the country gave up most of its colonial interests.

However, in May 1968 student protesters and striking workers bought the country to a standstill. The government agreed to reform the higher education system, and de Gaulle soon resigned.

Resilient socialist François Mitterand, became one of the country’s most enduring statesmen (1981 to 1995) as France continued to hold its position as one of the world’s most influential countries, but in his wake Jacques Chirac has faced upheavals on the home front, fueled by the anti-immigrant Front National (FN), strikes over the welfare system, as well as unsettling autonomous demands from overseas territories. He unexpectedly lost power in 1997 to a socialists/communist/greens alliance headed by Lionel Jospin.

Despite the disastrous fallout from its Polynesian nuclear testing programme, recent achievements such as the World Cup Football and assuming rotating EU presidency have once again propelled this proud nation to the fore.