FRONTPAGE CONTINENTS AFRICA THE AMERICAS ASIA EUROPE DEPENDENT AREAS AREA COUNTRY POPULATION AIRLINES AIRPORTS FLAGS CURRENCIES CITIES MEGACITIES FAMOUS CAPITAL CITIES AMERICAS AUSTRALIA US CAPITAL LARGEST LANDMARKS ICONS PLACES OF POWER SACRED MOUNTAINS LANGUAGES LANGUAGE CODES SPOKEN LANGUAGES MAPS BY COUNTRY CODES COUNTRY CODES CALLING CURRENCY CODES AIRPORT ONE WORLD NATIONS ONLINE EARTH FRANCE PROFILE HISTORY OF FRANCE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND HOMINID POPULATIONS TO FRANCE PALEOLITHIC YEARS AGO MODERN HUMANS LEFT EVIDENCE PRESENCE CAVE ART GREEK PHOENICIAN TRADERS FRENCH MEDITERRANEAN COAST CELTS THE RHINE SETTLING THE TERRITORY GAUL THE ROMANS JULIUS CAESAR ROMAN THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE AGRARIAN THE FRANKS INVADED FIFTH CENTURY INTERVAL TERRITORIAL CONSOLIDATION THE EIGHTH KING HOLY ROMAN GRANDSONS DIVIDED EMPIRE THEMSELVES TERRITORIES INCREASINGLY FEUDALIZED RULE LOCAL VIKINGS NORTHMEN COASTAL COLONIZED TERRITORY DUKE KING OF IN THE MEANTIME THE NEXT UNBROKEN CAPETIAN KINGS THE REGION PARIS ROYAL POWER GROUND FEUDAL LORDS THE GREAT MONASTIC ORDERS EMERGING TOWNS ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL ACCESSION PHILIP BOASTED HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENTS MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN ROMANESQUE GOTHIC POWERFUL NATION SUFFERED DEMOGRAPHIC DISASTER THE BLACK DEATH MARSEILLE AS ONE COUNTRYS INHABITANTS DECADE DISPUTED DYNASTIC CLAIMS ENGLAND HUNDRED YEARS WAR EVENTUALLY THE HELP YOUNG JOAN THE ENGLISH RETAINED EXCEPT HOLDINGS MODERN FRANCE ONCE BURGUNDY BRITTANY PROTESTANTISM JOHN CALVIN SPREAD CIVIL THE EDICT OF NANTES HENRY IV BOURBON DYNASTY SUSTAINED CATHOLICISM ESTABLISHED RELIGION RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE PROTESTANTS RELIGIOUS CONFLICT ABSOLUTE MONARCHY REACHED APOGEE REIGN LOUIS XIV THE SUN KING THE PALACE OF VERSAILLES CELEBRATION OF FRENCH ART PROJECTS MILITARY CAMPAIGNS OF LOUIS CHRONIC FINANCIAL PROBLEMS THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY ECONOMIC CONDITIONS POPULAR RESENTMENT THE SYSTEM PRIVILEGES TAX EXEMPTIONS THE NOBILITY CLERGY PRINCIPAL CAUSES OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION THE REVOLUTION MONARCHICAL THE POWER LAND DISTRIBUTION FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY IDEALS UNIVERSAL PROVED INFLUENCE DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL MOVEMENTS ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD FRANCES EXPERIMENT REPUBLICAN EGALITARIAN GOVERNMENT FELL TURMOIL IN THE REIGN OF TERROR DICTATORSHIP CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY NAPOLON BONAPARTE BOURBON RESTORATION SECOND EMPIRE NAPOLON III CULTURAL SUFFERING WATERLOO IN HALF CENTURY WAR THE THIRD REPUBLIC LASTED MILITARY THE HANDS NAZI GERMANY CHANGES POLITICAL WORLDS LEADERS SCIENCE LABOR SOCIAL MAJOR EUROPES COLONIAL EXPANSION BRITAIN EXTENT IN AFRICA THE MIDDLE THE FAR EAST MAGNET GENERATIONS ARTISTS VICTORIOUS IN WORLD BORE BRUNT THE WARS HUGE HUMAN MATERIAL AT THE END DETERMINED KEEP GERMANY WEAK SYSTEMS ALLIANCES NAZI TROOPS MARSHAL HENRI PHILIPPE PTAIN SIGNED NORTH VICHY FRANCE GERMAN PUPPET STATE PTAIN ACQUIESCED PLUNDER RESOURCES THE DEPORTATION FORCED LABOR JEWS AFTER FOUR ALLIED ARMIES LIBERATED IN AUGUST PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT GENERAL CHARLES DE GAULLE WARTIME LEADER FREE FRANCE DE GAULLE RESIGNED NEW CONSTITUTION THE FOURTH FEATURING PARLIAMENTARY FORM OF PARTY COALITIONS GOVERNMENTAL STEPS INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION EUROPEAN INTEGRATION THE EUROPEAN COAL AND STEEL COMMUNITY JOINT SUPREME GOVERN EUROPEAN UNION ECONOMIC BLOC COMMON MARKET THE TREATY THE CORE AGREEMENT NOTWITHSTANDING FRENCH GOVERNMENT PRONE CABINET CRISES INADEQUATE CHALLENGE COLONIES VIETNAM ALGERIA WAR AGAINST COMMUNIST INSURGENTS INDOCHINA ABANDONED FRENCH FORCES DIEN BIEN PHU REVOLT COUP THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY INVITE RETURN PREMIER EXTRAORDINARY GAULLIST CONSTITUTION FIFTH REPUBLIC PRESIDENCY REDUCED LEGISLATIVE POWER PRESIDENT DISSOLUTION PROTECTORATES MOROCCO TUNISIA INDEPENDENCE IN FRENCH WEST AFRICA FINALLY INDEPENDENT FORMER COLONIES CLOSE EXAMPLE MAVERICK FOREIGN THE NATO MILITARY COMMAND EXPELLED MASSIVE PROTESTS MAY 1968 STUDENT MERGED WILDCAT STRIKES MILLIONS FACTORY WORKERS THE MOVEMENT ELITIST SYSTEM GOVERNANCE FORCING ORDER GEORGES POMPIDOU POLICIES STRONGER MARKET ORIENTATION DOMESTIC ECONOMIC AFFAIRS VALRY GISCARD DESTAING SOCIALIST FRANOIS MITTERRAND BEGINNING RECORD TENURE SAW SEVEN PRIME MINISTERS PERIODS COHABITATION THE PRIME MINISTER FEMALE PRIME EDITH MITTERRAND CARRYING CAMPAIGN WEALTH TAX NATIONALIZED DECREED WORKWEEK PAID VACATIONS NUCLEAR TESTING SUSPENDED NUCLEAR POWER PLANT THE DEATH PENALTY THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY THE KEY DECADES THE COMMON MARKET BOOST EUROPEAN THE FREE MOVEMENT GOODS CAPSTONE TREATY OF MAASTRICHT COMMON CURRENCY THE EU COORDINATE FOREIGN POLICY IMMIGRATION MONETARY UNION CHANCELLOR HELMUT KOHL STRENGTHENING SECURITY DRIVING FORCE BEHIND PROGRESS EXPANSION JACQUES CHIRAC PLATFORM HIGH CHIRAC IN THE SOUTH INTERNATIONAL FIVE YEARS LEGISLATIVE THE EURO FRANC LEGAL TENDER IN 1999 AIRSTRIKES INTERNAL ELECTION NATIONAL FRONT PARTY SHOCKED STRONG FINISH ROUND PERCENT HANDING LIONEL JOSPIN THE SOCIALIST WHOSE PARTY SUPPORT INCUMBENT VICTORY RUNOFF ELECTION THE UNITED STATES THE UNITED KINGDOM IN THE IRAQ