CultureGramsTM World Edition 2015 France (French Republic) customs, language, and laws. Clovis I, king of the Franks, BACKGROUND defeated the last Roman governor in AD 486. The French consider his conversion to Catholicism in 496 the founding Land and Climate act of the nation; the move won him the support of the France is half the size of Bolivia, or slightly smaller than the Catholic Church and Gallo-Roman people, who helped him U.S. state of Texas. French sovereignty extends to the island defeat surrounding Arian kingdoms. of Corsica (Corse) as well as several overseas territories, In the late eighth century, France was part of collectivities, and départements (overseas divisions of France Charlemagne's vast empire. After the empire's disintegration, that have representatives in the French government as well as France emerged as one of the successor kingdoms in 987. The some local autonomy), including French Guiana, Guadeloupe, following centuries brought intermittent conflict, particularly French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Réunion, and Martinique. with the English, including the Hundred Years' War, from Because France is hexagonal in shape, it is sometimes 1337 to 1453. In 1429, after 80 years of war, Joan of Arc led referred to as l'hexagone. The terrain is varied, including the French in victory over the English. Later burned to death plains, mountains, and forests. Mountains stretch along the by the English (1431), she remains a French heroine. borders with Spain, Italy, and Switzerland. France boasts one The French Revolution and Napoleon of Europe's highest peaks, Mont Blanc, at 15,771 feet (4,807 By the late 1600s, France dominated Europe. Under Louis meters). The Rhine (Rhin) River forms part of the border with XIV (the Sun King), the movement toward centralized Germany. A flat plain with rolling hills dominates the government reached its peak. His palace at Versailles was the northern area. envy of the continent. But by 1789, royal extravagance and The southern climate is Mediterranean, with cool, moist defeats in foreign wars resulted in the French Revolution. winters and hot, dry summers. The north is temperate and Louis XVI's monarchy was toppled, and the country entered rainy. The west is also rainy and influenced by the Atlantic, the Reign of Terror. Despite the brutality of the uprising, the which moderates winter temperatures. The central, east, and French Revolution marks a milestone in world history upland areas have a continental climate, with fluctuating because it started a movement toward democratic temperatures. In the mountains, thunderstorms are prevalent government. in summer. After a decade of instability, Napoleon Bonaparte took power, declaring himself emperor in 1804. Napoleon History conquered most of Europe before embarking on a disastrous Gauls and the Hundred Years' War campaign in Russia in 1812. In 1814, Austrian and Prussian By 51 BC, the Romans had conquered the area's Celtic forces seized Paris, and Napoleon was exiled. His 1815 return inhabitants, the Gauls, who then adopted the Romans' to power, called his Hundred Days, ended in defeat by 1 TM CultureGrams France English- and Prussian-led forces at Waterloo. The monarchy and over three million people attended vigils as a show of was restored but was followed by the Second Republic French solidarity. (1848–52) and then the Second Empire (1852–70), under •Chunnel delays: In July 2015, large groups of migrants Napoleon III. Defeat by Germany led to the Third Republic in attempted to enter the train tunnel connecting France to 1871. England in an effort to reach the United Kingdom. The World Wars migrants have disrupted traffic entering and exiting France France was a battleground during both world wars. It was and the United Kingdom, heightening tensions between the occupied by Germany between 1940 and 1944 and was the countries over how to handle the growing influx of migrants site of the D-Day invasion that turned the tide of World War from North Africa and the Middle East. II in favor of the Allies. The Fourth Republic was declared in 1946; it was followed by the Fifth Republic in 1958, with Charles de Gaulle as president. France was a founding THE PEOPLE member of the European Community and is a central force in today's European Union (EU). Population Student Protests and Economic Problems Greater Paris claims nearly 12 million inhabitants and In 1968, students and workers protested over a rigid Marseille well over 1 million. Ethnically, the French have a educational system and poor working conditions; their Celtic heritage that has mixed with various other European protests resulted in lasting social change, including laws that groups (Latin, Nordic, Teutonic, Slavic, and others) over the raised the minimum wage. The 1968 events were still fresh in centuries. Primary immigrant groups include Portuguese, the public's mind when students in the early 1990s took to the Italians, Spaniards, Poles, and those from former French streets, protesting conditions in public schools and proposed colonies in North Africa, West Africa, the Caribbean, and changes in wage laws. The social unrest and economic Southeast Asia. Although they have integrated into French problems led three successive prime ministers to resign. society, the various ethnic groups do not always mix with one Internal politics were more stable until massive rioting broke another. North Africans tend to remain the most separate out among suburban youth in 2005. because of their religion, Islam. As in much of Europe, the Among the first wave of EU countries to adopt the euro, small Roma (Gypsy) population in France is often ostracized, France voted against the EU constitution in 2005 but ratified a and some French feel the government does not do enough to modified version, the Lisbon Treaty, three years later. The crack down on Roma camps. country struggled to recover from the global recession in 2008; it first injected over 40 billion euros into the French Language economy but then cut national spending by 45 billion euros in French is an important international language. It is an official 2010. The 2011 euro crisis posed a new challenge for the language of the United Nations and is second only to English French economy; the president was forced to make further in use between nations for communication, business, and cuts to government spending and increase taxes, even as diplomacy. The French government has stressed the language unemployment continued to rise. so much that almost everyone in France speaks French, In May 2012, François Hollande became the first Socialist despite the different nationalities represented. Regional to take office in 24 years. Hollande, aided by a Socialist dialects were in danger of disappearing, but the French majority in Parliament, aims to emphasize growth, not just government has recently made an effort to preserve them. It is austerity, in EU economic policies. His budget plan includes a possible to study regional dialects at school, just as if they freeze in government spending, not budget cuts, and increased were foreign languages. taxes on corporations. Hollande has been criticized for not French students begin learning their first foreign language doing enough to lower France's rising unemployment, for at age nine, though some schools hire native English speakers using austerity measures to lower debt, and for supporting a to teach students as young as age five or six. Instruction in a treaty that commits eurozone countries to fiscal discipline. second foreign language begins at 13. Communication skills Recent Events and Trends are emphasized over grammar and theory, though that has not •Elections held: In the municipal elections of March 2014, always been the case. English is the most common first French voters strongly supported right-leaning parties instead foreign language. Spanish and German are common second of the ruling Socialist Party. Many voters were disappointed foreign languages. Despite its emphasis on foreign-language that the Socialists had not improved the economy as French instruction, the French government resists the inclusion of president François Hollande had promised to do. In response, foreign words in the French language. The Académie the prime minister resigned, and Holland appointed the française is the government body that tries to keep French interior minister, Manuel Valls, as the new prime minister. pure. However, many businesses have English names. Since •Terrorists attack magazine staff: In January 2015, Muslim 1994, a French law has required radio stations to broadcast extremists killed ten staff members and two police officers French music at least 40 percent of the time from 6:30 a.m. to when they attacked a Parisian satirical magazine that had 10:30 p.m. published cartoons mocking several religious figures, including the prophet Muhammad. The extremists also killed Religion four French Jews and another police officer in related attacks. Over 60 percent of the French population is Christian, The French viewed the murders as an attack on free speech, primarily Roman Catholic. Most French Catholics celebrate 2 TM CultureGrams France the various religious holidays and attend Mass once or twice a like to try out different clothing and hairstyles until they find year. Half have a religious wedding, and many still baptize their own style. their children. These religious ceremonies have become French people generally believe religious dress is contrary mostly social rites for most French, who do not have strong to the principles of France's secular society, and some Muslim religious beliefs. Active worship is increasingly rare, as is the women in France face controversy over the way they dress. In practice of visiting shrines and other places of devotion. 2004, France banned the wearing of headscarves in schools Between 7 and 9 percent of the population practices Islam, and other public buildings, and in 2011, the country banned making it the second largest religion in France; a growing the wearing of face veils.