French Republic

The French Republic (officially Republique Française, commonly known as France') is a country in Western Europe. It has an area of 754,676 sq. km and a population of 74.5 million people.

To 1930
The history of France goes back to the arrival of the earliest human being in what is now France. Members of the genus Homo entered the area hundreds of thousands years ago, while the first modern Homo sapiens, the Cro-Magnons, arrived around 40,000 years ago. Greek and Roman writers noted the presence of three main ethno-linguistic groups in the area: the Gauls, the Aquitani, and the Belgae. The Gauls, the largest and best attested group, were a Celtic people speaking what is known as the Gaulish language. Over the course of the first millennium BC the Greeks, Romans, and Carthaginians established colonies on the Mediterranean coast and the offshore islands. The Roman Republic annexed southern Gaul in the late 2nd century BC, and Roman forces under Julius Caesar conquered the rest of Gaul in the Gallic Wars of 58–51 BC. In the later stages of the Roman Empire, Gaul was subject to barbarian raids and migration, most importantly by the Germanic Franks. The Frankish king Clovis I united most of Gaul under his rule in the late 5th century, setting the stage for Frankish dominance in the region for hundreds of years. Frankish power reached its fullest extent under Charlemagne. The medieval Kingdom of France emerged out of the western part of Charlemagne's Carolingian Empire, known as West Francia, and achieved increasing prominence under the rule of the House of Capet, founded by Hugh Capet in 987. A succession crisis following the death of the last Capetian monarch in 1337 led to the series of conflicts known as the Hundred Years War between the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet. The wars ended with a Valois victory in 1453, solidifying the power of the Ancien Régime as a highly centralized absolute monarchy. During the next centuries, France experienced the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation, as well as recurring religious conflicts and wars with other powers. A burgeoning worldwide colonial empire was established from the 16th century. In the late 18th century the monarchy and associated institutions were overthrown in the French Revolution, which forever changed French and world history. The country was governed for a period as a Republic, until the French Empire was declared by Napoleon Bonaparte. Following Napoleon's defeat in the Napoleonic Wars France went through several further regime changes, being ruled as a monarchy, then briefly as a Second Republic, and then as a Second Empire, until a more lasting Third French Republic was established in 1870. France was one of the Triple Entente powers in World War I, fighting alongside the United Kingdom, Russia, and their allies against the Central Powers.

1930s and 1940's
In 1936 Civil War broke out in Spain. France had a socialist government under Leon Blume and was openly against General Franco. Along with Britian they supported the Euskadi independence movement, first in secret but later openly. In november '36 French troops began a military allianvce with Euskadi and they invaded first Aragon in December and Catalonia in March. Franco soon signed a nonagression pact with France and they stopped fighting. In 1940 France was occupied by Nazi Germany, as were their Spanish conquest of 1936-37. They were only liberated until 1944 with the Normady landings.

1950s and 1960s
Charles de Gaulle was appointed "Provisional Dictator" that year. Catalonia wanted independence but was ravaged by war and was in no condition to do so. France held elections in 1951 and De Gaulle promised Catalonia, Occitan and Aragon autonomy and protection of language and culture. He handily won the election with more than 65% of the votes. He proclaimed himself "Dictator of France" (he saw himself as a reincarnation of Napoleon) and took supreme power. His majority of support came from those regions where he gave autonomy and more power as he was seen as a "people's proctector" and a champion of liberty's. In north France there was less support since he neglected the region. There were by the early 1960's some strikes and minor protests which escalated in 1968.

French Civil War
In 1968 French students took to the streets in protest and were joned by labourers and manufacturesrs who went on a strike. Soon there were massive protests and in the north of France there was armed uprisings against De Gaulle. Soon his supporters in the south took up arms and the country was in a civil war,, like Spain 30 years before.