A common fear of the German, by the British,
the Russians and the French led them to form an alliance,
which was referred to as the Triple Entente. They faced the
alliance that was formed between Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary
and in 1914, World War I broke out. A bloody and drawn-out
affair, this war lasted four long years and consisted mainly
of battles fought in the trenches. The deadlock between the
opposing forces was eventually swayed when the United States
joined the war in 1917, helping France drive out the Germans.
The Versailles Treaty was drawn up and considerable restitution
and payment money was paid by the German to the Allies. The
Versailles Treaty imposed very strict measures on Germany,
something that brought on humiliation and resentment in the
Germans, and which can be considered one of the underlying
causes of World War II.
The period between the two world wars saw great advances and
progression in artistic, literary and cultural movements,
with France a key player in their development and evolution.
World War II broke out in 1940 when the Germans
invaded Paris, occupying northern and western France for the
following four years. The French government in place at the
time, Vichy’s puppet government, was controlled by Marshal
Petain. This government was in favor of returning France to
a more traditional, patriotic past. However, a resistance
soon began to build up with General Charles de Gaulle at the
head of the movement. When the Allies invaded Normandy on
June 6, 1944, de Gaulle entered Paris and took over the administration.
He was the head of the Fourth Republic.
The postwar years saw great advances with regard to social
reform and economic development. French citizens began benefiting
from a social security system which provided for health care,
pensions for disability and old age, and also unemployment
insurance. There was also a lot of consumerism and advancements
in technical and industrial fields.
