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Bastille Day
This month, like every year on the 14th of July, the French will celebrate their Fête Nationale or Bastille Day, as it is known in English-speaking countries. It commemorates the storming of a Paris royal fortress––the Bastille––on July 14, 1789, a date of great historical significance as it marks the transition from an absolute monarchy to a republican regime.
Revolution Era
The 18th century’s Enlightment brought thinkers such as Voltaire and Rousseau to struggle against the principles of the old regime and absolutism. In 1789, the state’s financial crisis brought social turmoil, triggering the Revolution. On July 14th, a Parisian mob revolted and stormed the Bastille prison, symbol of the old regime.
Social Customs
French society likes formality in many aspects of everyday life as obligatory handshaking or cheek kissing 😉 , the use of the vous (rather then the familiar tu) and of titles when refering to a superior or a stranger and the concern about always dressing well.
Renaissance Era
Renaissance – 15th to 16th century
The Renaissance style refers to the style of the historic period primarily marked by King Francois I.
Napoleonic Era
The Revolution ends in 1799 when Napoleon Bonaparte entered Paris and was crowned First Consul at the age of thirty. A brilliant politician and a military genius, he took the title of emperor Napoleon I in 1804.
Modern Politics
Modern French politics remain characterized by a Left/Right division of the country even though the border between the two has been recently blurred. In the current Fifth Republic, begun by Charles de Gaulle, enormous executive power is given to the President, who is elected for seven years. His government is composed of a Council of Ministers, led by a Prime Minister.
Baroque Era
Baroque – 17th to early 18th century
The exuberance of the Absolute Monarchy preponderant in the 17th century led to enormous baroque edifices.
19th Century
In 1870, the Franco-Prussian war erupted, Paris fell to the Germans and France lost the Alsace and Lorraine regions. Following the defeat, Napoleon III was exiled and France’s Third Republic marked the definite end of centuries of monarchy.
Modern Life
Since the 1950’s, French people have enjoyed the benefits of mass culture and consumerism. As the fourth economic power, France’s standard of living and level of comsumption are very similar to those in the USA.
Urban life in a city such as Paris has become almost the same as in any other megapolis in the world.
Neoclassicism Era
Neoclassicism – 18th century
After the Revolution of 1789, architecture in France found inspiration in classic Greek and Roman models.