French Fifth Republic
The Fifth Republic is France's current republican system of government. It was established on 4 October 1958 by Charles de Gaulle under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic.
Some of the key events about French Fifth Republic
- 1958Establishment of a new constitution strengthening executive power
- 1960Granted independence to most French colonies in Africa
- 1961Brutal suppression of Algerian independence protesters in Paris
- 1962Introduction of direct presidential elections by popular vote
- 1965Creation of the first French satellite, Astérix-1
- 1967Legalization of contraception
- 1968Violent crackdown on student protests and general strikes
- 1974Lowering of the voting age from 21 to 18
- 1975Legalization of abortion
- 1981Abolition of the death penalty
- 1985Sinking of Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in New Zealand by French agents
- 1995Controversial resumption of nuclear testing in the South Pacific
- 1999Introduction of universal health coverage (Couverture Maladie Universelle)
- 2005Declaration of a state of emergency during widespread riots in French suburbs
- 2010Controversial pension reforms sparking nationwide protests
- 2013Legalization of same-sex marriage
- 2015Implementation of state of emergency following terrorist attacks, criticized for civil liberties restrictions
- 2018Introduction of fuel tax increases leading to widespread "Yellow Vest" protests
- 2019Controversial use of force against "Yellow Vest" protesters
- 2020Criticized handling of COVID-19 pandemic, including mask shortages and lockdown measures
Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.