The history of France

Aaah, Paris la ville d’amour. We arrived just a few minutes ago and we have already seen thousands of lovebirds leaving the airport. I would have loved to bring my husband with me but since we are on a business trip, there will not have been enough time for romance. When we leave the airport, we immediately see some beautiful buildings: L’arc du Triomphe, grand et petit Palais,... It only makes you realise even more how much history this beautiful country has. And as we uncork the wine, we all start telling different stories about the history of France and its beautiful buildings.

The first people who lived in France could not enjoy the croissant, which is so popular today, since they lived about 50 000 years before it was invented. At first, France named Gaul, it was a state conquered by the Romans which led to the Roman influences in both language and culture. However, Gaul was conquered by Germanic tribes, known as the Franks, and that is why France is named the way it is.

In 843, a territory called Western Francia, was created by the Treaty of Verdun. This territory was the beginning of modern France. As we see the many palaces, we can conclude that many noble families have ruled France. Each with different pride and regimes. During the French revolution in 1789, the monarchy was overthrown. Ten years after the revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte seized control of France, and as he called himself: ‘the Emperor of France’. He waged several wars and led a large part of Europe. He won several wars and to celebrate one of his many victories, he built the beautiful Arc de Triomphe. Napoleon was defeated in Waterloo.

After the First World War, France was not as strong as they were and therefore they were seized by the Nazis during World War II. Although they won both wars, it were the United States’ troops that saved France in the second World War. Nowadays, France has its leading position in Europe and in the monetary union. It has a Republic, headed by François Hollande.

Sources:

http://www.learn-french-help.com/history-of-france.html

http://www.kidzworld.com/article/12936-france-vive-la-difference

http://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-France-Cecil-Jenkins/dp/0762441208

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_France

http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/History/DF_history.shtml

http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=ddn