1920 in France
Encyclopedia
See also:
1919 in France
,
other events of 1920,
1921 in France
.
----
Events from the year 1920 in France
.
was in a stronger position than she had been in for several generations. The Allied victory over Germany
and the restoration of Alsace-Lorraine
to France had placed France in the position which she occupied during the 17th and 18th century - that of the strongest power on the European continent. At the beginning of the year Raymond Poincaré
was still president and Georges Clemenceau
was still prime minister, but as both senatorial and presidential elections were due in January, important political changes occurred early in the year. At the general election for the Chamber of Deputies which took place in November 1919, there had been a strong tendency towards Conservatism, the Socialist Party being badly defeated. The elections for the Senate were held on January 11, and these exhibited the same trend of opinion as had been shown in the previous autumn. Owing to the postponement of elections during the war, two-thirds of the nine-year senatorial seats had to be contested, and altogether 240 senators had to be elected. The elections proved to be an overwhelming victory for the various Liberal and Republican groups, who secured 218 seats. The parties of the Right won 20 seats, and the Socialists won 2.
Whilst these important events were taking place in the internal politics of France, the final stages in the ratifying of the peace treaty with Germany were being passed through. The Treaty of Versailles
was to come into force so soon as it had been ratified by Germany and by three of the principal Allied and Associated Powers; and since it had now been ratified by Germany and by France, the United Kingdom
, Italy
, and Japan
(though not by the United States
), it was only necessary that the protocols certifying these facts should be signed by the parties to the treaty, and formal peace would then exist between the Allied Powers and Germany. The Supreme Council of the Allies decided that this final ceremony should take place in Paris on January 10. Two delegates were sent by the German government to carry out the signing of the protocol, Baron Kurt von Lersner and Herr von Simson. The ceremony took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Quai d'Orsay
shortly after four o'clock on the afternoon of January 10. The protocol was signed by Clemenceau for France, by David Lloyd George
for Britain
, by Francesco Saverio Nitti
for Italy, and by Keishiro Matsui
for Japan; and, of course, by the two German delegates. The protocol was also signed by the representatives of various minor Allied and Associated countries, which had already ratified the treaty, these being Belgium
, Bolivia
, Brazil
, Czechoslovakia
, Guatemala
, Panama
, Peru
, Poland
, Siam
, and Uruguay
. The formal end of the war was timed at 6:15 p.m. on January 10, but the actual signing of the protocol took place, as already stated, somewhat earlier on that same afternoon.
On January 14, Léon Bourgeois
was elected president of the Senate. And the election of the new president of France, by a joint session of the two houses of the legislature, was fixed for January 17. The two most important candidates were Paul Deschanel
and Clemenceau. Among the other candidates was Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch
, who, however, secured very little support. The rivalry between Deschanel and Clemenceau revealed certain very interesting tendencies in French politics. The contest turned mainly on the terms of peace which had been imposed upon Germany. Clemenceau's supporters contended that the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
were satisfactory from the French point of view; his opponents declared that he had given way too much to the American and British standpoints, and that the peace was unsatisfactory, particularly in respect of the guarantees for the reparations due to France and in the matter of the French eastern frontier. A large body of French opinion had desired that France should secure the line of the Rhine as her eastern frontier. Deschanel represented these critics of the Treaty of Versailles. A preliminary ballot of the Republican groups gave 408 votes to Deschanel, and 389 votes to Clemenceau; and when this result was announced Clemenceau withdrew his candidature, but his name figured, nevertheless, in the formal voting of the National Assembly on January 17. Altogether 888 legislators cast their votes, and Deschanel secured no fewer than 734 votes. The success of Deschanel was regarded in France as in some sense a victory for the opponents of the Treaty of Versailles. Deschanel was born in 1856, and had held the office of president of the Chamber of Deputies. Poincaré was to remain in office as president until February 18.
On January 18, Clemenceau resigned office as premier; and Poincaré entrusted Alexandre Millerand
with the task of forming a cabinet. Millerand found no difficulty in obtaining the necessary support, and the full list of the members of his cabinet was published two days later. F. Marsal was minister of finance, A. Lefevre was minister of war, and A. Sarraut was minister for the colonies. Millerand, who himself took the portfolio of foreign affairs, was sixty years of age, and had greatly distinguished himself as minister for war during the critical days of 1914. His first reception by the Chamber of Deputies was somewhat stormy, and a vote of confidence on January 22 was only passed by 281 votes to 240. But a second vote of confidence on January 30 was passed by 510 votes to 70.
On February 5 and 6, there was an important debate on foreign policy in the Chamber of Deputies; and a long speech was delivered by the prime minister. He said that the new cabinet had every intention of continuing the same foreign policy which had enabled France to surround herself with such faithful allies during the war. In reference to the Adriatic problem, Millerand said that the only desire of France was to reach a satisfactory solution of the difficulties existing in this part of the world - a solution in perfect agreement with the sister nation of Italy and with the Serbian people. In regard to the Bulgarian question the premier said that on the previous day he had received news that the Bulgarian parliament had ratified the treaty. Passing on to a consideration of the proposed peace terms for Turkey, Millerand answered certain criticisms which had been made earlier in the debate by Marcel Cachin
. France, he declared, had important and historic interests in the East, and these she had no intention of abandoning. "M. Cachin declared yesterday that we appeared to be threatening the independence of the Syrian populations. No French government has ever entertained such a design, and it is a libel on France to reproach her with a policy of conquest which has never entered her mind. The only wish of France is to give these populations justice and a good administration. When yesterday I heard the government credited with intentions which it has not, I seemed to hear an echo of the slanders levelled by the German government at the work of France in Morocco."
Turning to the question of relations with Russia
, Millerand said that, contrary to the allegations of Cachin, Britain had been true to her agreements, and none of the Allies had entered into any agreement with the Soviet government. In regard to Poland, the French government intended to maintain the closest friendship with that country, and if she were attacked by the Bolsheviks she would receive every support. Finally, the prime minister dealt with the carrying out of the Treaty of Versailles. He said that the cabinet intended to maintain complete accord with France's allies; and although it was regrettable that the United States had not so far ratified the treaty, yet the Reparations Commission had begun its work smoothly, and he felt no anxiety as to the ultimate adhesion of America to the treaty. He said that Germany had been dilatory in the matter of fulfilling the stipulations of the treaty, particularly in regard to the essential deliveries of coal. "I mean to avail myself at the right moment of all the means placed at my disposal by the treaty, and I declare, without making any kind of threat, but merely in order that the position may be quite clear and well understood, that we do not intend to claim anything from Germany to which she is not strictly bound under the terms of the treaty, but we shall exact everything she owes us, and to obtain it we shall have recourse to the measures of all kinds provided for in the treaty."
After the conclusion of the debate the house passed a vote of confidence in the government by 513 votes to 68.
After his assumption of office on February 18, Deschanel sent the usual presidential message to parliament. Deschanel said that there was no higher destiny than that of serving France, and he thanked the legislators for having permitted him to continue to serve her in union with themselves. He hoped to maintain the national unity which had been so conspicuous during the war. "Our first duty is to define clearly our diplomatic, military, economic, and financial policy to the country. We can only build up our policy for the future on sound bases. I appeal to all the experience and talent of the members of this assembly on behalf of this act of sincerity and moral probity. To strengthen the unity between all peoples who fought for the right, and who, by reason of that fact, are great, to strengthen the bonds with those peoples whose affinities or interests bind them to us - this is the first guarantee of peace and the basis of that League of Nations
to which the Treaty of Versailles entrusted the execution of certain capital clauses, and which we should support by means of effective action in order to spare the world fresh horrors. France wishes that the treaty to which Germany appended her signature shall be obeyed, and that the aggressor shall not take from her the fruits of her heroic sacrifices. She means to live in security. Today, as yesterday, our policy is an affair of will-power, energy, and faith. The Russian people fought by our side during three years for the cause of Liberty; may it, master of itself, soon resume in the plenitude of its genius the course of its civilizing mission
. The Eastern question causes periodical wars. The fate of the Ottoman Empire has not yet been settled. Our secular interests, rights, and traditions ought to be safeguarded there too."
Turning to questions of internal politics, Deschanel said that the work of restoring France to prosperity would be arduous, and he declared that the person who evaded the payment of taxes was acting like a soldier who deserts his post on the field of battle. It was essential that conflicts between capital and labour should be avoided. In his peroration Deschanel exhorted the legislators to follow in the footsteps of the heroic Frenchmen who had won the war: "We shall accomplish our formidable task if we keep in our souls that sacred flame which rendered France the Republic Invincible, and saved the world."
In the middle of February the trial of Joseph Caillaux
, the ex-prime minister of France, who had been under arrest for treason since January 1918, commenced. The case was regarded as the most important of the treason trials, of which there had been a long series since the middle of the war. Caillaux was tried before the Senate, sitting as a High Court of Justice, with Léon Bourgeois as president of the court. The prolonged delay in bringing Caillaux to trial was because investigations had to be made in many different parts of the world, including South America. Caillaux was charged with "having sought to weaken the security of the state abroad by intrigues, machination, and intelligence with the enemy of a nature likely to favour enemy action in regard to France, or her Allies, fighting against common enemies, and thus to advance the progress of the enemy armies." M. Lescouvé (the public prosecutor), M. Moinet, and others appeared for the prosecution. M. Giafferi, M. Moutet, and others appeared for the defense. The trial was extremely long and also in many respects extremely dramatic. The trial began, on February 17, with a series of interrogations by the president of the court, and this part of the scene alone lasted for several days. Next there came a cross-examination of the prisoner by the public prosecutor. All kinds of activity on the part of Caillaux was investigated in great detail and at great length. He was questioned regarding his relations with an enemy agent named Minotto, in South America, regarding his relations with another enemy agent, a certain Count Lipscher, and also in regard to his associations with the traitors Lenoir, Bolo, and Duval, who had already been executed for treason. The prisoner had also to account for his close association with various schemers in Italy, including the notorious Cavallini. During these interrogations, Caillaux frequently made long speeches on all manner of political questions. In the matter of Count Lipscher little to his discredit appears to have transpired; but apart from the details of the investigation it was obvious that if the prisoner had been entirely innocent of the charges brought against him, he had had a surprising amount of association with undesirable persons. And it was also established that the German government regarded Caillaux as the right man to approach under circumstances favourable to Germany. Moutet, speaking for the defense, attributed political motives to the accusers, and said that notwithstanding the fact that the world had been ransacked for evidence for many months, the evidence produced was of a ridiculous and trumpery character. After many weeks of investigation the capital charge of treason was dismissed, and the prosecution did not ask for the death sentence; but Caillaux was found guilty on the minor count of correspondence with the enemy, and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, ten years' interdiction of rights of voting and eligibility for any public function, and five years' prohibition from appearing in certain places indicated by the government. It was found that his relations with Bolo and Almereyda did not fall within the penal code, but he was condemned for his friendship with Minotto, Cavallini, and to some extent for his association with Count Lipscher. Having already served more than two years' imprisonment, Caillaux was set at liberty at the end of the trial. The verdict was given on April 23.
During the spring there were serious labour troubles in France. At the end of February a serious dispute arose on the Paris, Lyon, and Mediterranean Railway system, owing to disciplinary measures which had been taken against one man. A strike was declared on that line on February 25, and subsequently spread to the state lines also. The government immediately called to the colours those employees who were in the Army Reserve. A general strike of railwaymen was declared on February 29; but the response was only partial, and an agreement was reached within twenty-four hours. At the beginning of May another railway strike broke out, and on this occasion the labour agitators hoped to make the strike universal, and it was supported by the General Confederation of Labour
(CGT), who called out the seamen, dockers, and miners in support of the railwaymen. The aims of the General Confederation were not only economic, but also partly political; and they announced that they aimed at the international allotment of war burdens, an economic entente of all peoples on a basis of cooperation, at the cessation of all colonial expeditions, and at general disarmament. The response to the call on the part of the workers was, however, half-hearted and partial, though in certain localities, including Marseille, the strike was almost universal. The strike was extremely unpopular in the country at large, and the government took legal proceedings against the revolutionary ring-leaders. Within a week it was clear that the strike would fail, owing to the apathy or actual hostility of a large part of the working classes, but it was not until May 21 that the leaders of the General Confederation declared the strike at an end.
In February the government issued a new 5% state loan, which became known as the "Recovery Loan". The subscription lists remained open for several weeks, and it was announced in April that the total amount subscribed was 15,700,000,000 francs.
During the spring and summer certain differences of opinion, important but not fundamental, arose between the French and British governments. In a debate in the Chamber of Deputies on March 25, Louis Barthou
, who had once been prime minister and was now chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the lower house, delivered a speech on foreign policy generally in which he took occasion to attack the policy of the British government. He complained that Britain had profited more than any other country by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles; and that the course of events had recently been such that the hatred of Germany was now directed almost exclusively against France. This was, he said, particularly the case in the matter of permitting Germany to deal with her own war criminals, for which concession Britain had gained all the credit in German eyes. The speaker made various other complaints against the British government in general and Lloyd George in particular; but it was clear before the end of his speech that he did not carry the Chamber with him. On the following day, Millerand made a reply in which he endeavoured to remove the bad impression created by Barthou's speech. The prime minister said that there was no "crisis in the alliance"; and he pointed out that the reason the concession to Germany in the matter of the war criminals was signed by the British prime minister was that at the time the note was sent the peace conference was sitting in London. The premier said, however, that France was determined to see the terms of the Treaty of Versailles fulfilled, and although the British government were in favour of allowing the German government to send troops into the Ruhr District, to suppress the Spartacist insurrection there, France viewed these movements of troops with grave concern.
The differences between the French and British governments were also apparent at the beginning of April, when the German government was suppressing the Spartacist revolt. To the east of the Allied armies in the occupied portion of Germany there was a neutral zone, into which, by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the German government were not allowed to send troops. During the Spartacist insurrection which followed the coup d'état in Berlin (see 1920 in Germany
), the revolutionaries in the valley of the Ruhr, a highly industrialized district which was included in the neutral zone, took advantage of the unavoidable absence of the government forces to seize control of the entire administration of this important part of Germany. The German government applied for permission to send forces into this part of the neutral zone in the exceptional circumstances which had arisen, as without doing so it was impossible for them to overcome the revolt in the neutral zone itself, or to prevent the successful insurrection in that zone lending important support to the Spartacists farther east. The British, Italian, and American governments were all in favour of allowing the German government, which in the circumstances existing was a bulwark against the spread of Bolshevism, to send a limited number of troops into the neutral zone until law and order had been reestablished there. The French government, however, interposed obstacles to the granting of any such license to the German government. The revolt continued to spread, and at the beginning of April German troops marched into the Ruhr Valley to restore order, although no permission for them to do so had been granted by the Allies as a whole. Thereupon the French government, without the consent of the British and Italian governments, ordered their own troops to march forward into the neutral zone - though not into the same part of the neutral zone - and to occupy various German towns as a penalty for the German advance. Frankfurt
, Darmstadt
, and Hanau
were occupied on April 6, and Homburg
was entered on the following day. Black troops took part in the advance, a point which gave special umbrage to the Germans. This independent action on the part of the French government led to an interchange of somewhat sharp notes between London and Paris, the British government taking exception both to the French advance in itself and still more so to the fact that the advance had been made without due consultation with the other Allied governments. Within a few days, however, an agreement between the French and British governments was reached. The black troops were immediately withdrawn, and the French government made it clear that in the future they would not act without securing the consent of the other Allies. The British government on their side made it clear that they intended to see the terms of the Treaty of Versailles respected by the German government. After the suppression of the Ruhr revolt, both the German and French troops were withdrawn.
During the spring and summer there were various conferences between the French, British, and other Allied governments, at San Remo
, Hythe
, Spa
, and elsewhere, these conferences relating largely to the reparations due from Germany under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. At these discussions similar differences of opinion appear to have existed between the British and French representatives, the British being more disposed than the French to recognize the difficulties with which the German government were confronted. But these differences of opinion only related to questions of method, and were in no way fundamental. In the middle of May Poincaré, the ex-president of France, resigned his position as president of the Reparations Commission, on account of what he regarded as the undue leniency which had been shown towards Germany. Millerand stated publicly, however, that he thought Poincaré's fears were groundless.
On May 23 a serious accident occurred to Deschanel. The president, who was travelling by night, fell from his train near Montargis
. Considering the nature of the accident, the injuries sustained were not grave, and no bones were broken. But it subsequently transpired that the president was suffering from a serious nervous breakdown, owing to overwork, and he was unable to return to his official duties. His illness continued for weeks, and as he made no progress towards recovery, it was announced in the middle of September that in accordance with the recommendation of his medical advisers, the president had resigned his office.
It was soon evident that the great majority of public men desired that Millerand should himself become president. The premier at first declined to accede to these demands, but after some delay he consented to do so. The election took place on September 23, and out of 892 votes cast, no fewer than 695 were given Millerand. A Socialist candidate, Gustave Delory, obtained 69 votes. Millerand announced that he hoped somewhat to increase the powers of the presidential office, particularly in regard to foreign policy. Georges Leygues became prime minister and minister for foreign affairs; but otherwise the composition of the cabinet remained unchanged. On September 25 the Chamber of Deputies passed a vote of confidence in the new government by 515 votes to 71. It was notable that in the statements issued both by the new president and by the new government, it was proclaimed that France would do her utmost to make the League of Nations a success. At the end of November Leygues visited London to confer with British and Italian statesmen on the Greek crisis and other matters.
In the middle of November it was announced that the government proposed to reduce the period of military service from two years to eighteen months.
In November Lord Derby, the British ambassador in Paris, retired from that office, and was succeeded by Lord Hardinge
. It was also announced that Paul Cambon
, the veteran French ambassador in London, would retire in January 1921.
Throughout the year there was considerable, though intermittent, discussion on the proposal that France should resume diplomatic relations with the Vatican; and at the end of November the government proposal to renew relations was approved by the Chamber of Deputies by 387 votes to 210.
The defeat of the Socialists at the general election of 1919 appeared to have caused that party to become more extreme in its views. And after much discussion throughout the year 1920, a great Socialist conference held at Tours in December voted by a large majority in favour of adhesion to the so-called Third International
, the international organization of Socialists which was under the control of the Bolsheviks of Moscow.
The financial situation in France gave occasion for most serious anxiety. Among other unfavourable features, the exchange value
of the franc had fallen greatly since the end of the war, and, with fluctuations, stood at about 60 francs to the pound sterling during most of the year; and the value of the franc in terms of the American dollar was even lower.
The ordinary budget for 1920 provided for a revenue of 15,885,000,000 francs and for an expenditure of 17,860,000,000 francs. It was anticipated that the extraordinary expenditure would amount to over 7,000,000,000 francs.
1919 in France
1919 in France
See also:1918 in France,other events of 1919,1920 in France.----Events from the year 1919 in France.-Events:*April - Long-Berenger Oil Agreement is concluded between France and the United Kingdom over oil rights....
,
other events of 1920,
1921 in France
1921 in France
See also:1920 in France,other events of 1921,1922 in France.----Events from the year 1921 in France.-Events:Before touching on the principal events which took place in France in the course of the year 1921, it is necessary to recall one or two of the outstanding facts of 1920 in France.The most...
.
----
Events from the year 1920 in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Events
At the opening of the year 1920, FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
was in a stronger position than she had been in for several generations. The Allied victory over Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the restoration of Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine
The Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine was a territory created by the German Empire in 1871 after it annexed most of Alsace and the Moselle region of Lorraine following its victory in the Franco-Prussian War. The Alsatian part lay in the Rhine Valley on the west bank of the Rhine River and east...
to France had placed France in the position which she occupied during the 17th and 18th century - that of the strongest power on the European continent. At the beginning of the year Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France on five separate occasions and as President of France from 1913 to 1920. Poincaré was a conservative leader primarily committed to political and social stability...
was still president and Georges Clemenceau
Georges Clemenceau
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau was a French statesman, physician and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909, and again from 1917 to 1920. For nearly the final year of World War I he led France, and was one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles at the...
was still prime minister, but as both senatorial and presidential elections were due in January, important political changes occurred early in the year. At the general election for the Chamber of Deputies which took place in November 1919, there had been a strong tendency towards Conservatism, the Socialist Party being badly defeated. The elections for the Senate were held on January 11, and these exhibited the same trend of opinion as had been shown in the previous autumn. Owing to the postponement of elections during the war, two-thirds of the nine-year senatorial seats had to be contested, and altogether 240 senators had to be elected. The elections proved to be an overwhelming victory for the various Liberal and Republican groups, who secured 218 seats. The parties of the Right won 20 seats, and the Socialists won 2.
Whilst these important events were taking place in the internal politics of France, the final stages in the ratifying of the peace treaty with Germany were being passed through. The Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
was to come into force so soon as it had been ratified by Germany and by three of the principal Allied and Associated Powers; and since it had now been ratified by Germany and by France, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(though not by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), it was only necessary that the protocols certifying these facts should be signed by the parties to the treaty, and formal peace would then exist between the Allied Powers and Germany. The Supreme Council of the Allies decided that this final ceremony should take place in Paris on January 10. Two delegates were sent by the German government to carry out the signing of the protocol, Baron Kurt von Lersner and Herr von Simson. The ceremony took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Quai d'Orsay
Quai d'Orsay
The Quai d'Orsay is a quai in the VIIe arrondissement of Paris, part of the left bank of the Seine, and the name of the street along it. The Quai becomes the Quai Anatole France east of the Palais Bourbon, and the Quai de Branly west of the Pont de l'Alma.The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is...
shortly after four o'clock on the afternoon of January 10. The protocol was signed by Clemenceau for France, by David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
for Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, by Francesco Saverio Nitti
Francesco Saverio Nitti
Francesco Saverio Vincenzo de Paola Nitti was an Italian economist and political figure. A Radical, he served as the 36th Prime Minister of Italy between 1919 and 1920....
for Italy, and by Keishiro Matsui
Keishiro Matsui
was a Japanese statesman and diplomat.-Biography:Matsui was a native of Osaka Prefecture, and a graduate of the Law School of Tokyo Imperial University in 1889. He entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the same year. In 1890, he was assigned to the Japanese embassy in Seoul, Korea, and in 1895...
for Japan; and, of course, by the two German delegates. The protocol was also signed by the representatives of various minor Allied and Associated countries, which had already ratified the treaty, these being Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Siam
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
. The formal end of the war was timed at 6:15 p.m. on January 10, but the actual signing of the protocol took place, as already stated, somewhat earlier on that same afternoon.
On January 14, Léon Bourgeois
Léon Bourgeois
-Biography:He was born in Paris, and was trained in law. After holding a subordinate office in the department of public works, he became successively prefect of the Tarn and the Haute-Garonne , and then returned to Paris to enter the ministry of the interior...
was elected president of the Senate. And the election of the new president of France, by a joint session of the two houses of the legislature, was fixed for January 17. The two most important candidates were Paul Deschanel
Paul Deschanel
Paul Eugène Louis Deschanel was a French statesman. He served as President of France from 18 February 1920 to 21 September 1920.-Biography:...
and Clemenceau. Among the other candidates was Field Marshal Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch , GCB, OM, DSO was a French soldier, war hero, military theorist, and writer credited with possessing "the most original and subtle mind in the French army" in the early 20th century. He served as general in the French army during World War I and was made Marshal of France in its...
, who, however, secured very little support. The rivalry between Deschanel and Clemenceau revealed certain very interesting tendencies in French politics. The contest turned mainly on the terms of peace which had been imposed upon Germany. Clemenceau's supporters contended that the terms of the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
were satisfactory from the French point of view; his opponents declared that he had given way too much to the American and British standpoints, and that the peace was unsatisfactory, particularly in respect of the guarantees for the reparations due to France and in the matter of the French eastern frontier. A large body of French opinion had desired that France should secure the line of the Rhine as her eastern frontier. Deschanel represented these critics of the Treaty of Versailles. A preliminary ballot of the Republican groups gave 408 votes to Deschanel, and 389 votes to Clemenceau; and when this result was announced Clemenceau withdrew his candidature, but his name figured, nevertheless, in the formal voting of the National Assembly on January 17. Altogether 888 legislators cast their votes, and Deschanel secured no fewer than 734 votes. The success of Deschanel was regarded in France as in some sense a victory for the opponents of the Treaty of Versailles. Deschanel was born in 1856, and had held the office of president of the Chamber of Deputies. Poincaré was to remain in office as president until February 18.
On January 18, Clemenceau resigned office as premier; and Poincaré entrusted Alexandre Millerand
Alexandre Millerand
Alexandre Millerand was a French socialist politician. He was President of France from 23 September 1920 to 11 June 1924 and Prime Minister of France 20 January to 23 September 1920...
with the task of forming a cabinet. Millerand found no difficulty in obtaining the necessary support, and the full list of the members of his cabinet was published two days later. F. Marsal was minister of finance, A. Lefevre was minister of war, and A. Sarraut was minister for the colonies. Millerand, who himself took the portfolio of foreign affairs, was sixty years of age, and had greatly distinguished himself as minister for war during the critical days of 1914. His first reception by the Chamber of Deputies was somewhat stormy, and a vote of confidence on January 22 was only passed by 281 votes to 240. But a second vote of confidence on January 30 was passed by 510 votes to 70.
On February 5 and 6, there was an important debate on foreign policy in the Chamber of Deputies; and a long speech was delivered by the prime minister. He said that the new cabinet had every intention of continuing the same foreign policy which had enabled France to surround herself with such faithful allies during the war. In reference to the Adriatic problem, Millerand said that the only desire of France was to reach a satisfactory solution of the difficulties existing in this part of the world - a solution in perfect agreement with the sister nation of Italy and with the Serbian people. In regard to the Bulgarian question the premier said that on the previous day he had received news that the Bulgarian parliament had ratified the treaty. Passing on to a consideration of the proposed peace terms for Turkey, Millerand answered certain criticisms which had been made earlier in the debate by Marcel Cachin
Marcel Cachin
Marcel Cachin was a French politician.In 1891, Cachin joined Jules Guesde French Workers' Party . In 1905, he joined the new French Section of the Workers' International and won election to the Chamber of Deputies representing the Seine in 1914...
. France, he declared, had important and historic interests in the East, and these she had no intention of abandoning. "M. Cachin declared yesterday that we appeared to be threatening the independence of the Syrian populations. No French government has ever entertained such a design, and it is a libel on France to reproach her with a policy of conquest which has never entered her mind. The only wish of France is to give these populations justice and a good administration. When yesterday I heard the government credited with intentions which it has not, I seemed to hear an echo of the slanders levelled by the German government at the work of France in Morocco."
Turning to the question of relations with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Millerand said that, contrary to the allegations of Cachin, Britain had been true to her agreements, and none of the Allies had entered into any agreement with the Soviet government. In regard to Poland, the French government intended to maintain the closest friendship with that country, and if she were attacked by the Bolsheviks she would receive every support. Finally, the prime minister dealt with the carrying out of the Treaty of Versailles. He said that the cabinet intended to maintain complete accord with France's allies; and although it was regrettable that the United States had not so far ratified the treaty, yet the Reparations Commission had begun its work smoothly, and he felt no anxiety as to the ultimate adhesion of America to the treaty. He said that Germany had been dilatory in the matter of fulfilling the stipulations of the treaty, particularly in regard to the essential deliveries of coal. "I mean to avail myself at the right moment of all the means placed at my disposal by the treaty, and I declare, without making any kind of threat, but merely in order that the position may be quite clear and well understood, that we do not intend to claim anything from Germany to which she is not strictly bound under the terms of the treaty, but we shall exact everything she owes us, and to obtain it we shall have recourse to the measures of all kinds provided for in the treaty."
After the conclusion of the debate the house passed a vote of confidence in the government by 513 votes to 68.
After his assumption of office on February 18, Deschanel sent the usual presidential message to parliament. Deschanel said that there was no higher destiny than that of serving France, and he thanked the legislators for having permitted him to continue to serve her in union with themselves. He hoped to maintain the national unity which had been so conspicuous during the war. "Our first duty is to define clearly our diplomatic, military, economic, and financial policy to the country. We can only build up our policy for the future on sound bases. I appeal to all the experience and talent of the members of this assembly on behalf of this act of sincerity and moral probity. To strengthen the unity between all peoples who fought for the right, and who, by reason of that fact, are great, to strengthen the bonds with those peoples whose affinities or interests bind them to us - this is the first guarantee of peace and the basis of that League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
to which the Treaty of Versailles entrusted the execution of certain capital clauses, and which we should support by means of effective action in order to spare the world fresh horrors. France wishes that the treaty to which Germany appended her signature shall be obeyed, and that the aggressor shall not take from her the fruits of her heroic sacrifices. She means to live in security. Today, as yesterday, our policy is an affair of will-power, energy, and faith. The Russian people fought by our side during three years for the cause of Liberty; may it, master of itself, soon resume in the plenitude of its genius the course of its civilizing mission
Civilizing mission
is a rationale for intervention or colonisation, proposing to contribute to the spread of civilization, mostly amounting to the Westernization of indigenous peoples....
. The Eastern question causes periodical wars. The fate of the Ottoman Empire has not yet been settled. Our secular interests, rights, and traditions ought to be safeguarded there too."
Turning to questions of internal politics, Deschanel said that the work of restoring France to prosperity would be arduous, and he declared that the person who evaded the payment of taxes was acting like a soldier who deserts his post on the field of battle. It was essential that conflicts between capital and labour should be avoided. In his peroration Deschanel exhorted the legislators to follow in the footsteps of the heroic Frenchmen who had won the war: "We shall accomplish our formidable task if we keep in our souls that sacred flame which rendered France the Republic Invincible, and saved the world."
In the middle of February the trial of Joseph Caillaux
Joseph Caillaux
Joseph-Marie–Auguste Caillaux was a major French politician of the Third Republic. The leader of the Radicals, he favored a policy of conciliation with Germany during his premiership from 1911 to 1912, which led to the maintenance of the peace during the Second Moroccan Crisis of 1911...
, the ex-prime minister of France, who had been under arrest for treason since January 1918, commenced. The case was regarded as the most important of the treason trials, of which there had been a long series since the middle of the war. Caillaux was tried before the Senate, sitting as a High Court of Justice, with Léon Bourgeois as president of the court. The prolonged delay in bringing Caillaux to trial was because investigations had to be made in many different parts of the world, including South America. Caillaux was charged with "having sought to weaken the security of the state abroad by intrigues, machination, and intelligence with the enemy of a nature likely to favour enemy action in regard to France, or her Allies, fighting against common enemies, and thus to advance the progress of the enemy armies." M. Lescouvé (the public prosecutor), M. Moinet, and others appeared for the prosecution. M. Giafferi, M. Moutet, and others appeared for the defense. The trial was extremely long and also in many respects extremely dramatic. The trial began, on February 17, with a series of interrogations by the president of the court, and this part of the scene alone lasted for several days. Next there came a cross-examination of the prisoner by the public prosecutor. All kinds of activity on the part of Caillaux was investigated in great detail and at great length. He was questioned regarding his relations with an enemy agent named Minotto, in South America, regarding his relations with another enemy agent, a certain Count Lipscher, and also in regard to his associations with the traitors Lenoir, Bolo, and Duval, who had already been executed for treason. The prisoner had also to account for his close association with various schemers in Italy, including the notorious Cavallini. During these interrogations, Caillaux frequently made long speeches on all manner of political questions. In the matter of Count Lipscher little to his discredit appears to have transpired; but apart from the details of the investigation it was obvious that if the prisoner had been entirely innocent of the charges brought against him, he had had a surprising amount of association with undesirable persons. And it was also established that the German government regarded Caillaux as the right man to approach under circumstances favourable to Germany. Moutet, speaking for the defense, attributed political motives to the accusers, and said that notwithstanding the fact that the world had been ransacked for evidence for many months, the evidence produced was of a ridiculous and trumpery character. After many weeks of investigation the capital charge of treason was dismissed, and the prosecution did not ask for the death sentence; but Caillaux was found guilty on the minor count of correspondence with the enemy, and was sentenced to three years' imprisonment, ten years' interdiction of rights of voting and eligibility for any public function, and five years' prohibition from appearing in certain places indicated by the government. It was found that his relations with Bolo and Almereyda did not fall within the penal code, but he was condemned for his friendship with Minotto, Cavallini, and to some extent for his association with Count Lipscher. Having already served more than two years' imprisonment, Caillaux was set at liberty at the end of the trial. The verdict was given on April 23.
During the spring there were serious labour troubles in France. At the end of February a serious dispute arose on the Paris, Lyon, and Mediterranean Railway system, owing to disciplinary measures which had been taken against one man. A strike was declared on that line on February 25, and subsequently spread to the state lines also. The government immediately called to the colours those employees who were in the Army Reserve. A general strike of railwaymen was declared on February 29; but the response was only partial, and an agreement was reached within twenty-four hours. At the beginning of May another railway strike broke out, and on this occasion the labour agitators hoped to make the strike universal, and it was supported by the General Confederation of Labour
Confédération générale du travail
The General Confederation of Labour is a national trade union center, the first of the five major French confederations of trade unions.It is the largest in terms of votes , and second largest in terms of membership numbers.Its membership decreased to 650,000 members in 1995-96 The General...
(CGT), who called out the seamen, dockers, and miners in support of the railwaymen. The aims of the General Confederation were not only economic, but also partly political; and they announced that they aimed at the international allotment of war burdens, an economic entente of all peoples on a basis of cooperation, at the cessation of all colonial expeditions, and at general disarmament. The response to the call on the part of the workers was, however, half-hearted and partial, though in certain localities, including Marseille, the strike was almost universal. The strike was extremely unpopular in the country at large, and the government took legal proceedings against the revolutionary ring-leaders. Within a week it was clear that the strike would fail, owing to the apathy or actual hostility of a large part of the working classes, but it was not until May 21 that the leaders of the General Confederation declared the strike at an end.
In February the government issued a new 5% state loan, which became known as the "Recovery Loan". The subscription lists remained open for several weeks, and it was announced in April that the total amount subscribed was 15,700,000,000 francs.
During the spring and summer certain differences of opinion, important but not fundamental, arose between the French and British governments. In a debate in the Chamber of Deputies on March 25, Louis Barthou
Louis Barthou
Jean Louis Barthou was a French politician of the Third Republic.-Early years:He was born in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, and served as Deputy from that constituency. He was an authority on trade union history and law. Barthou was Prime Minister in 1913, and held ministerial office...
, who had once been prime minister and was now chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the lower house, delivered a speech on foreign policy generally in which he took occasion to attack the policy of the British government. He complained that Britain had profited more than any other country by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles; and that the course of events had recently been such that the hatred of Germany was now directed almost exclusively against France. This was, he said, particularly the case in the matter of permitting Germany to deal with her own war criminals, for which concession Britain had gained all the credit in German eyes. The speaker made various other complaints against the British government in general and Lloyd George in particular; but it was clear before the end of his speech that he did not carry the Chamber with him. On the following day, Millerand made a reply in which he endeavoured to remove the bad impression created by Barthou's speech. The prime minister said that there was no "crisis in the alliance"; and he pointed out that the reason the concession to Germany in the matter of the war criminals was signed by the British prime minister was that at the time the note was sent the peace conference was sitting in London. The premier said, however, that France was determined to see the terms of the Treaty of Versailles fulfilled, and although the British government were in favour of allowing the German government to send troops into the Ruhr District, to suppress the Spartacist insurrection there, France viewed these movements of troops with grave concern.
The differences between the French and British governments were also apparent at the beginning of April, when the German government was suppressing the Spartacist revolt. To the east of the Allied armies in the occupied portion of Germany there was a neutral zone, into which, by the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the German government were not allowed to send troops. During the Spartacist insurrection which followed the coup d'état in Berlin (see 1920 in Germany
1920 in Germany
Events in the year 1920 in Germany.-National level:President*Friedrich Ebert Chancellor*Gustav Bauer to 27 March, then Hermann Müller to 25 June, then Constantin Fehrenbach...
), the revolutionaries in the valley of the Ruhr, a highly industrialized district which was included in the neutral zone, took advantage of the unavoidable absence of the government forces to seize control of the entire administration of this important part of Germany. The German government applied for permission to send forces into this part of the neutral zone in the exceptional circumstances which had arisen, as without doing so it was impossible for them to overcome the revolt in the neutral zone itself, or to prevent the successful insurrection in that zone lending important support to the Spartacists farther east. The British, Italian, and American governments were all in favour of allowing the German government, which in the circumstances existing was a bulwark against the spread of Bolshevism, to send a limited number of troops into the neutral zone until law and order had been reestablished there. The French government, however, interposed obstacles to the granting of any such license to the German government. The revolt continued to spread, and at the beginning of April German troops marched into the Ruhr Valley to restore order, although no permission for them to do so had been granted by the Allies as a whole. Thereupon the French government, without the consent of the British and Italian governments, ordered their own troops to march forward into the neutral zone - though not into the same part of the neutral zone - and to occupy various German towns as a penalty for the German advance. Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Darmstadt
Darmstadt
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine Main Area.The sandy soils in the Darmstadt area, ill-suited for agriculture in times before industrial fertilisation, prevented any larger settlement from developing, until the city became the seat...
, and Hanau
Hanau
Hanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main. Its station is a major railway junction.- Geography :...
were occupied on April 6, and Homburg
Homburg
-In Germany:* Homburg, Saarland, capital of the Saarpfalz district of Saarland* Bad Homburg, town and spa in Hesse* Homburg Forest, a hill range in Lower Saxony* Homburg, a quarter of Triefenstein, Bavaria...
was entered on the following day. Black troops took part in the advance, a point which gave special umbrage to the Germans. This independent action on the part of the French government led to an interchange of somewhat sharp notes between London and Paris, the British government taking exception both to the French advance in itself and still more so to the fact that the advance had been made without due consultation with the other Allied governments. Within a few days, however, an agreement between the French and British governments was reached. The black troops were immediately withdrawn, and the French government made it clear that in the future they would not act without securing the consent of the other Allies. The British government on their side made it clear that they intended to see the terms of the Treaty of Versailles respected by the German government. After the suppression of the Ruhr revolt, both the German and French troops were withdrawn.
During the spring and summer there were various conferences between the French, British, and other Allied governments, at San Remo
San Remo conference
The San Remo Conference was an international meeting of the post-World War I Allied Supreme Council, held in Sanremo, Italy, from 19 to 26 April 1920. It was attended by the four Principal Allied Powers of World War I who were represented by the prime ministers of Britain , France and Italy and...
, Hythe
Hythe, Kent
Hythe , is a small coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the District of Shepway on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe or Hithe is an Old English word meaning Haven or Landing Place....
, Spa
Spa, Belgium
Spa is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liège. It is situated in a valley in the Ardennes mountain chain, some southeast of Liège, and southwest of Aachen. As of 1 January 2006, Spa had a total population of 10,543...
, and elsewhere, these conferences relating largely to the reparations due from Germany under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. At these discussions similar differences of opinion appear to have existed between the British and French representatives, the British being more disposed than the French to recognize the difficulties with which the German government were confronted. But these differences of opinion only related to questions of method, and were in no way fundamental. In the middle of May Poincaré, the ex-president of France, resigned his position as president of the Reparations Commission, on account of what he regarded as the undue leniency which had been shown towards Germany. Millerand stated publicly, however, that he thought Poincaré's fears were groundless.
On May 23 a serious accident occurred to Deschanel. The president, who was travelling by night, fell from his train near Montargis
Montargis
Montargis is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. The town is located about south of Paris and east of Orléans in the Gâtinais....
. Considering the nature of the accident, the injuries sustained were not grave, and no bones were broken. But it subsequently transpired that the president was suffering from a serious nervous breakdown, owing to overwork, and he was unable to return to his official duties. His illness continued for weeks, and as he made no progress towards recovery, it was announced in the middle of September that in accordance with the recommendation of his medical advisers, the president had resigned his office.
It was soon evident that the great majority of public men desired that Millerand should himself become president. The premier at first declined to accede to these demands, but after some delay he consented to do so. The election took place on September 23, and out of 892 votes cast, no fewer than 695 were given Millerand. A Socialist candidate, Gustave Delory, obtained 69 votes. Millerand announced that he hoped somewhat to increase the powers of the presidential office, particularly in regard to foreign policy. Georges Leygues became prime minister and minister for foreign affairs; but otherwise the composition of the cabinet remained unchanged. On September 25 the Chamber of Deputies passed a vote of confidence in the new government by 515 votes to 71. It was notable that in the statements issued both by the new president and by the new government, it was proclaimed that France would do her utmost to make the League of Nations a success. At the end of November Leygues visited London to confer with British and Italian statesmen on the Greek crisis and other matters.
In the middle of November it was announced that the government proposed to reduce the period of military service from two years to eighteen months.
In November Lord Derby, the British ambassador in Paris, retired from that office, and was succeeded by Lord Hardinge
Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst
Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, was a British diplomat and statesman who served as Viceroy of India from 1910 to 1916.-Background and education:...
. It was also announced that Paul Cambon
Paul Cambon
Pierre Paul Cambon was a French diplomat and brother to Jules Martin Cambon.-Biography:He was called to the Parisian bar, and became private secretary to Jules Ferry in the préfecture of the Seine...
, the veteran French ambassador in London, would retire in January 1921.
Throughout the year there was considerable, though intermittent, discussion on the proposal that France should resume diplomatic relations with the Vatican; and at the end of November the government proposal to renew relations was approved by the Chamber of Deputies by 387 votes to 210.
The defeat of the Socialists at the general election of 1919 appeared to have caused that party to become more extreme in its views. And after much discussion throughout the year 1920, a great Socialist conference held at Tours in December voted by a large majority in favour of adhesion to the so-called Third International
Comintern
The Communist International, abbreviated as Comintern, also known as the Third International, was an international communist organization initiated in Moscow during March 1919...
, the international organization of Socialists which was under the control of the Bolsheviks of Moscow.
The financial situation in France gave occasion for most serious anxiety. Among other unfavourable features, the exchange value
Exchange value
In political economy and especially Marxian economics, exchange value refers to one of four major attributes of a commodity, i.e., an item or service produced for, and sold on the market...
of the franc had fallen greatly since the end of the war, and, with fluctuations, stood at about 60 francs to the pound sterling during most of the year; and the value of the franc in terms of the American dollar was even lower.
The ordinary budget for 1920 provided for a revenue of 15,885,000,000 francs and for an expenditure of 17,860,000,000 francs. It was anticipated that the extraordinary expenditure would amount to over 7,000,000,000 francs.
- 2 February - France occupies MemelKlaipėda RegionThe Klaipėda Region or Memel Territory was defined by the Treaty of Versailles in 1920 when it was put under the administration of the Council of Ambassadors...
. - 26 March - German government asks France for permission to use its own troops against rebellious Ruhr Red ArmyRuhr Red ArmyRed Ruhr Army was an army of between 50,000 and 80,000 left wing workers from the Communist Party of Germany, the Communist Workers' Party of Germany, the Independent Social Democratic Party of Germany, and the Free Workers Union of Germany, formed on March 13, 1920 as a reaction to the Kapp Putsch...
in the French-occupied area. - 16 May - Joan of ArcJoan of ArcSaint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
is canonisedCanonizationCanonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
. Over 30,000 people attended the ceremony in Rome, including 140 descendants of Joan of Arc's family. Pope Benedict XVPope Benedict XVPope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...
presided over the rite. - 17 May - French and Belgian troops leave the cities they have occupied in Germany.
- 4 June - Treaty of TrianonTreaty of TrianonThe Treaty of Trianon was the peace agreement signed in 1920, at the end of World War I, between the Allies of World War I and Hungary . The treaty greatly redefined and reduced Hungary's borders. From its borders before World War I, it lost 72% of its territory, which was reduced from to...
, Treaty of Peace between the Allies and Hungary. - 14 July - France declares that Faisal I of Syria is deposed and occupies DamascusDamascusDamascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
and AleppoAleppoAleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
. - 21 July - Interallied Mission to PolandInterallied Mission to PolandInterallied Mission to Poland was a diplomatic mission launched by David Lloyd George on July 21, 1920, at the height of the Polish-Soviet War, weeks before the decisive Battle of Warsaw...
is launched. - 23 July - The French defeat the Syrian armyGreater SyriaGreater Syria , also known simply as Syria, is a term that denotes a region in the Near East bordering the Eastern Mediterranean Sea or the Levant....
in the Battle of MaysalunBattle of MaysalunThe Battle of Maysalun , also called The Battle of Maysalun Pass, took place between Syrian and French forces about 12 miles west of Damascus near the town of Maysalun on July 23, 1920.-Background:...
. - 31 July - France prohibits the sale or prescription of contraceptives.
- 10 August - Treaty of SèvresTreaty of SèvresThe Treaty of Sèvres was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany before this treaty to annul the German concessions including the economic rights and enterprises. Also, France, Great Britain and Italy...
is signed. - 23 December - United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and France ratify the border between French-held SyriaSyriaSyria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and British Mandate PalestineMandate PalestineMandate Palestine existed while the British Mandate for Palestine, which formally began in September 1923 and terminated in May 1948, was in effect...
.
Sport
- 27 June - Tour de France1920 Tour de FranceThe 1920 Tour de France was the 14th Tour de France, taking place from June 27 to July 27, 1920. It consisted of 15 stages over , ridden at an average speed of . It was won by Belgian Philippe Thys, making him the first cyclist to win the Tour de France three times...
begins. - 27 July - Tour de France ends, won by Philippe ThysPhilippe ThysPhilippe Thys was a Belgian cyclist and three times winner of the Tour de France.-Professional career:...
of BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
January to March
- 10 January - Georges MarchalGeorges MarchalGeorges Marchal was a French actor, one of the most beautiful. He was married to Dany Robin, forming a famous and popular couple , they play together in movies La Passagère , La Voyageuse inattendue, Le plus joli péché du monde, Jupiter directed by Gilles Grangier , Quand sonnera midi written by...
, actor (d.19971997 in FranceSee also:1996 in France,other events of 1997,1998 in France.----Events from the year 1997 in France.-Events:*27 January - It is revealed that French museums had nearly 2,000 pieces of art that had been stolen by Nazis....
). - 14 January - Jean DutourdJean DutourdJean Gwenaël Dutourd was a French novelist. His mother died when he was seven years old. At the age of twenty, he was taken prisoner fifteen days after Germany's invasion of France in World War II...
, novelist (d. 20112011 in FranceEvents in the year 2011 in France.-Incumbents:* President: Nicolas Sarkozy * Prime Minister: François Fillon...
) - 17 January - Georges PichardGeorges PichardGeorges Pichard was a French comics artist, known for numerous BD magazine covers, serial publications and albums, stereotypically featuring partially exposed voluptuous women.-Biography:...
, comics artistComics artistA comics artist is an artist working within the comics medium on comic strips, comic books or graphic novels. The term may refer to any number of artists who contribute to produce a work in the comics form, from those who oversee all aspects of the work to those who contribute only a part.-Comic...
(d.20032003 in FranceSee also:2002 in France,other events of 2003,2004 in France.----Events from the year 2003 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Jean-Pierre Raffarin* Interior Minister - Nicolas Sarkozy...
). - 30 January - Robert HersantRobert HersantRobert Hersant was a French newspaper magnate with right-wing political views.- Biography :Hersant was born in Vertou, Loire-Atlantique....
, newspaperNewspaperA newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
magnate (d.19961996 in FranceSee also:1995 in France,other events of 1996,1997 in France.----Events from the year 1996 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Alain Juppé* Interior Minister - Jean-Louis Debré* Finance Minister - Jean Arthuis...
). - 2 February - Raymond DaudelRaymond DaudelRaymond Daudel was a French theoretical and quantum chemist.Trained as a physicist, he was an assistant to Irène Joliot-Curie at the Radium Institute. Daudel spent almost the entirety of his career as professor at the Sorbonne and director of a laboratory of the Centre National de la Recherche...
, theoreticalTheoretical chemistryTheoretical chemistry seeks to provide theories that explain chemical observations. Often, it uses mathematical and computational methods that, at times, require advanced knowledge. Quantum chemistry, the application of quantum mechanics to the understanding of valency, is a major component of...
and quantum chemistQuantum chemistryQuantum chemistry is a branch of chemistry whose primary focus is the application of quantum mechanics in physical models and experiments of chemical systems...
(d.20062006 in FranceSee also:2005 in France,other events of 2006,2007 in France.----Events from the year 2006 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Dominique de Villepin* Interior Minister - Nicolas Sarkozy* Finance Minister -...
). - 18 February - Rolande FalcinelliRolande FalcinelliRolande Falcinelli was a French organist, pianist, composer, and pedagogue.-Biography:Rolande Falcinelli entered the Paris Conservatory in 1932, where her teachers were noted pianist and pedagogue Isidor Philipp and Abel Estyle , Marcel Samuel-Rousseau , Simone Plé Caussade , Henri Büsser , and...
, organistOrganistAn organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
, pianistPianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
(d.20062006 in FranceSee also:2005 in France,other events of 2006,2007 in France.----Events from the year 2006 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Dominique de Villepin* Interior Minister - Nicolas Sarkozy* Finance Minister -...
). - 22 February - André BarraisAndré BarraisAndré Barrais was a French basketball player. He competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics.In 1948, Barrais was part of the French basketball team, which won the silver medal. He died in Brest in 2004....
, basketball player (d.20042004 in FranceSee also:2003 in France,other events of 2004,2005 in France.----Events from the year 2004 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Jean-Pierre Raffarin* Interior Minister - Nicolas Sarkozy then Dominique de Villepin...
). - 22 February - Henri de LaulanieHenri de LaulanieHenri de Laulanie was a French Jesuit father who was responsible for the rice cultivation method known as the System of Rice Intensification ....
, Jesuit priest and agriculturalist (d.19951995 in FranceSee also:1994 in France,other events of 1995,1996 in France.----Events from the year 1995 in France.-Events:*21 February - Ibrahim Ali, a 17-year-old Comorian living in France, is murdered by 3 far right National Front activists....
). - 25 February - Jean Emile CharonJean Emile CharonJean Emile Charon was a French nuclear physicist. He was the author of over 20 books on physics, scientific philosophy, and computer science...
, nuclear physicistPhysicistA physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
(d.19981998 in FranceSee also:1997 in France,other events of 1998,1999 in France.----Events from the year 1998 in France.-Events:*6 February - The French prefect Claude Erignac is assassinated in the streets of Ajaccio, Corsica.*15 March - Cantonales Elections held....
). - 27 February - Jacques CharonJacques CharonJacques Charon was a French actor and film director.Born in Paris, Charon trained at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique and made his début at the Comédie-Française in 1941...
, actor and film director (d.19751975 in FranceSee also:1974 in France,other events of 1975,1976 in France.----Events from the year 1975 in France.-Events:*1 January - Work is abandoned on the British end of the Channel Tunnel....
). - 4 March - Jean LecanuetJean LecanuetJean Adrien François Lecanuet was a French centrist politician. He was born to a family of modest means, and gravitated towards literature during his studies. He received his diploma at the age of 22, becoming the youngest agrégé in France...
, politician (d.19931993 in FranceSee also:1992 in France,other events of 1993,1994 in France.----Events from the year 1993 in France.-Events:*18 February - Peugeot launches the 306 range of hatchbacks, estates, convertibles and saloons, which will mainly be built at Peugeot's factory near Coventry in England, which was formerly...
). - 8 March - Michel MoineMichel Moinethumb|right|210px|Michel Moine holding a can that contained 400 ancient gold coins . The can was unearthed in an old lady's cellar.Michel Moine was a French journalist and parapsychologist. He was the director of the news division of RTL from 1958 to 1967, and then of RMC from 1967 to 1982...
, journalist and parapsychologist (d.20052005 in FranceSee also:2004 in France,other events of 2005,2006 in France.----Events from the year 2005 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Jean-Pierre Raffarin then Dominique de Villepin...
). - 10 March - Boris VianBoris VianBoris Vian was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer. He is best remembered today for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sullivan were bizarre parodies of criminal fiction, highly controversial at the time of their...
, writer, poet and musician (d.19591959 in FranceSee also:1958 in France,other events of 1959,1960 in France.----Events from the year 1959 in France.-Events:*8 January - Charles de Gaulle inaugurated as the first president of French Fifth Republic....
). - 12 March - Françoise d'EaubonneFrançoise d'EaubonneFrançoise d'Eaubonne was a French feminist, who introduced the term ecofeminism in 1974....
, feminist writer (d.20052005 in FranceSee also:2004 in France,other events of 2005,2006 in France.----Events from the year 2005 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Jean-Pierre Raffarin then Dominique de Villepin...
). - 18 March - Pierre PlantardPierre PlantardPierre Athanase Marie Plantard was a French draughtsman, best known for being the principal perpetrator of the Priory of Sion hoax, by which he claimed from the 1960s onwards that he was a Merovingian descendant of Dagobert II and the "Great Monarch" prophesied by Nostradamus.-Surname:Pierre...
, draughtsmanTechnical drawingTechnical drawing, also known as drafting or draughting, is the act and discipline of composing plans that visually communicate how something functions or has to be constructed.Drafting is the language of industry....
, principal perpetrator of the Priory of SionPriory of SionThe Prieuré de Sion, translated from French as Priory of Sion, is a name given to multiple groups, both real and fictitious. The most notorious is a fringe fraternal organisation, founded and dissolved in France in 1956 by Pierre Plantard...
hoaxHoaxA hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
(d.20002000 in FranceSee also:1999 in France,other events of 2000,2001 in France.----Events from the year 2000 in France.The year 2000 is in particular remembered in France by a media campaign on the conditions of detention of prisoners. A parliamentary board of inquiry was created. The conclusions of the report were...
). - 29 March - Bertrand Gille, historian of technologyHistory of technologyThe history of technology is the history of the invention of tools and techniques, and is similar in many ways to the history of humanity. Background knowledge has enabled people to create new things, and conversely, many scientific endeavors have become possible through technologies which assist...
(d.19801980 in FranceSee also:1979 in France,other events of 1980,1981 in France.----Events from the year 1980 in France.-Sport:*26 June - Tour de France begins.*21 July - Tour de France ends, won by Joop Zoetemelk of the Netherlands.-January to March:...
). - 29 March - Pierre MoinotPierre MoinotPierre Moinot was a French novelist. He was elected to the Académie française on 21 January 1982.-Bibliography:*Armes et Bagages, roman...
, novelist (d.20072007 in FranceSee also:2006 in France,other events of 2007,2008 in France.----Events from the year 2007 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Nicolas Sarkozy* Prime Minister - François Fillon* Interior Minister - Michèle Alliot-Marie...
).
April to June
- 15 April - Roger RondeauxRoger RondeauxRoger Rondeaux is a former cyclo-cross racer from France who was a professional from 1947 to 1958. Rondeaux won the World Cyclo-cross Championships three times in 1951, 1952, and 1953, was Cyclo-cross Champion of France seven times between 1947 and 1954...
, cyclo-crossCyclo-crossCyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter , and consists of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and...
racer (d.19991999 in FranceSee also:1998 in France,other events of 1999,2000 in France.----Events from the year 1999 in France.-Events:*3 March - ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty by the French National Assembly....
). - 13 May - Roger CalmelRoger CalmelRoger Calmel was a French composer. His nearly 400 works span every genre, from chamber music to opera.Originally from the Languedoc, he undertook his first musical studies in Béziers, in particular with Paul Fouquet....
, composer (d.19981998 in FranceSee also:1997 in France,other events of 1998,1999 in France.----Events from the year 1998 in France.-Events:*6 February - The French prefect Claude Erignac is assassinated in the streets of Ajaccio, Corsica.*15 March - Cantonales Elections held....
). - 6 June - Serge LangSerge Lang (skiing)Serge Lang was a French journalist, alpine skier, and the founder of the alpine skiing World Cup. As a journalist he covered alpine skiing, cycling, and other sports for five major publications. In the mid 1960s, he envisioned a season-long series of ski races, which became the World Cup skiing...
, journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, alpine skier, and founder of the alpine skiing World CupAlpine skiing World CupThe FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...
(d.19991999 in FranceSee also:1998 in France,other events of 1999,2000 in France.----Events from the year 1999 in France.-Events:*3 March - ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty by the French National Assembly....
). - 7 June - Georges MarchaisGeorges MarchaisGeorges René Louis Marchais was the head of the French Communist Party from 1972 to 1994, and a candidate in the French presidential elections of 1981 - in which he managed to garner only 15.34% of the vote, which was considered at the time a major setback for the party.-Early life:Born into a...
, head of the French Communist PartyFrench Communist PartyThe French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French...
(d.19971997 in FranceSee also:1996 in France,other events of 1997,1998 in France.----Events from the year 1997 in France.-Events:*27 January - It is revealed that French museums had nearly 2,000 pieces of art that had been stolen by Nazis....
). - 9 June - Pierre LambertPierre LambertPierre Lambert was a French Trotskyist leader, who, for many years acted as the central leader of the French Courant Communiste Internationaliste which founded the Parti des Travailleurs.He was born in Paris to a family of Russian Jewish immigrants...
, TrotskyistTrotskyismTrotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
leader (d.20082008 in FranceSee also:2007 in France,other events of 2008,2009 in France.----Events from the year 2008 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Nicolas Sarkozy* Prime Minister - François Fillon* Interior Minister - Michèle Alliot-Marie...
). - 17 June - François JacobFrançois JacobFrançois Jacob is a French biologist who, together with Jacques Monod, originated the idea that control of enzyme levels in all cells occurs through feedback on transcription. He shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Medicine with Jacques Monod and André Lwoff.-Childhood and education:François Jacob is...
, biologist, shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Medicine.
July to September
- 1 July - Henri AmourouxHenri AmourouxHenri Amouroux was a French historian and journalist.-Life and career:Henri Amouroux was born in the French city of Périgueux on 1 July 1920. After studying at the ECJ, he began his career as a journalist during World War II and joined a French Resistance group based in Bordeaux...
, historianHistorianA historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
(d.20072007 in FranceSee also:2006 in France,other events of 2007,2008 in France.----Events from the year 2007 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Nicolas Sarkozy* Prime Minister - François Fillon* Interior Minister - Michèle Alliot-Marie...
). - 1 July - Henri LegayHenri LegayHenri Legay was a French operatic tenor. He was primarily French-based as his light lyric voice was especially suited to the French operatic repertoire....
, operatic tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
(d.19921992 in FranceSee also:1991 in France,other events of 1992,1993 in France.----Events from the year 1992 in France.-Events:*22 March - Regional Elections held.*22 March - Cantonales Elections held.*29 March - Cantonales Elections held....
). - 20 July - Robert BoulinRobert BoulinRobert Boulin was a French politician who served as Minister of Labour in the French Cabinet and was at the centre of a major real-estate scandal that ended only with his death in mysterious circumstances...
, politician (d.19791979 in FranceSee also:1978 in France,other events of 1979,1980 in France.----Events from the year 1979 in France.-Events:*8 January - French tanker Betelgeuse explodes at the Gulf Oil terminal at Bantry in Ireland; 50 are killed....
). - 25 July - Jean CarmetJean CarmetJean Carmet, born July 25, 1920 in Bourgueil, Indre-et-Loire, France; died April 20, 1994 in Sèvres, Hauts-de-Seine, was a French actor.-Biography:...
, actor (d.19941994 in FranceSee also:1993 in France,other events of 1994,1995 in France.----Events from the year 1994 in France.-Events:*20 March - Cantonales Elections held.*24 March - Cantonales Elections held....
). - 24 August - Jean DesaillyJean DesaillyJean Desailly was a French actor. He was a member of the Comédie-Française from 1942 – 1946, and later participated in about ninety movies.Desailly was married to the French actress Simone Valère....
, actor (d.20082008 in FranceSee also:2007 in France,other events of 2008,2009 in France.----Events from the year 2008 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Nicolas Sarkozy* Prime Minister - François Fillon* Interior Minister - Michèle Alliot-Marie...
). - 5 September - Jean LartéguyJean LartéguyJean Lartéguy was the nom de plume of Jean Pierre Lucien Osty, a French writer, journalist, and former soldier. He was born in 1920 in Maisons-Alfort, Val-de-Marne and died in 2011...
, writer, journalist, and former soldier (d. 20112011 in FranceEvents in the year 2011 in France.-Incumbents:* President: Nicolas Sarkozy * Prime Minister: François Fillon...
) - 8 September - Madeleine RebériouxMadeleine RebériouxMadeleine Rebérioux was a French historian whose specialty was the French Third Republic. She is also a historian of the Labour movement. From 1991 to 1995 she was President of the Ligue des droits de l'homme and had been a signatory to the Manifesto of the 121. She was an officer of the Légion...
, historian (d.20052005 in FranceSee also:2004 in France,other events of 2005,2006 in France.----Events from the year 2005 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Jean-Pierre Raffarin then Dominique de Villepin...
).
October to December
- 15 October - Henri VerneuilHenri VerneuilHenri Verneuil was a French-Armenian playwright and filmmaker, who enjoyed a successful career in France.-Biography:...
, playwright and filmmaker (d.20022002 in FranceSee also:2001 in France,other events of 2002,2003 in France.----Events from the year 2002 in France.-Events:*1 January - the Euro replaces the French franc as France's currency....
). - 24 October - Robert-Joseph CoffyRobert-Joseph CoffyRobert Joseph Coffy was a Roman Catholic Cardinal and Archbishop of Marseille.-Early life and education:He entered the Seminary in Lyon and was ordained to the priesthood 28 October 1944. He carried out pastoral work in Annecy for a year in 1946. He taught as a faculty member where he had been...
, Roman Catholic CardinalCardinal (Catholicism)A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
(d.19951995 in FranceSee also:1994 in France,other events of 1995,1996 in France.----Events from the year 1995 in France.-Events:*21 February - Ibrahim Ali, a 17-year-old Comorian living in France, is murdered by 3 far right National Front activists....
). - 24 October - Marcel-Paul SchützenbergerMarcel-Paul SchützenbergerMarcel-Paul "Marco" Schützenberger was a French mathematician and Doctor of Medicine. His work had impact across the fields of formal language, combinatorics, and information theory...
, mathematician (d.19961996 in FranceSee also:1995 in France,other events of 1996,1997 in France.----Events from the year 1996 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Alain Juppé* Interior Minister - Jean-Louis Debré* Finance Minister - Jean Arthuis...
). - 25 October - Geneviève de Gaulle-AnthoniozGeneviève de Gaulle-AnthoniozGeneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz , was a niece of General Charles de Gaulle, a member of the French Resistance, and the president of ATD Quart Monde.-Biography:...
, member of the French ResistanceFrench ResistanceThe French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
and president of ATD Quart Monde (d.20022002 in FranceSee also:2001 in France,other events of 2002,2003 in France.----Events from the year 2002 in France.-Events:*1 January - the Euro replaces the French franc as France's currency....
). - 28 October - Bernard PertuisetBernard PertuisetBernard Pertuiset, MD was a French neurosurgeon, born in Paris on 28 October 1920.He spent four years of internship in a service of neurology at La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital with T. Alajouanine. He got his medical diploma in 1949, writing a thesis on cranioplasty...
, neurosurgeon (d.20002000 in FranceSee also:1999 in France,other events of 2000,2001 in France.----Events from the year 2000 in France.The year 2000 is in particular remembered in France by a media campaign on the conditions of detention of prisoners. A parliamentary board of inquiry was created. The conclusions of the report were...
). - 29 October - Guy HéraudGuy HéraudGuy Héraud was a French politician and lawyer. He was the candidate of the European Federalist Party in the French presidential election, 1974, where he won only 0.07% of the vote and last place...
, politician and lawyer (d.20032003 in FranceSee also:2002 in France,other events of 2003,2004 in France.----Events from the year 2003 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Jean-Pierre Raffarin* Interior Minister - Nicolas Sarkozy...
). - 31 October - Joseph GelineauJoseph GelineauJoseph Gelineau was a French Catholic Jesuit priest and composer, mainly of modern Christian liturgical music....
, priest and composer. - 31 October - Jean RoyerJean RoyerJean Royer was a French catholic and conservative politician, former Minister, and former Mayor of Tours.-Mayor of Tours:...
, politician, former Minister, and former Mayor of ToursToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
(d. 20112011 in FranceEvents in the year 2011 in France.-Incumbents:* President: Nicolas Sarkozy * Prime Minister: François Fillon...
) - 28 November - René ChocatRené ChocatRené Chocat was a French basketball player who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics and in the 1952 Summer Olympics.In London 1948 he was part of the French basketball team, which won the silver medal....
, basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player (d.20002000 in FranceSee also:1999 in France,other events of 2000,2001 in France.----Events from the year 2000 in France.The year 2000 is in particular remembered in France by a media campaign on the conditions of detention of prisoners. A parliamentary board of inquiry was created. The conclusions of the report were...
). - 1 December - Pierre PoujadePierre PoujadePierre Poujade was a French populist politician after whom the Poujadist movement was named.-Biography:Poujade was born in Saint-Céré, Lot, France, Europe. When he was only 8 years old, his father died, in 1928....
, politician (d.20032003 in FranceSee also:2002 in France,other events of 2003,2004 in France.----Events from the year 2003 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Jean-Pierre Raffarin* Interior Minister - Nicolas Sarkozy...
). - 5 December - Roger LévêqueRoger LévêqueRoger Lévêque was a professional French road racing cyclist from 1946 to 1953...
, cyclist (d.20022002 in FranceSee also:2001 in France,other events of 2002,2003 in France.----Events from the year 2002 in France.-Events:*1 January - the Euro replaces the French franc as France's currency....
). - 26 December - Maurice GendronMaurice GendronMaurice Gendron was a French cellist and teacher. He is widely considered one of the greatest French cellists of the twentieth century....
, cellist and teacher (d.19901990 in FranceSee also:1989 in France,other events of 1990,1991 in France.----Events from the year 1990 in France.-Events:*15 May - Launch of the Renault Clio supermini, which will eventually replace the Renault 5....
).
Full date unknown
- François BoyerFrançois BoyerFrançois Boyer was a French screenwriter. He achieved considerable success with his first attempt at screenwriting, Forbidden Games . Initially, he found no studio interested in his work, so he redesigned the screenplay as a novel and published it in 1947 under the title The Secret Game...
, screenwriterScreenwriterScreenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
(d.20032003 in FranceSee also:2002 in France,other events of 2003,2004 in France.----Events from the year 2003 in France.-Incumbents:* President - Jacques Chirac* Prime Minister - Jean-Pierre Raffarin* Interior Minister - Nicolas Sarkozy...
). - René Le HirRené Le HirRené Le Hir, Reun an Hir in Breton, was a Breton nationalist.-Breton nationalist:Le Hir participated in Skol Ober, correcting students' homework. He also taught Breton in Brest...
, Breton nationalist (d.19991999 in FranceSee also:1998 in France,other events of 1999,2000 in France.----Events from the year 1999 in France.-Events:*3 March - ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty by the French National Assembly....
). - Jean MarsanJean MarsanJean Marsan was a French screenwriter and actor. He was co-nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story for the film The Sheep Has Five Legs .- References :...
, screenwriterScreenwriterScreenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and actorActorAn actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
(d.19771977 in FranceSee also:1976 in France,other events of 1977,1978 in France.----Events from the year 1977 in France.-Events:*13 March - Municipal Elections held.*20 March - Municipal Elections held....
). - Fernand OuryFernand OuryFernand Oury was a pedagogue and creator of modern French schooling, recommending a "school of the people", where the children are no longer the passive ones "taught", but the people with a whole share in managing their training and the everyday life of their classes...
, teacher and creator of modern French schooling (d.19971997 in FranceSee also:1996 in France,other events of 1997,1998 in France.----Events from the year 1997 in France.-Events:*27 January - It is revealed that French museums had nearly 2,000 pieces of art that had been stolen by Nazis....
).
Deaths
- 2 January - Paul Adam, novelist (b.18621862 in FranceSee also:1861 in France,other events of 1862,1863 in France.----Events from the year 1862 in France.-Events:*6 January - French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico, beginning the French intervention in Mexico....
). - 25 January - Jeanne HébuterneJeanne HébuterneJeanne Hébuterne was a French artist, best known as the frequent subject and common-law wife of the artist Amedeo Modigliani.- Early life :...
, artist and subject for Amedeo ModiglianiAmedeo ModiglianiAmedeo Clemente Modigliani was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. Primarily a figurative artist, he became known for paintings and sculptures in a modern style characterized by mask-like faces and elongation of form...
(b.18981898 in FranceSee also:1897 in France,other events of 1898,1899 in France.----Events from the year 1898 in France.-Events:*13 January - Emile Zola's J'accuse exposes the Dreyfus affair....
). - 11 February - Gaby DeslysGaby DeslysGaby Deslys was a dancer, singer, and actress of the early 20th century from Marseilles, France. She selected her name for her stage career. It is an abbreviation of Gabrielle of the Lillies. During the 1910s she was exceedingly popular worldwide, making $4,000 a week in the United States alone...
, dancer and actress (b.18811881 in FranceSee also:1880 in France,other events of 1881,1882 in France.----Events from the year 1881 in France.-Events:*13 February - First issue of the feminist newspaper La Citoyenne is published by Hubertine Auclert....
). - 14 June - Gabrielle RéjaneGabrielle RéjaneGabrielle Réjane was the stage name of Gabrielle-Charlotte Reju, , a French actress.Born in Paris, the daughter of an actor, she became a pupil of Régnier at the Conservatoire, and took the second prize for comedy in 1874. Her debut was made the next year, during which she played attractively a...
, actress (b.18561856 in FranceSee also:1855 in France,other events of 1856,1857 in France.----Events from the year 1856 in France.-Events:*30 March - Treaty of Paris is signed by Russia and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Sardinia, France, and the United Kingdom, settling the Crimean War.-Births:*1 February -...
). - 20 June - Marie Adolphe Carnot, chemist, mining engineer and politician (b.18391839 in FranceSee also:1838 in France,other events of 1839,1840 in France.----Events from the year 1839 in France.-Events:*9 January - The French Academy of Sciences announces the Daguerreotype photography process.*2 March - Legislative election held....
). - 11 July - Eugénie de MontijoEugénie de MontijoDoña María Eugenia Ignacia Augustina de Palafox-Portocarrero de Guzmán y Kirkpatrick, 16th Countess of Teba and 15th Marquise of Ardales; 5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo , was the last Empress consort of the French from 1853 to 1871 as the wife of Napoleon III, Emperor of...
, wife of Napoléon IIINapoleon III of FranceLouis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
(b.18261826 in FranceSee also:1825 in France,other events of 1826,1827 in France.----Events from the year 1826 in France.-Events:*June - Photography: Nicéphore Niépce makes a true photograph.-Births:*6 April - Gustave Moreau, painter ....
). - 31 August - Louis Ducos du HauronLouis Ducos du HauronLouis Arthur Ducos du Hauron was a French pioneer of color photography. He was born in Langon, Gironde and died in Agen....
, pioneer of colour photography (b.18371837 in FranceSee also:1836 in France,other events of 1837,1838 in France.----Events from the year 1837 in France.-Events:*30 May - Treaty of Tafna signed by France and Abd-el-Kader, after French forces sustained heavy losses and military reversals in Algeria....
). - 7 October - Gaston FloquetGaston FloquetAchille Marie Gaston Floquet was a French mathematician, best known for his work in mathematical analysis, especially in theory of differential equations.-External links:...
, mathematician (b.18471847 in FranceSee also:1846 in France,other events of 1847,1848 in France.----Events from the year 1847 in France.-Events:*15 April - French vessels dispatched by Admiral Cécille bombarded Đà Nẵng in response to the persecution of Roman Catholic missionaries.*21 December - Abd al-Kader surrenders and is...
). - 13 November - Luc-Olivier MersonLuc-Olivier MersonLuc-Olivier Merson was a French academic painter and illustrator also known for his postage stamp and currency designs....
, painter and illustrator (b.18461846 in FranceSee also:1845 in France,other events of 1846,1847 in France.----Events from the year 1846 in France.-Events:*1 August - Legislative election held for the seventh legislature of the July Monarchy.-Births:...
).