The term 'national identity' means what distinguishes France from other countries in their and others eyes, it can also be seen as an aspiration e.g. what France would like to be. The French are a patriotic nation who are very proud of their culture. Their history has included many long and violent wars; many times they have nearly been taken over by other countries. In this essay I will attempt to demonstrate the major events to have created the identity of the French people that we see today.

It is difficult to know where to begin when discussing which were the most important political events to have shaped France. However a good starting point is the French Revolution. Before the revolution French society was very different. France was a feudal society with the monarchy having absolute power; the church and the state were very closely linked. The French had financed the American war of independence against the English; as a result of this the monarchy was bankrupt. In February 1787 the controller general of finances introduced heavy taxation of the noble classes in order to solve the debt problem of the monarchy, however this move alie

In 1804 Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself the emperor of France and created the first French empire. Napoleon was a modern man and agreed with the principles of the revolution of equality of opportunity. He laid the foundations of the French legal, education and financial systems. After the defeat of his army at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was exiled on the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic .

The events, which have shaped France's national identity, have been many and varied; some of the most perceptible changes have taken place only within the last hundred years. It has survived the humiliation and defeat of war, and from this they have tried to make a complete break with the past. The country has been completely modernised, they have opened up to international competition, and realise that they are dependent on Europe. France has become a strong power within Europe, and with the introduction of the single currency this looks set to continue. Although France has become more open to international influence the events in its history that have shaped the France we see today, ensure that it still has a strong recognisable identity.

Paris was liberated on 25th August 1944; economically the country was in ruins. The first priority for France was to put together a new constitution; Charles De Gaulle who had been the leader of the French resistance became head of the government. However the National Assembly drew up a constitution, which was very similar to the Third Republic and was in effect just a poor continuation of that republic. De Gaulle resigned in January 1946 as a result of the many political squabbles, which dominated the government. There was a lack of stability in the government, and the government changed hands several times. Ministers who were only concerned with their own advancement dominated it. The National Assembly had a lack of clarity and vision and therefore was ill prepared to deal with the many difficulties it had to face. The Algerian Crisis of 1954 finally destroyed the Fourth Republic, the government in Paris lost control of the military and in doing so lost credibility.

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Approximate Word count = 2016
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)