Before its conquest by caesar (57-51 b.c), France, then called Gaul, was occupied by independent tribes, mostly Celtic. During the 5th century of Roman rule they accepted Roman civilization and the Latin language. As the empire declined in the 5th century. Geramic tribes overrun the country, until a Frankish chief, Clovis (481-551), brought the other tribes under his successors, the Merovingians, the country sank into anarchy, until unity was restored by Pepin (741-68), founder of the Caroligian dynasty. Charlemagne ( 768-814) made France the centre of a great nobles become semi-independent successons the Norsemen invaded France and settled in Normandy. The first king of the house of Capet, which assumed the Crown in 987, ruled only the district round Paris, and were surrounded by vassals stronger than themselves. During the 11th-13th century the royal power was gradually extended, with the support of the Church and the townspeople, but progress was later related by the 100 Years War (1337-1453). The restoration of the royal power was finally achived by 1500, through the policies of Louis XI (1461-83) and the annexation of burgundy and brittany to the Crown. Charels VIII's Italian Wars initiated a struggle with Spain for supremacy in West Europe which lasted 2 centuries (1503-1697).Henry IV (1589-1610) restored pease, established religious toleration, and made the monarchy absolute. His work was continued by the great minister Richelieu and Mazarin, who by the their intervention in the 30 Years War secured Alsace and made France the leading power in Europe. Louis XIV (1643-1715)embarked on an aggressive policy which united Europe against him: in his rein began the conflict with Britain which lost France her colonies in Canada and India. Misgovernment and unsuccessful wars aroused increasing discontent and resulted in the French Revolution. The revolution abolished feudalism and absolute monarchy, but failed to establish democracy. Foreign attempts at intervention led to wars (1792-1802,1803-1815), which gave Napoleon his opportunity to set up his military dictatorship. After waterloo the bourbon monarchy was restored. Charles X's attempt in 1830 to substitute absoulute for limited monarchy provoket a revolution which placed his cousin, Louis Philippe, on the throne; he in turn was overthrown in 1848 and the 2 nd republic set up. Its president, Louis Napoleon, Mapoleon I's nephew, restoredthe empire in 1852, with the title of Napoleon III. His ambitious foreign policy ended in defeat in the Franco-Prussion War (1870-1) and the foundation of the 3rd Republic. The new republics had an uneasy career, and on several occupations conflict between the clerical and militarist right and the Radical and socialistic left threatened civil war. Meanwhile a new colonial empire was being built up in Africa and Indo-China. After 1900 politics were largely dominated by the approach of the first world war. The war left France exhausted, and desperately sekking security in a system of East European alliances. An unsuccessful Fascist coup in 1934 prepared the way for the victory in 1936 of a Radical-socialist-communist alliance which introduced many social reforms; this broke down in 1938, and it was an alliance of the Radicals with the right which declared war on Germany in 1939. The German invation of 1940 allowed the extreme right to set up a puppet dictatorship under Petain, but resistance was maintained by the Free French under de Gaulle and the maquis until the liberation of 1944. The republic was re-established by a natural govermant, from which de Gaulle broke away to form a right-wing opposition in 1946-7, and the communist were ejected in 1947. Open warfare with the communists in Indo-China ended after 7 1/2 years in the Geneva agreement of 1954, but a series of unstable governments paved the way for the return to power of de Gaulle in 1958 and the inauguration of the 5th Republic. In 1962 independence was granted to Algeria, and from 1963 France was economically strong. De Gaulle abroad offered friendship to West Germany and East Europe, condemned Israel and Market membership, and encouraged French-Canadian nationalism. Gaullists achived only a bare majority in the 1967 elections, but in reaction to student unrest and mass strikes, achived in 1968 the largest majority France republican history. In the new goverment then formed Couve de Murville replaced Pompidu as P.M continuing unrest led to a refendum 1969 on an increased degree of rejection of his proposals De Gaulle himself resigned and was succeeded by George Pompidou.

source: Hutchinson