Africa · Independence and the modern states
French Fifth Republic
Republic · 1958–2024
The French Fifth Republic, France's current constitutional regime, was established on 4 October 1958 and is inseparable from the end of the French colonial empire in Africa. The Fourth Republic (1946–1958) had been paralysed by weak executives and revolving-door governments while fighting losing colonial wars in Indochina and, from 1954, Algeria.
- Type
- Republic
- Existed
- 1958–2024
- Shown on the map
- 1958–2024
- Peak area
- 11.6M km²
- Region
- Africa
Overview
The French Fifth Republic, France's current constitutional regime, was established on 4 October 1958 and is inseparable from the end of the French colonial empire in Africa. The Fourth Republic (1946–1958) had been paralysed by weak executives and revolving-door governments while fighting losing colonial wars in Indochina and, from 1954, Algeria. In May 1958, French settlers and rebellious army units in Algiers seized power, demanding the return of Charles de Gaulle to prevent Algerian independence; the metropolitan parliament, unable to form a government, voted itself out of existence and empowered de Gaulle to draft a new constitution. Approved by over 80% in the September 1958 referendum, it created a strong semi-presidential system, and de Gaulle was elected president in December 1958.
Later history and present status
The African dimension was central: the 1958 constitution replaced the French Union with the French Community, offering the African territories autonomy or independence — Guinea alone voted "no" and was cut off immediately, while fourteen other territories (excluding Algeria) became independent in 1960, the "Year of Africa". Algeria's independence on 5 July 1962, after the Évian Accords ended a brutal eight-year war, closed the imperial era, though France retained deep influence through the CFA franc, military agreements, and the informal networks known as Françafrique. At home the Fifth Republic became France's third-longest-lasting regime: de Gaulle ruled until 1969, followed by Pompidou, Giscard d'Estaing, Mitterrand (1981–95, the first Socialist president), Chirac, Sarkozy, Hollande, and Macron (since 2017). Key evolutions include direct election of the president (1962), constitutional review of legislation (1971/1974), three periods of cohabitation, and reduction of the presidential term to five years (2000). France remains a unitary semi-presidential republic, a nuclear power, and a G7 economy, while several African territories — Réunion, Mayotte, and others — remain integral parts of the Republic.
Common questions
- What was the French Fifth Republic?
- The French Fifth Republic, France's current constitutional regime, was established on 4 October 1958 and is inseparable from the end of the French colonial empire in Africa. The Fourth Republic (1946–1958) had been paralysed by weak executives and revolving-door governments while fighting losing colonial wars in Indochina and, from 1954, Algeria.
- When did the French Fifth Republic exist?
- The French Fifth Republic existed 1958–2024. On this map it is drawn 1958–2024.
- How large was the French Fifth Republic?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, the French Fifth Republic covered about 12 million km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- What is the present status of the French Fifth Republic?
- The African dimension was central: the 1958 constitution replaced the French Union with the French Community, offering the African territories autonomy or independence — Guinea alone voted "no" and was cut off immediately, while fourteen other territories (excluding Algeria) became independent in 1960, the "Year of Africa".
Sources
Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.
- Wikipedia — French Fifth Republic en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Fifth_Republic
This entry was written from the sources above and last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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