World Wars & Résistance (1914–1945)

The First World War (1914–1918) left scars in France that have not fully healed to this day. The Western Front ran right through northern France — four years of trench warfare devastated entire regions. The Battle of Verdun (1916) became the epitome of senseless dying: In ten months, over 700,000 soldiers fell on both sides. In total, France lost 1.4 million dead — almost every fifth soldier did not return. In every village, no matter how small, stands a Monument aux Morts — a war memorial with shockingly long lists of names.

The interwar period brought cultural flourishing (the Années folles, the crazy years) and political instability. Paris attracted artists from all over the world: Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker, Picasso, Man Ray. At the same time, political trench warfare paralyzed the country.

Occupation and Résistance

In May 1940, the Wehrmacht overran France in just six weeks — a shock that deeply shook the national self-image. The country was divided: The north and the Atlantic coast were under German occupation, while the Vichy regime under Marshal Pétain ruled in the south — an authoritarian satellite state that actively collaborated with the Nazis. Vichy's involvement in the deportation of 76,000 Jews (including the infamous roundup at Vel d'Hiv in 1942) was suppressed for decades and only officially acknowledged by President Chirac in 1995.

From London, Charles de Gaulle organized the France Libre (Free France) and called for resistance. The Résistance at home — from acts of sabotage to escape assistance to armed struggle — became a national myth. On June 6, 1944 (D-Day), the Allies landed in Normandy; on August 25, French troops liberated Paris. De Gaulle marched down the Champs-Élysées the next day — one of the most iconic images of the 20th century.