Five republics, one motto, and presidents who loved to build museums
France has had five republics, and a lot of drama in between. Marianne, the tricolour flag and 'Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité' tie them all together. Follow the story from 1792 to today, from the Panthéon to the Louvre pyramid.
In September 1792, the Revolution ended the monarchy and France became a republic for the first time. It did not last: Napoleon made himself emperor, and later kings came back. The Second Republic of 1848 gave the vote to all men, but it was soon replaced by another empire. The Third Republic began in 1870 and lasted almost 70 years. It gave France free schools and the Eiffel Tower. In 1940, after defeat by Germany, the Vichy regime replaced it and worked with the Nazis. After the war came the Fourth Republic, and in 1958 Charles de Gaulle founded the Fifth. France still lives in it today, although some people debate the idea of a Sixth. And here is the surprise: just like the kings before them, the presidents loved to build museums.
Pick a colour to follow one story. Every moment shows where you can still see it.
On 21 September 1792, the new assembly abolishes the monarchy. Later, a new calendar counts the years from the next day: Year I of the Republic.
See it at: Carnavalet MuseumA revolution in February brings the Second Republic. All men can now vote, and slavery is abolished in the French colonies for good.
After the defeat against Prussia, the Third Republic is declared on 4 September 1870. In 1881 and 1882, minister Jules Ferry makes primary school free, compulsory and secular for every child.
See it at: Musée de l'école de Chartres et d'Eure-et-LoirFor the world fair, 100 years after the Revolution, Gustave Eiffel builds an iron tower of 300 metres. Many artists called it ugly, and it was only meant to stand for 20 years.
See it at: Eiffel TowerAfter France lost to Germany in 1940, Marshal Pétain ended the Republic and led the Vichy regime, which worked with Nazi Germany and helped send about 76,000 Jews from France to the death camps. Paris is freed in August 1944, and in 1945 women vote for the first time.
See it at: Mémorial de la ShoahThe Fourth Republic, born in 1946, falls during the crisis over the war in Algeria. Charles de Gaulle comes back and gives France a new constitution, still in use today.
See it at: Historial Charles de GaulleThe Centre Pompidou opens, with its pipes and escalators on the outside. President Georges Pompidou wanted it, but he died in 1974 and never saw it. Check its website: the building has big works going on.
See it at: Centre PompidouThe Louvre gets I. M. Pei's glass pyramid, the star of François Mitterrand's 'grands travaux'. He also built the Institut du monde arabe, the Opéra Bastille and a giant new national library.
See it at: Louvre MuseumJacques Chirac opens a museum for the arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Many of its objects came to France in colonial times, and in 2021 France gave 26 royal treasures back to Benin.
See it at: Musée du quai Branly - Jacques ChiracOn 15 April 2019, a fire destroys the roof and the spire of Notre-Dame. Craftspeople rebuild it with oak, stone and old skills, and the cathedral reopens in December 2024.
See it at: Notre-Dame de ParisThe museums and places where this story comes alive.
A train station built for the world fair of 1900, which was almost torn down in the 1970s. President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing decided to turn it into a museum, and it opened in 1986. Look up at the giant golden clock in the main hall.
Walk around I. M. Pei's pyramid, then go down under it into the big hall. Then find the small upside-down pyramid nearby, in the underground shopping gallery. It points down at a tiny stone pyramid.
Built as a church for a king, it became the Republic's temple for its great people in 1791. Read the words on the front: 'Aux grands hommes la patrie reconnaissante'. Inside, find Foucault's pendulum and the tombs of Victor Hugo, Marie Curie and Simone Veil.
Jean Nouvel's building hides behind a wild garden and a wall covered in living plants. Inside, a long winding ramp takes you to art from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas. Look for the coloured boxes sticking out of the building: each one is a small room.
Under the courtyard of the Invalides, films and sound tell the life of de Gaulle. Hear his famous radio call from London on 18 June 1940, and follow him to the Fifth Republic.
Step into the world of Jules Ferry's schools: wooden desks, ink wells and a map of France on the wall. Imagine writing with a dip pen while the teacher watches you.
France is in its Fifth Republic, founded by Charles de Gaulle in 1958.
It was the Gare d'Orsay, a station built for the world fair of 1900.
The pipes have colour codes: green for water, blue for air, yellow for electricity and red for moving people.