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The lecture studies the evolution of French society with its social, cultural, political elements in order to clear up the more characteristic lines. The French society is first the result of an influence of a series of succession brought by history throughout waves of religious crisis and social break migration.
We will follow a chronological progression:
First, we will deal with the original population (Paleolithic and Neolithic) then the waves of Celtic migrations soon subjected to the Greek influence and especially the one of the Roman Empire which encourages the fastening of the Gallo-Roman society.
The balance that was found after the invasion of the Francs at the Vth century gave birth to a society that tries to structure itself. The first Franc kings (Merovingienne Dynasty) however did not manage to impose their authority to their subjects.
The fragile Merovingienne monarchy faced to the Arabo-Muslim development and its elusive insight in France (732) left the spot to another dynasty, the Carolingiens, more efficient.
Charlemagne became emperor (800) promoted a Renaissance. But when he died, the barons took over the power and gave an original structure to a society already shattered (feudalism).
For the peasant there was no noticeable change. The situation of the serf of the year 1000 looks like a lot to the slavery that occurred during antiquity except for a small minority of the free peasants.
The great changes however are put in place at the beginning of the millennium.
The introduction of agricultural technology improve appreciably the yields, provokes the expansion of the population and the relative development of trade, without any interruption until the XIVth century. The calamities that rushed into this century (war, starvation, disease) brutally put an end to this relative period of development.
The trauma affected all the social classes and shattered all beliefs. It was the end of the feudal world. "Modern Times" are announced. The intellectual (Erasme, Rabelais, Budé …) and artistic period (Renaissance) brought their "humanism" answers during the XVth- XVIth century.
French override Latin in official acts and within literature. The printing-house met a spectacular development.
The rural sphere, less concerned with this cultural revolution benefited however of the economical expansion.
The ideological shock did not spare the Church which had to face the Reform that led the Kings into European religious wars.
The classic period (XVIIth- XVIIIth) saw the reinforcement of the power of the monarchy, absolutist, at the expense of stately power.
The society is unsettled by the King's demands and rules. The Enlightenment philosophers (Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot) fueled the critics until the break, the French Revolution (1789).
We will give it a special attention since this event opened up new social, cultural and political changes during the XVIIIth century.
The XIXth century society was marked by industrialization, the development of capitalism but also the affirmation of the working class movement. It was also a process of dechristianization and secularism of the society and the state. The States got involved in the colonial conquest at the end of the XIXth century even if it would provoke tensions, or worse conflicts between the powers.
Finally, the XXth century went through two world wars build the state of mind of the French society between hope and despair: "Belle Epoque" in 1900 that ends with the first war, then the "roaring twenties" between the two wars, the collapse of 1940 and the shame that still inspires the Vichy government then the popular jubilation of the liberation.
The XXth cebtury greatest social crisis (1936 and May-June 1968) testified also by the spirit of the rebellion which lighted up the French population and which sometimes surprises abroad/in the foreign countries.
Il s’agit d’étudier l’évolution de la société française avec ces composantes sociales, culturelles, politiques pour en dégager les traits les plus caractéristiques. Du peuplement originel (celtique) soumis par les Romains, brassée par les peuples germaniques (les Francs et d’autres) jusqu’à nos jours, la société française a connu une évolution originale. En révolte dès le Moyen-âge, la population française a fixé progressivement les contours d’une société fondée sur le refus de l’oppression, sur les principes de tolérance et d’Etat de droit tout au long de son histoire.
Nous suivrons donc une progression chronologique :
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