republic · France and the Low Countries
French Fifth Republic
Origins
The Algerian crisis of 1958 brought down the French Fourth Republic. Charles de Gaulle returned to power and a new constitution, approved by referendum in September 1958, created a powerful presidency alongside a parliament. De Gaulle became the first president in January 1959.
Rule and society
De Gaulle ended the Algerian War with Algerian independence in 1962, introduced direct election of the president that year, built an independent nuclear deterrent and left NATO's integrated command in 1966. The May 1968 protests shook the regime. François Mitterrand's election in 1981 brought the left to power, and periods of cohabitation followed.
To the present
France remains a secular republic at the centre of the European Union, using the euro since 1999. A 2000 reform cut the presidential term to five years. Emmanuel Macron was elected president in 2017 and re-elected in 2022.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- French Polynesia was part of French Fifth Republic1958 CE – 2030 CE
- French Territory of the Afars and the Issas was part of French Fifth Republic1967 CE – 1977 CE
More states of France and the Low Countries →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). French Fifth Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-fifth-republic
- MLA
- “French Fifth Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-fifth-republic. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “French Fifth Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-fifth-republic.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘French Fifth Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-fifth-republic (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻