France

Every city has its own personality, and in my two visits to Paris (1962 and 1995), I have been overwhelmed with the feeling that just being in Paris was its own reward. And then add the sights: Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Napoleon’s Tomb, the Left Bank, the museums and the people themselves, somewhat like Texans in their independence but warm and helpful

The Arc de Triomphe stands in the center of Place Charles de Gaulle, an enormous circular hub still know to Parisians by its former name, Place de l’Etiole. From here, twelve grand avenues radiate outwards to all points in Paris. Begun by Napoleon in 1806 to commemorate French victories, political changes and cost overruns delayed its completion until 1836. It is the largest triumphal arch in the world

when addressed with a few faltering words of French.

The territory of France was settled as early as 10, 000 B.C. , passing through the Paleolithic, Megalithic and early Bronze Age periods until the arrival of early Greek traders about 600 B.C. and Celts a century later. Then, came the Romans for about four centuries, the Visigoths in

The 1000 foot Eiffel Tower has been called the railroad bridge that was cut in half and placed on its end. Built for the 1889 Paris Exposition and to celebrate the centennial of the storming of the Bastille, it was originally vilified, called the “Awful Tower”, but over the years has grown into the symbol of the City of Light

southern Gaul, and finally the Germanic Frankish kingdom. Much of this parallel Spanish history, except the Frankish king Charles Martel defeated the Moors (Arabians/Berbers) at Poitiers in 732 A.D., driving them out of Gaul. Charlemagne enlarged the Frankish empire, and in 800 his authority was confirmed by his coronation an Emperor in Rome. For the next 800 years, France rose to the age of absolutism with the French kingdom, supported by the Church and towns, steadily consolidating its position and establishing itself as a hereditary monarchy.

The Frankish Empire of Charlemagne was divided, and Charles II received the western part, with boundaries that remained until the late medieval period.

Long before Napoleon called England “that nation of shopkeepers”, France was fighting England, as well as the Germans, Dutch and Spanish. As the lifestyle of the French court became more lavish and expensive, less and less attention was paid to the feelings of the people of France. But the 1789 Revolution was triggered by “Le deficit”, for government debt had tripled between 1774 and 1789, much of it from supporting the American Revolution. The Church and nobility who represented less than two percent of the population but owned a third of France, where taxed heavily. The third estate: the commoners forced their way into the alliance, and Louis XVI reluctantly accepted idea of

Napoleon’s Tomb- buried first on St. Helena, the Emperor’s body was disinterred and shipped to Paris in 1840. His remains are protected by six coffins, each within another, in a massive sarcophagus of polished red marble

constitutional monarchy. It was too late. With 30, 000 muskets and five cannon from des Invalides and powder from the Bastille, la Revolution had started.

Place de la Concorde, Paris’ largest and most infamous public square became the Place of Revolution. The guillotine replace Louis XV’S statue.

During another of France’s famous wars, the Revolution, from June 1793 to July 1794, the Reign of Terror, 2, 500 people were taken in open carts to the “Nation’s Razor”, s the guillotine was called. Before that, on 21 January 1793, King Louis XVI was guillotined as 20, 000 jeering spectators crowded into Place de la Concorde square. Nine months later, on 16 October 1793, his queen, Marie Antoinette, met the same fate. In all, the Terror claimed some 50, 000 victims, 85% of them commoners. Taking advantage of the anarchy, Napoleon seized control of the government in 1799, at the age of thirty. He engaged France in the Napoleonic Wars with the major European powers from 1803 to 1815. He led two million Frenchmen and one million troops from allied or satellite states into 60 battles that claimed

Omaha Beach is peaceful today, but on the morning of 6 June 1944, two-thirds of the entire American D-Day effort was concentrated here. A ten-know wind swamped many landing craft, sending artillery guns to the bottom and drowning many men who carried 68 pounds of equipment, ammunition, explosives and food. Despite confusion and withering German firepower, small groups of men found their way off the beach and overpowered the Germans, securing Omaha by nightfall. America suffered 4, 649 casualties among all of its landing forces to put 55,000 men ashore on D-Day

between 450,00 and 1, 750, 000 casualties. After Napoleon, France swapped republic and monarchies several times. The revolutions of 1830 and 1848, the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 and the industrial revolution were major upheavals to French political and economical life.

France fought Germany twice in a 25 year period in two World Wars (1914 and 1939) in the first half of the 20th century, the second time occupied for more than four years.

France is a big country with 543, 965 square miles, about twice the size of Texas. The estimated 1998 population was 58, 804, 944, with 94% French and 81% Roman Catholic. It’s a Presidential Republic, and has had two Republics since World War II, the Fourth and the Fifth. France has been plagued in the second half of the 20th century with many problems: demands by North Africa Algeria for independence (granted in 1962), unrest of students leading to riots, immigration with expulsion in the 90s of illegal immigrants, terrorism in the mid-90s, riots in French Polynesia (Tahiti) about underground nuclear testing, bombs

The American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer covers 1, 725 acres, and lying under its green carpet of grass are 9, 386 known dead, and an additional 307 unknown. Many of them died in the landing and establishment of the D-Day invasion beachheads

exploding in the middle 90s, criticism about continued military presence in Africa, giving impression of continued colonial government, when it was a time of liberation for most African nations, economic troubles and protests about politicians receiving support from far-right groups. I remember when I was in Paris in 1995, I never could find a garbage can I wasn’t sealed; finally I was told that it was to prevent terrorist groups from planting bombs or other explosive devices in them. But

The Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel has been called “the wonder of the Western World.” Perched on its granite hill 250 feet above the surrounding flat countryside, the Abbey may be seen for miles. For centuries, rushing tides and surrounding patches of quickened made it difficult and dangerous to reach. A causeway was constructed in the 19th century, but even today the tides after the new and full moons make the crossing perilous. Mont-Saint-Michel has been many things: monastery, church, prison, center of learning, even the seat of a chivalric order

through it all, Paris and France carry on, eating their baguettes and drinking their wine.