history
In solemn Paris ceremony, Macron warns against nationalism
President Emmanuel Macron led tributes to the millions of soldiers killed during World War One on Sunday, holding an emotional ceremony in Paris attended by…
The wagon that ended the war
The World War I armistice was signed in a train carriage dubbed ‘the wagon that ended the war’. “You had to break the will of the German military, whatever…
The 1918 Armistice: 'The end of the nightmare' for the French
At 11am on November 11, 1918 the armistice came into effect. At the frontline or further away from the conflict, the reactions were different. While some celebrated victory, most…
My centenary: Five years on the frontlines of the Great War
For five years, Stéphanie Trouillard has covered WWI centenary commemorations for FRANCE 24. In more than 160 articles, she sought to untangle a conflict that shook the world,…
Reporters
Reporters: How the Salonica Front led to victory in WWI
A century ago, towards the end of World War I, Allied soldiers were engaged in fighting on the Salonica Front, near the Greek city now known as Thessaloniki. Those key battles,…
Armistice 1918: Trébuchon, France's last fallen soldier
On November 11, 1918, Augustin Trébuchon fell in a hail of German fire minutes before the armistice. He was the last French soldier killed on home soil in World War I.…
France In Focus
Armistice: The signature that ended World War I
One century ago, on November 11, 1918, the armistice that ended World War I was signed in the French forest of Compiègne. The conflict had lasted for more than four years, during…
French PM visits site of watershed 1954 Vietnam defeat
France's Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on Saturday visited the site of the 1954 battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam, which led to the end of French presence…
Revisited
Congolese nostalgic for era of Mobutu, the 'leopard of Zaire'
More than 20 years after the fall of the charismatic Congolese dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who ruled the vast African country with an iron fist from 1965 to 1997, many Congolese…
Focus
30 years ago, New Caledonia hostage crisis shocked France
On November 4, New Caledonians will vote on whether or not to remain part of France. It's the culmination of three decades of dialogue and negotiations. But what would ultimately…
‘Sex, Race & Colonies’ book hits nerve in post-colonial France
A coffee table book full of sexualised images of indigenous people exploited by their white masters has hit a nerve in post-colonial France. The authors argue they’re telling…
Revisited
Semey Revisited: The legacy of nuclear testing in Kazakhstan
Nearly 30 years after the closure of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site in the steppes of eastern Kazakhstan, local people are still suffering the consequences of four decades…
Perspective