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French Union

 
 

Political entity created by the constitution of 1946 of the Fourth Republic. It replaced the French colonial empire with a semifederal entity that absorbed the colonies (overseas departments and territories) and gave former protectorates limited local autonomy, with some voice in decision making in Paris. By the constitution of 1958, the French Union was replaced by the French Community.

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Columbia Encyclopedia: French Union
French Union, 1946–58, political entity established by the French constitution of 1946. It comprised metropolitan France (the 90 departments of continental France and Corsica); French overseas departments, territories, settlements, and United Nations trusteeships; French colonies, which became overseas departments of France; and associate states (protectorates), which became autonomous. The union replaced the colonial system. In 1954, the associate states of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia withdrew from the union, and in 1956 Morocco and Tunisia, also associate states, became independent. The French Community replaced the French Union in 1958.


 
Wikipedia: French Union
Top
Union française
French Union

1946–1958
Flag Coat of arms
Flag Coat of arms
Motto
Liberté, égalité, fraternité
(French: Liberty, equality, brotherhood)
Anthem
La Marseillaise
Location of French Union
Territories of the French Union
Capital Paris
Language(s) French
Political structure State union
Historical era Cold War
 - Fourth Republic October 27, 1946
 - Indochina leaves 1954
 - Morocco leaves 1956
 - Tunisia leaves 1956
 - Fifth Republic October 5, 1958
Currency French franc
CFA franc
CFP franc
French Indochinese piastre
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Provisional Government of the French Republic
French Community
Kingdom of Laos
State of Vietnam
North Vietnam
Cambodia under Sihanouk (1954-1970)
Morocco
Tunisia
French Guinea

The French Union (French: Union française) was a political entity created by the French Fourth Republic to replace the old French colonial system, the "French Empire" (Empire Français) and to abolish its "indigenous" (indigène) status.

Contents

History

Established by the French constitution of October 27, 1946 (Fourth Republic), it lasted until 1958, when it was replaced by the French Community by Charles de Gaulle's Fifth Republic.

French Commonwealth

The French Union was modelled on the British Commonwealth, which, by coincidence, became the Commonwealth of Nations that same year.

The French Union included France, French overseas départements, territories, settlements, United Nations trusteeships (Cameroun, etc.), French colonies (which became overseas départements of France) and associate states (protectorates) which became autonomous.

Dissolution

The associated states of French Indochina withdrew from the union in 1954; French Morocco and Tunisia gained their independence in 1956.

See also


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "French Union" Read more

 

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