Decade - 1910s

A brief summary from good ol'Wikipedia:

The Elkins Act is a 1903 United States federal law that amended the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887.[1] The Elkins Act authorized the Interstate Commerce Commission to impose heavy fines on railroads that offered rebates, and upon the shippers that accepted these rebates. The railroad companies were not permitted to offer rebates.

Prior to the Elkins Act, the livestock and petroleum industries paid standard rail shipping rates, but then would demand that the railroad company give them rebates. The railroad companies resented being extorted by the railroad trusts and therefore welcomed passage of the Elkins Act. The law was sponsored by President Theodore Roosevelt as a part of his "Square Deal" domestic program, and greatly boosted his popularity.

For most of Mexico's developing history, a small minority of the people were in control of most of the country's power and wealth, while the majority of the population worked in poverty. As the rift between the poor and rich grew under the leadership of General Díaz, the political voice of the lower classes was also declining. Opposition of Díaz did surface, when Francisco I. Madero, educated in Europe and at the University of California, led a series of strikes throughout the country.

Díaz was pressured into holding an election in 1910, in which Madero was able to gather a significant number of the votes. Although Díaz was at one time a strong supporter of the one-term limit, he seemed to have changed his mind and had Madero imprisoned, feeling that the people of Mexico just weren't ready for democracy.

Once Madero was released from prison, he continued his battle against Díaz in an attempt to have him overthrown. During this time, several other Mexican folk heros began to emerge, including the well known Pancho Villa in the north, and the peasant Emiliano Zapata in the south, who were able to harass the Mexican army and wrest control of their respective regions. Díaz was unable to control the spread of the insurgence and resigned in May, 1911, with the signing of the Treaty of Ciudad Juárez, after which he fled to France.

Madero was elected president, but received opposition from Emiliano Zapata who didn't wish to wait for the orderly implementation of Madero's desired land reforms. In November of the same year Zapata denounced Madero as president and took the position for himself. He controlled the state of Morelos, where he chased out the estate owners and divided their lands to the peasants. Later, in 1919, Zapata was assassinated by Jesus Guajardo acting under orders from General Pablo Gonzalez.

It was during this time that the country broke into many different factions, and guerrilla units roamed across the country destroying and burning down many large haciendas and ranchos. Madero was later taken prisoner and executed and the entire country existed in a state of disorder for several years, while Pancho Villa rampaged through the north, and different factions fought for presidential control.

Eventually, Venustiano Carranza rose to the presidency, and organized an important convention whose outcome was the Constitution of 1917, which is still in effect today. Carranza made land reform an important part of that constitution. This resulted in the ejido, or farm cooperative program that redistributed much of the country's land from the wealthy land holders to the peasants. The ejidos are still in place today and comprise nearly half of all the farmland in Mexico.

Carranza was followed by others who would fight for political control, and who would eventually continue with the reforms, both in education and land distribution. During this period the PRI political party was established, which was the dominant political power for 71 years until Vicente Fox of the conservative PAN party was elected. The holiday itself commemorates the day, November 20th of 1910, when Madero denounced President Díaz, declared himself president of Mexico and called for a national insurrection.

2005 Riots in Paris, Algeria War, War in Indochina, etc.

After the first World war, France knew what we call "Les années folles", a period when the people enjoyed life with carefreeness.

Then, in 1929, France knew the Depression. This led to the election, in 1936, of a left wing party called "Le Front Populaire" with a great liberal policy : The first Congés payés (payed holidays) are the great symbol of this social progression.

The 2nd World war : The french army is easily defeated by the Germans, the country is separated in two parts, North annexed by Germany, and the south led by the collaboration government of Vichy.

After being liberated, France knew a transition with the "gouvernement provisoire" (temporary government). The times are hard, the country has to be rebuilt and the "épuration" occured. The "épuration" is the "witch-hunt" against former collaborators', during which summary executions without trails were common. The revenge sentiment made people denouncing their neighbors.

The Fourth republic. 1946 - 1958

A new constition was voted by referendum. France had been politically instable during the fourth republic, with a strong government turnover.

the war in Indochine in the 1950ies and the war in Algeria.

The first ended in 1954 with the separation of Indochine in two Vietnams, the North communist and the south independent.

The second ended in 1962, with the proclamation of the independance of Algeria.

The fifth republic : 1958 - ??

In order to avoid the political instability, the constitution of the fifth republic is adopted. Giving more power to the executive power (president and government), it had allowed more efficient policies. The Marshall Plan began to produce its effects and France will know the "Trente Glorieuses" (the glorious thirty), thirty years of great economical whealth. The oil crisis in 1974 ended this period. Since these years then, France has economically known a more "normal" growth.

The 1968 events. Called "Mai 1968", those events were students riots which had turned into a political and a social "revolution". The workers, by striking, joined the students in revendications. The country had been blocked for a month. They led to the resignation of President De Gaulle.

Those events are considered in France as a libertarian revolution, revendications made were about salaries, woman conditions, education ....

Fondation and construction of The European Union :

France and five other countries (Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium and Italy) founded the European union in 1951. With times, the Union has grown and is now composed of 27 countries.

Concerning the 2005's riots, these events were not important and are quite anecdotic, they were actually given a too great deal of media attention, especially by the neocon medias in the US in response of the french refusal to the War in Irak.

Of course this topic deserves to be improved, and is not exhaustive in the events depicted.