The end of World War II in 1945 left much of France to be
rebuilt. Heavy military and civilian casualties in WWII and
reopening old wounds from WWI left the country ready to move on to
a new era of peace. Though France would rebuild in La Patrie (the
motherland), ironically, it would remain at war perpetually until
1967 in its colonies.
Slide 4
Politics in the 50s French Fourth Republic 1946-1958though
there was great economic growth and strengthening of state
institutions as we know them today in France, the 4 th Republic was
characterized by a weak executive branch and saw frequent changes
of government (20 in ten years!). Another notable feature about the
4 th Republic is its ineffective decisions about
decolonizationwhich led to bloody uprisings and wars in many of
Frances former colonies. Because of these issues, the Fourth
Republic collapsed in what some historians considered to be a de
facto coup d'tat, which was legitimized by a referendum in 1958
establishing the Fifth Republic 1959. Back from retirement by
popular demand is Charles de Gaulle, Frances leader of La France
Libre during the Occupation of WWII.
Slide 5
Why do you think that at 67 I would start a career as a
dictator ? Pourquoi voulez-vous qu' 67 ans je commence une carrire
de dictateur ? -Press conference, May 19,1958 It is better to have
a bad method than to have none. Il vaut mieux avoir une mthode
mauvaise plutt que de n'en avoir aucune. Clementine Churchill:
"General, you must not hate your friends more than you hate your
enemies" De Gaulle (in English): "France has no friends, only
interests. France cannot be France without greatness. La France ne
peut tre la France sans la grandeur. in Mmoires de guerre. Like
many politicians and statesmen, Charles de Gaulle was known for his
witty remarks
Slide 6
Lets watch a short educational film produced in the US in the
50s about modern day France. The film is a great glimpse into
everyday scenes (albeit happy ones) from France in the 1950s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRx0KLqTF0U
Slide 7
Large-scale transportation projects brought new roads in
competition with the local, small-scale railways. By the 1950s the
once extensive narrow gauge system (local rail) had practically
become extinct in favor of roadways and automobiles. In addition,
more bridges literally connected more of France than was ever
capable before, changing the landscape of transportation and
village life. Tancarville bridge in Normandy, across the Seine,
opened in 1955 and dramatically changed lives in the area.
Slide 8
The effects of the gains made by the huge citizen and worker
movements during 1936 an 8 hour day, paid holidays, and a minimum
wagewere not felt until after the Second World War, and not really
until France had been rebuilt. Much like what happened in the US,
this new found leisure time in the 1950s began to have a
significant impact on cultural activities. An ad for a Vespa moped.
Beautiful Sundays
Slide 9
During the occupation, much like in the US, women in France
experienced very liberated roles. Like its US counterpart, after
the war, there was a widespread cultural and advertising campaign
for women to play their traditional gender role. With the post WWII
reconstruction economy, a new-found consumerism was taking hold as
many families found themselves with modest amounts of money to
spend, and many new fangled inventions which to buy.
Slide 10
Tired from the war, and with a thirst for moving on and
rebuilding, entertainment becomes extremely important and takes on
a new meaning in 1950s France. With a campaign to make the country
literate in French (and abandon the strong accents and dialects),
livres de poche become popular as novels make their way to the
masses. Reading is no longer just for the educated as these pocket
novellas have mass appeal. In a country that was vastly spread out,
and largely rural, many move to the cities, but France is connected
now in ways it never wasthrough the spread of movie theaters,
widespread radio for entertainment, mass circulation color
magazines, telephones, and TVs were transforming France.
Slide 11
One of the Frances most beloved entertainers of the time is
Edith Piaf. Her song Milord plays in the background right now.
Hymne a lamour was recorded in 1950 by Edith Piaf after her lover,
famous boxer Marcel Cerdan died in a tragic plane crash on his way
to see her in New York City. Piaf is universally regarded as
Frances greatest popular singer and came to popularity in the mid
1930s and remained popular until her early death in the 1960s. She
became internationally known during the war, since troops from
around the world, including the US heard her regularly. She made
the cross-over to US popularity after the war in the 1950s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzEJ7NV_g98 Click on the link below
to watch the trailer of La Vie en Rose, a movie about her
life.
Slide 12
Even though women were encouraged to play their traditional
roles, glimpses of the womens liberation movement were seenalbeit
in the form of sexual liberation. No one at the time captures that
mood more than Brigitte Bardot. There was a claim in the 1950s and
60s that Brigitte Bardot did more for Frances international trade
balance than their entire car industry! Brigitte Bardot, ballet
dancer, model, and actress catapulted into international stardom
after starring in Roger Vadims controversial 1956 And God Created
Woman. After its release in 1957 in the US, Bardot becomes a
reluctant overnight sensation in America and abroad.
Slide 13
Already a widely known in the 30s and 40s for her couture and
perfume, Coco Chanel closed her fashion house during the war. She
was accused of being in close association with the Nazis during the
war and because of this when she reopened her clothing line and the
doors to her shop in Paris in 1954, she did not regain French
popularity for quite some time. However, her lines exploded with
the British and American fashion buyers who have remained faithful
to her line ever since. We can thank Chanel for black and white
being acceptable in womens everyday clothing, the little black
dress, and casual, comfortable mens inspired clothing for
women.
Slide 14
Formula 1 Inaugural Season: 1950 Formula 1 Racing, is
considered the highest class single-seater auto racing in the world
and has the fastest cars in the industry. It all started with Grand
Prix racing in France in the late 1800s and popularized throughout
Europe in the 20s and 30s. 1950 was the official year of the
inaugural season.
Slide 15
Jacques-Yves Cousteau was a French naval officer, explorer,
ecologist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author
and researcher. In 1950 after leaving the French Navy, he founded
French Oceanographic Campaigns (FOC) and went on to explore the
first underwater archeological digs, write several books, research
papers, and direct several films during the 50sof particular note
was his discovery of echolocation that was used by porpoises and
other cetaceans, which was a relatively new feature in submarines.
He and his colleagues continued to gain popularity as well as
critical acclaim in the years to come.
Slide 16
Tachisme Tachisme, arose in France in the 1940s and 1950s. It
is a French style of abstract painting. Tache in French means
stain. It is considered to be the European equivalent of abstract
expressionism and was a part of a larger movement of Lart informel.
Serge Poliakoff Composition: Gray and Red Norman Bluhm,
Untitled
Slide 17
The 1950s in France was a time of great changes in Europe and
in France. The economy of La Patrie boomed, transportation and
modern communications connected the country like never before,
villages and French local subcultures began to shrink at an
incredible rate as the French urbanized and industrialized, and a
newly formed middle class found leisure time and a little extra
money for entertainment as France saw the beginning of a mass
consumerism that was new to its people. All the while, wars and
revolts were taking place in the colonies, students and critics
demanded attention to the atrocities that the French committed
during World War II and in the colonies, and the labor movement
became less and less content with the faade of class mobility and
the improvements of the decade. All this was leading up to a
boiling point, much like in the US, for a cultural revolution in
the France of the 1960s. In Conclusion