Having survived the economic and cultural expansion of France at the beginning of the 20th century, in short, it was one of several great world powers. In foreign policy, she went on a rapprochement with England and Russia. Inside the country in 1900 - 1914 the confrontation between the socialists and the moderate increased. This was the period when workers dissatisfied loudly declared themselves. The beginning of the 20th century ended with the declaration of World War I and a change in world order.
Economy
From an economic point of view, France experienced significant growth in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The same thing happened in most of the rest of Europe and in the USA. However, in France, this process has acquired unique features. Industrialization and urbanization were not as fast as those of key leaders (primarily the UK), but the working class continued to develop, and the bourgeoisie continued to strengthen its power.
In the years 1896-1913. the so-called "second industrial revolution" took place. It was marked by the emergence of electricity and cars (there were companies of the brothers Renault and Peugeot). Aviation was born . France at the beginning of the 20th century finally acquired entire industrial regions. Rouen, Lyon and Lille were textile centers, while Saint-Etienne and Creusot were metallurgical regions. The engine and symbol of growth remained the railways. Their network performance increased. Railways were a welcome investment. The simplification of goods exchange and trade through the modernization of transport has led to additional industrial growth.
Urbanization
Small enterprises remained. Almost a third of the country's workers worked at home (mostly tailors). On the eve of World War I, the French economy relied on a solid national currency and had great potential. At the same time, there were flaws: the southern regions of the country lagged behind the northern ones in industrial development.
Urbanization has greatly affected society. France at the beginning of the 20th century was still a country where more than half of the population (53%) lived in the village, but outflow from the village continued to increase. From 1840 to 1913 The population of the republic has grown from 35 to 39 million people. Due to the loss of Lorraine and Alsace in the war with Prussia, the emigration of the population from these regions to their historical homeland continued for several decades.
Social stratification
The life of the workers remained unpleasant. However, this was the case in other countries. In 1884, a law was passed that allowed the creation of syndicates (trade unions). In 1902, the united General Confederation of Labor appeared. The workers organized themselves, revolutionary moods grew in their midst. France at the beginning of the 20th century was changing according to their requirements, including.
An important event was the creation of new social legislation (in 1910, a law on pensions for peasants and workers appeared). Nevertheless, the measures of the authorities lagged significantly behind the same neighboring Germany. The industrial development of France in the early 20th century led to the enrichment of the country, but the benefits were distributed unevenly. Most of them went to the bourgeoisie and the people of Paris. In 1900, the metro was opened in the capital, and then the II Olympic Games of our time were held there.
Culture
The French language adopted the term Belle Époque - "Beautiful era." So later they began to call the period from the end of the XIX century until 1914 (the beginning of the First World War). It was marked not only by economic growth, scientific discoveries, progress, but also by the cultural flourishing that France experienced. Paris at that time was rightly called the "capital of the world."
The general public was embraced by interest in popular novels, tabloid theaters and opposites. Created by the impressionists and cubists. On the eve of the war, Pablo Picasso became world famous. Although he was Spaniard in origin, his entire active creative life was connected with Paris.
Russian theatrical figure Sergei Diaghilev organized the annual “Russian Seasons” in the French capital, which became a world sensation and rediscovered Russia for foreigners. At this time in Paris, the premieres of Stravinsky's Spring of Sacred, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, etc., took place with full houses, and Diaghilev's Russian Seasons revolutionized fashion. In 1903, fashion designer Paul Poiret , inspired by ballet costumes, opened a fashion house that quickly became a cult. Thanks to him, the corset is outdated. France in the 19th and early 20th centuries remained the main cultural light for the whole world.
Foreign policy
In 1900, France, along with several other world powers, participated in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in weakened China. China at that time was experiencing a social and economic crisis. The country was filled with foreigners (including the French), who actively intervened in the internal life of the country. These were merchants and Christian missionaries. Against this background, in China there was an uprising of the poor (“boxers”) who staged pogroms of foreign quarters. The riots were suppressed. Paris received 15% of the huge indemnity of 450 million Liang.
The foreign policy of France in the early 20th century was based on several principles. Firstly, the country was a colonial power with huge possessions in Africa, and it needed to protect its own interests in different parts of the world. Secondly, she maneuvered between other powerful European states, trying to find a long-term ally. In France, anti-German sentiments were traditionally strong (rooted in defeat from Prussia in the war of 1870-1871). As a result, the republic went towards rapprochement with Great Britain.
Colonialism
In 1903, the English king Edward VII paid a diplomatic visit to Paris. Following the trip, an agreement was signed according to which the UK and France divided the spheres of their colonial interests. So the first prerequisites for the creation of the Entente appeared. The colonial agreement allowed France to operate freely in Morocco, and Great Britain in Egypt.
The Germans tried to counter the successes of their opponents in Africa. In response, France held the Algerian Conference, at which its economic rights in the Maghreb were confirmed by England, Russia, Spain and Italy. Germany remained isolated for some time. Such a turn of events was fully consistent with the anti-German course that France was pursuing in the early 20th century. Foreign policy was directed against Berlin, and all its other features were determined according to this leitmotif. The French established a protectorate over Morocco in 1912. After this, there was an uprising that was crushed by the army under the command of General Hubert Lioté.
Socialists
Any characteristic of France at the beginning of the 20th century cannot do without mentioning the growing influence of leftist ideas in the then society. As mentioned above, as a result of urbanization, the number of workers in the country has increased. The proletarians demanded their representation in power. They got it thanks to the socialists.
In 1902, the left bloc won regular elections to the Chamber of Deputies. The new coalition has implemented several reforms related to social security, working conditions and education. Strikes were commonplace. In 1904, strikes of dissatisfied workers swept the whole south of France. Then the leader of the French socialists, Jean Jaurès, created the famous newspaper Humanite. This philosopher and historian not only fought for the rights of workers, but also opposed colonialism and militarism. A fanatic nationalist killed a politician the day before the outbreak of World War I. The figure of Jean Jaurès has become one of the main international symbols of pacifism and the desire for peace.
In 1905, the French socialists united and created the French section of the Workers' International. Its main leaders were Jean Jaures and Jules Guesde. The socialists had to deal with increasingly dissatisfied workers. In 1907, an uprising of wine growers broke out in Languedoc, dissatisfied with the import of cheap Algerian wine. The army, which the government introduced to suppress the riots, refused to shoot people.
Religion
Many features of the development of France in the early 20th century completely turned French society around. For example, in 1905, a law was passed on the separation of the church from the state. It was the final touch on the anti-clerical politics of those years.
The law was repealed by the Napoleonic Concordat, issued back in 1801. A secular state was established and freedom of conscience guaranteed. None of the religious groups could no longer count on the protection of the state. Soon the law was criticized by the Pope (most of the French remained Catholics).
Science and technology
The scientific development of France at the beginning of the 20th century was marked by the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, which Antoine Henri Beckerl, Pierre Curie and Maria Sklodowska-Curie received for discovering the natural radioactivity of uranium salts (six years later, she also received the Nobel Prize in chemistry). Success was accompanied by aircraft designers who created new equipment. In 1909, Louis Bleriot first flew across the English Channel.
Third republic
Democratic France in the early 20th century lived in the era of the Third Republic. During this period, several presidents were at the head of the state: Emil Loubet (1899-1906), Arman Fallier (1906-1913) and Raymond Poincare (1913-1920). What memory of themselves did they leave in the history of France? Emil Loubet came to power in the midst of a social conflict that erupted around the resonant case of Alfred Dreyfus. This soldier (a Jew with the rank of captain) was accused of spying for Germany. Loubet pulled away from the case and let him go on their own. France, meanwhile, experienced a surge in anti-Semitic sentiment. However, Dreyfus was acquitted and rehabilitated.
Arman Fallier actively strengthened the Entente. Under him, France, like all of Europe, involuntarily prepared for the approaching war. Raymond Poincare was anti-German. He reorganized the army and increased the length of service in it from two to three years.
Entente
Back in 1907, Great Britain, Russia and France finally formed their military alliance. The Entente was created in response to the strengthening of Germany. The Germans, Austrians and Italians formed the Triple Alliance as early as 1882. Thus, Europe was split into two hostile camps. Each state, one way or another, was preparing for war, hoping with its help to expand its territory and consolidate its own status as a great power.
July 28, 1914 Serbian terrorist Gavrilo Princip killed the Austrian prince and heir Franz Ferdinand. The Sarajevo tragedy became the occasion for the start of the First World War. Austria attacked Serbia, Russia stood up for Serbia, and Entente members, including France, were drawn into the conflict behind it. Italy, a member of the Triple Alliance, refused to support Germany and the Habsburgs. She became an ally of France and the entire Entente in 1915. At the same time, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined Austria and Germany (this formed the Fourth Union). The First World War put an end to the "Beautiful Era."