How France's Fifth Republic was born against a backdrop of insurrection
In October the Fifth Republic will become France's longest-surviving regime since the 1789 Revolution, its 65th anniversary eclipsing the previous record held by the Third Republic. In this first part of a Mediapart series devoted to the issue, Fabien Escalona looks at the unwitting role played in the establishment of the new republic by the attempted coup d'état staged by members of the French military and some senior officials in May 1958. Though the Fifth Republic which emerged later that year was formed without their involvement, this presidential regime owes at least some of its creation to the dramatic political mood caused by the attempted putsch.
OnOn October 4th this year France's Third Republic, which straddled the 19th and 20th centuries, will lose its record for longevity. On that date the current Fifth Republic, founded by General Charles de Gaulle in 1958, will celebrate its 65th anniversary and become the longest-surviving regime since the French Revolution of 1789.
