Module Content and Indicative Topics  



Between 1870 and 1970 the social, cultural, and political landscape of France was radically transformed. In 1870, few people mourned the end of the Second Empire under Napoleon III; in 1970, many mourned the death of Charles de Gaulle, founder of the current Fifth Republic and former leader of the Free French. In 1870, France was consolidating a sprawling Empire; by 1970, very little of France’s overseas possessions remained, and its place in the world was fundamentally altered. Across this period, a number of ideological, political, and social tensions – plus the experience of warfare – often pitted the French against one another. The module proposes that a sense of conflict and crisis – whether ideological, social, or military – was central to France’s experience of this period, itself a crucial century in the formation of contemporary France. You will examine key events and flashpoints, from the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune, contestations of the Third Republic, and anticlericalism, to the World Wars and the unrest of May 1968. To do so, you will consult primary sources (documents, images, even video clips from the time), whilst also gaining and understanding of many related historiographical developments.  



The module will cover the following topics, which may be subject to variation depending on developments in academic research and the interests of the class:  





 The Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune  
 
 
 The Belle Époque (1870-1914)  
 
 
 The First World War  
 
 
 The inter-war period, notably tensions between the far right and the far left  
 
 
 The Occupation (1940-44)  
 






 The Fourth Republic and Decolonisation (1945-1958)  
 
 
 The Algerian War (1954-1962)  
 
 
 De Gaulle’s Republic (1958-1968)  
 
 
 The student and workers’ protests of May 1968  
 



Teaching Delivery  





The module is taught via weekly two-hour seminars which involve mini-lectures, group discussion of readings, and close analysis of primary sources. Preparation for seminars involves reading set texts and taking notes, informed by pre-circulated questions.  



Whilst this module expands upon some topics covered in FREN0005: The Making of Modern France, it is not necessary to have taken that module to take this one – and you will not be disadvantaged if you did not.  



This module has historically been popular. If you try to register on this module, we would advise exploring additional options, just in case.    



By the end of the module, you should be able to:   




 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of key events in France, 1870-1970, especially the dominance of notions of crisis and conflict.  
 






 Conceptualise and contextualise important historical processes, phenomena, and trends in recent French history.  
 
 
 Discuss, debate, and present historical and historiographical arguments concerning late-nineteenth and twentieth-century France.  
 
 
 Communicate your knowledge and analysis in both written and verbal form.  
 
 
 Analyse and interpret a variety of primary sources, and weave them into an overall argument.  
 



  





Recommended Reading  



In preparation for the module, you may wish to read the following core texts, but this is not compulsory. These can be found in the UCL Library:  




 Rod Kedward, La Vie en Bleu: France and the French since 1900 (London: Penguin, 2006).  
 
 
 James F. McMillan, Twentieth-Century France: Politics and Society, 1889-1991 (London: Edward Arnold, 1992).  
 
 
 Robert Gildea, France 1870-1914 (Longman: London, 1996).  
 






 Richard Vinen, France 1934-1970 (London: Palgrave, 1996). 