Rise of Great Nation - France

Author: CCTV Program Group of "The Rise of a Great Nation"
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: In the 17th century, King Louis XIV established the most powerful absolute monarchy on the European continent in France, thereby bringing the country's economic, cultural, and military power to an unprecedented peak in history, and Paris was born during that period. Louis XIV's fondness for cultural arts nurtured the people's admiration for intellectual culture, and the Enlightenment, which swept across Europe, was widely spread in France. The Enlightenment broke the theological shackles of medieval Europe and opened the door to reason, while the contradictions between the three estates in French society, which had long been unresolved, intensified. In 1789, the French Revolution broke out, and the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" was proclaimed. However, the suppression by the monarchies of Europe led to extreme events and long-term turmoil in France. At this time, Napoleon appeared as the son of the Revolution, once again bringing France to its peak through the conquest of Europe. However, military expansion could not sustain a great power's status. It was not until after World War II, under the leadership of de Gaulle's independent and autonomous development path, that France restored its former glory.