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French Republic
| French Republic République française | |
|---|---|
Map of France
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| File:Flag of France.svg | File:Arms of the French Republic.svg |
| Flag | State Emblem |
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France, officially the French Republic, is a capitalist country in Western Europe. It is largely located in Europe with additional colonial holdings in South America and elsewhere. Its metropolitan territory is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra, and Spain.
It had a liberal revolution in 1789 and was established as a republic in 1792, prior to which it was an absolute monarchy. Conflict with other European powers, primarily over fears the liberal revolution would spread, ignited war just a couple months before the proclamation of the republic, with the monarchies of Europe fighting for the preservation of the status quo. Napoleon Bonaparte seized power in 1799 and continued the struggle against the European monarchies, though ultimately lost in 1815. Afterwards, the Bourbon dynasty was reinstalled and monarchism lasted until 1870, when France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War and its government collapsed, giving rise to the French Third Republic. The modern republic, the French Fifth Republic, was established after the Algiers crisis of 1958.