| A | B |
|---|
| current French president | Jacques Chirac |
| current Prime Minister | Dominique de Villepin |
| French President's residene | Palais de l'Elysee |
| similar to American Sec'y of State | Prime Minister |
| term for President | 5 years |
| term for Prime Minister | none- appointed |
| term for Deputes | 5 years |
| term for Senateurs | 9 years |
| Voting limitations | 18 years old, all citizens |
| Motto | Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite |
| Flag | le drapeau tricolore |
| National Anthem | La Marseillaise |
| writer of National Anthem | Rouget de Lisle (1792) |
| National Holiday | July 14th |
| Bastille | prison that is taken at beginning of French Revolution |
| Assemblee Nationale | equivalent of our House of Representatives |
| Senat | equivalent of our Senate |
| Cour de Cassation | like Supreme Court |
| # of mainland French departments | 96 |
| # of DOM (overseas departments) | 4 |
| # of TOM (territories) | 6 |
| head of department | Prefet |
| similar to our Cabinet | Conseil des Ministres |
| # of regions in France | 22 |
| leader of the armed services | President |
| Guadeloupe | department |
| Martinique | department |
| Reunion | department |
| Guyane Francaise | department |
| Mayotte | territory |
| St. Pierre et Miquelon | territory |
| Wallis et Futuna | territory |
| Nouvelle-Caledonie | territory |
| French Polynesia (Tahiti) | territory |
| beginning of the 5th republic | 1958 |
| symbol used by the monarchy | fleur de lys |
| "symbol" of France | rooster |
| "personification" of France | Marianne |
| leader of the French Resistance during WWII | Charles de Gaulle |
| crisis going on at beginning of 5th republic | Algerian war |
| Accords d'Evian | treaty signed to end the war in Algeria-1962 |
| De Gaulle re-elected | 1965 |
| Accusations against De Gaulle | obstruction, isolationism, autocracy, totalitarianism, censure, "spying" on private citizens |
| May 1968 | protests by students and strikes by workers |
| Major change of 5th republic constitution | gave President more powers |
| Referendum against De Gaulle | 1969 |
| De Gaulle's successor | Georges Pompidou |
| Pompidou's successor | Valery Giscard d'Estaing |
| Party of Mitterand | Socialist |
| Party of Pompidou | Gaullist |
| la cohabitation | when the President and the congressional majority are from 2 different parties |
| Francois Mitterand elected for first time | 1981-first socialist president |
| beginning of "cohabitation" for first time | 1986 |
| Le Front National | far right party- anti immigrant |
| Jean-Marie Le Pen | leader of Front National |
| Chirac elected- 1st time | 1995 |
| Chirac's former jobs | Prime minister (from opposing party) under Mitterand and mayor of Paris |
| Chirac elected-2nd time | 2002 |
| 1st round winners-2002 | Chirac & Le Pen |
