France Troisième History-Geography
Chapters: 6
1. History 1: Europe and total war 1914–1945
Civilians and soldiers in WWI · Weakened democracies and totalitarian regimes · WWII, a war of annihilation · France defeated and occupied
- World War I (1914–1918): Causes, Course and Consequences – World War I was fought from 1914 to 1918 between the Allies (France, Britain, Russia, later Italy, the USA and others) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria). Four long-term causes built tension: militarism, alliances, imperialism and nationalism (MAIN). The spark was the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914. On the Western Front the war became a stalemate of trenches; new weapons made it very deadly. It was a total war: whole economies, women workers and colonies were mobilised, including about 1.3 million Indians. Russia left after its 1917 revolution, the USA joined in 1917, and fighting stopped with the armistice of 11 November 1918. The peace treaties of 1919–1920, including Versailles, redrew Europe, ended four empires, created the League of Nations and left anger that helped cause World War II.
- Totalitarianism – A totalitarian regime is a one-party state that tries to control every part of life — politics, the economy, the media, schools and even people's thoughts — using one leader, propaganda and terror. After the First World War and the 1929 depression, such regimes arose in Fascist Italy (1922), Stalin's Soviet Union (late 1920s) and Nazi Germany (1933). Their aims and ideas differed, but their methods were alike, and their rise helped lead to the Second World War.
- World War II (1939–1945) – World War II was the deadliest war in history. Its roots were the anger left by World War I, the Great Depression and the rise of dictators in Germany, Italy and Japan. It began when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. The Axis (Germany, Italy, Japan) fought the Allies (Britain and its empire, France, the USSR, the USA, China and others). It was a total war and a war of annihilation: about 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust and 70–85 million people died. Germany surrendered in May 1945 and Japan in September 1945. The war led to the United Nations, the Cold War and the end of empires.
2. History 2: the world since 1945
Independence and new states · The Cold War · The European project · Issues and conflicts after 1989
- Decolonisation: How Empires Ended and New Nations Were Born – Decolonisation is the process by which colonies became independent states. It happened mostly between 1945 and the 1970s. The Second World War weakened the ruling countries, freedom movements grew strong, and the United Nations backed the right of peoples to rule themselves. Some colonies won freedom through talks and mass movements (India 1947, Ghana 1957); others through long wars (Algeria 1962). New states then faced poverty, one-crop economies, unfair borders and Cold War pressure, and many chose non-alignment.
- The Cold War (1945–1991) – The Cold War was a long contest (1945–1991) between two superpowers: the USA with its Western allies (capitalism, multi-party elections) and the USSR with its Eastern allies (communism, one-party rule). They never fought each other directly. Instead they formed rival alliances (NATO, Warsaw Pact), raced to build nuclear weapons and reach space, backed opposite sides in proxy wars (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan) and came close to nuclear war in Cuba in 1962. Many new nations, led by India and others, stayed non-aligned. Détente eased tension in the 1970s. Reforms in the USSR, the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and the break-up of the USSR (1991) ended it.
- The European Union – The European Union (EU) is a group of 27 European countries that share some decisions and laws. It began in 1951, when six countries pooled coal and steel to make war between them impossible. It grew step by step into a single market where goods, people, services and money move freely. The Commission proposes laws, the Parliament and the Council pass them, and the Court of Justice makes sure they are applied. 21 members share the euro. The United Kingdom left in 2020.
- Conflicts in Today's World: Causes, Costs and the Search for Peace – Since the end of the Cold War in 1989–91, the world has moved from two superpowers to many power centres. Conflicts now include wars between states, civil wars, terrorism and hybrid or cyber attacks. Their causes mix resources, identity, territory, weak states and outside powers. Civilians pay the highest price, so the world uses diplomacy, UN peacekeeping and international courts to limit war and punish the worst crimes.
3. History 3: the French Republic rethought
Rebuilding the Republic 1944–47 · The Fifth Republic · Society from the 1950s to the 1980s
- The Fifth Republic of France – France today lives under the Fifth Republic, born in 1958 after the weak Fourth Republic and the Algerian crisis. General de Gaulle came back as leader. The new constitution gave the President strong powers, and from 1962 citizens elect the President directly. Deputies are chosen by a two-round majority vote. Power then moved between left and right (alternation), and sometimes the President and Prime Minister came from rival camps (cohabitation).
- Social Change and Social Order in Villages and Cities – Social change means a big, lasting change in how society is organised. It can be slow (evolutionary) or sudden (revolutionary), and it can change structures, ideas or values. It is caused by the environment, technology and the economy, politics and culture. Social order is the other side: the way society keeps itself steady through shared values, domination, authority and law. Order is always challenged by contest, crime and violence. Villages, towns and cities differ in size, density and work, and each changes in its own way.
4. Geography 1: France’s changing territory
Urban areas · Productive spaces · Low-density areas
- Urbanisation: Why Cities Grow and How to Make Them Work – Urbanisation is the rise in the share of a country's or the world's people who live in towns and cities. In 1950 about 30% of the world was urban; since 2007 more than half is, and about 68% is expected by 2050. Cities grow by rural–urban migration (push factors from the countryside, pull factors to the city) and by natural increase. Today the fastest growth is in lower-income and newly emerging countries of Asia and Africa, where megacities of 10 million or more are forming; in many rich countries growth is slow and people also move out to suburbs (suburbanisation and counter-urbanisation). Fast growth brings opportunities (jobs, services) and problems (informal housing, traffic, pollution, waste, flooding, the urban heat island). Sustainable urban development tries to fix these with public transport, green spaces, clean water, recycling, affordable housing and renewable energy.
- Economic Geography: Where Things Are Made and How They Move – Economic geography studies where people produce, trade and consume, and why. Work is grouped into sectors: primary (farming, fishing, mining), secondary (factories, building) and tertiary (shops, transport, banks, software, tourism); a quaternary sector of research and information is sometimes added. Firms choose places that cut costs and reach buyers: raw materials, energy, transport, workers, markets, government support and nature all matter. Most products are now made in global value chains, with steps spread over many places; value grows most at design, branding and sale. Multinational firms and public actors (states, regions, cities) shape these spaces. Goods move in containers and trucks, while money, data and ideas flow through cables. Production crowds into big cities (metropolises) and coasts, and places compete to attract firms. Old industrial regions restructure, sometimes shrinking and sometimes turning to new industries and services.
- Rural Geography: How Countryside Areas Live and Change – Rural areas have few people per square kilometre, lots of open land and small settlements. Farming shaped them, but machines mean fewer farm jobs. Today rural land has many uses: homes for commuters, tourism, nature protection and energy. Areas near cities often grow (the rural-urban fringe), while remote areas may lose people and services. Farmers, residents, local councils and businesses all want different things, so land-use planning sets rules.
5. Geography 2: spatial planning
Planning to reduce territorial inequalities · French overseas territories
- Spatial Planning: Sharing Limited Land Fairly – Spatial planning decides what each piece of land is used for and where services go. Land is limited, but homes, farms, nature, water and energy all want space, and some places have far fewer services than others. Planners use tools such as zoning, transport links and new services, weigh everyone's interests, and look ahead with future scenarios.
- Remote Islands and Territories: Distance and Development – Some territories lie far from the mainland that governs or supplies them, often on islands. Maps at different scales show them in different ways: a small-scale map shows how far away they are, a large-scale map shows their local detail. Distance, small size and isolation make travel slow, goods costly, jobs few and storms dangerous. Good planning (ports, airports, internet, local products, tourism, clean energy) helps them grow.
6. Geography 3: France and the EU
The EU as a territory · France and Europe in the world
- The European Union – The European Union (EU) is a group of 27 European countries that share some decisions and laws. It began in 1951, when six countries pooled coal and steel to make war between them impossible. It grew step by step into a single market where goods, people, services and money move freely. The Commission proposes laws, the Parliament and the Council pass them, and the Court of Justice makes sure they are applied. 21 members share the euro. The United Kingdom left in 2020.
- The Making of a Global World – People, goods, ideas and germs have moved across the world for thousands of years: on the silk routes, with food crops like potato and maize, and with diseases like smallpox. Between 1815 and 1914 the world economy grew through three flows: goods, labour and capital, helped by railways, steamships and refrigerated ships. Colonies paid a price: rinderpest in Africa and indentured labour from India. After the First World War came mass production in the USA and then the Great Depression of 1929, which hit India's farmers hard. After 1945, the Bretton Woods system, the IMF and the World Bank rebuilt the world economy.