FRANCE AND THE BENELUX COUNTRIES

Chapter 12, Section 3

FRANCE

• France is the largest country in Western Europe.

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• For much of its history, France was a monarchy.

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• In 1789, it fought for its independence. Since then, it has gone back forth many times between a monarchy and democracy.

FRANCE

• In 1792, the French revolutionaries decided to make France a democracy.

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• Napoleon Bonaparte seized power and ruled as emperor until his defeat at Waterloo.

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• In 1958, French voters gave the president greater power.

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FRANCE

• Despite all the changes in government, France grew to become a powerful nation.

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• It developed a colonial empire.
• Colonies grew in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
• (This includes the Caribbean.)

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• Many battles of World War I & II were fought on French soil.
• Killed millions and devastated the land.

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FRANCE

• In the 1960s & 1970s, many overseas colonies gained their independence.

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• Most French take great pride in their culture, history, and language.

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• Emigrants from Africa and Asia have added to the diversity of the population.

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• Muslims have added to the Roman Catholic nation.

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FRANCE

• France is highly urbanized and densely settled.
• 75% of the population live in cities.

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• Apartments are more popular than houses.

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• French culture has had a worldwide influence.
• Artists like Monet and Renoir.
• French chefs are well known.

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FRANCE

• July 14 is Bastille Day.

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• Today, the government is a parliamentary democracy.

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• It has three branches of government.
• Executive, legislative, and judicial.
• Executive branch includes a president and a prime minister.

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FRANCE

• After World War II, France worked hard to modernize its economy.

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• France is Europe’s largest exporter of farm produce.
• Much of France is in the Northern European Plain.

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• France has been the world’s top tourist destination for several years.

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THE BENELUX COUNTRIES

• The Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg make up the Benelux Countries.
• An economic union.

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• Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg

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• All are constitutional monarchies.

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• All are high urbanized.

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THE BENELUX COUNTRIES

• All three countries also belong to the EU.

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• The Dutch declared their independence from Spain in 1581.

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• Spain recognized them in 1648.

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• During the 1600s, the Dutch grew to become a great sea power.
• Developed colonies in Southeast Asia and the Americas.

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THE BENELUX COUNTRIES

• Dutch is the official language of the Netherlands.
• German, French and English are also spoken.

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• Most Dutch are Christians, but there has been an increase of Muslims with emigrants from former Dutch colonies.

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• The Netherlands is densely populated.

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THE BENELUX COUNTRIES

• Nearly half its land is below sea level.

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• The Dutch have used dikes, dams, canals, and pumping systems to create polders.

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THE BENELUX COUNTRIES

• For many years, Belgium was a part of the Netherlands.

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• Gained its independence in 1830.

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• Belgium’s location has been beneficial for trade.

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• It has also been a battleground during the world wars.

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THE BENELUX COUNTRIES

• Cultural differences between the Dutch-speaking Flemings and the French-speaking Walloons caused serious tensions.

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• The government has eased those tensions by giving each group greater autonomy.

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THE BENELUX COUNTRIES

• Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in Europe.

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• It became independent in 1890 and became a duchy.
• A state ruled by a duke or duchess.

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• Luxembourg has three official languages – French, German, and Luxembourgish.

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THE BENELUX COUNTRIES

• Most people in Luxembourg can speak many languages.

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• Steel was the country’s most important product.

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• Today, it has become more diversified.

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THE HOMEWORK

• Read P. 376-381

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• Answer #2-8

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• For #2, don’t worry about the diagram.

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