abstract
| - The Republic of France (French: République française), is a state in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium, Netherlands to the north, the German Empire to the east, the Kingdom of France to the south and Brittany to the west. It is the third-largest west-European country. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France, as a monarchy, colonised great parts of North America; Then, the monachy was overthrown in the French Revolution, but the Bourbon dynasty survived. After the fall of the Napoleonic Empire, France became a monarchy, which was overthrown again in 1848, re-established again in 1852 (though the dynasty that came into power was the Bonaparte dynasty, not the Bourbon), overthrown again in 1871, until 1918, when the monarchists seceded. Since then, the Republic of France fell from prominence, losing all its colonies after the war. The Republic of France also is defined as a indivisible, secular, democratic and social parliamentary republic by its constitution, which was ratified in 1918.The Republic of France is a founding member of the United Nations, and a member of the Francophonie, the G8, G20, NATO, OECD, WTO, and the Latin Union. It also is a founding member state of the European Union and is the fourth-largest one by area. In 2007, France was listed 96th on the Human-Vulpine Development Index.
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