1981
Pierre Mauroy is appointed prime minister
10 May Mitterrand elected president
14-21 June Victory for the PS in general elections
18 September Death penalty abolished
1983
March Government introduces austerity
measures to combat economic crisis
4 December March of the beurs
against racial discrimination
1984
17 June Front national wins over 10 per cent in the
European elections July Laurent Fabius is
appointed prime minister
1986
March Right wins legislative elections. Chirac is
appointed prime minister
1988
8 May Mitterrrand wins second term as president.
Michel Rocard is appointed prime minister
1989
9 November Fall of the Berlin Wall
November Three girls expelled from school in Creil
for wearing Islamic headscarf
1990
2 August Iraq invades Kuwait
1991
17 January-28 February France participates in the
Gulf War
15 May Edith Cresson is appointed prime minister
1992
April Pierre B?r?govoy becomes prime minister
April Eurodisney opens outside Paris
September French approve the Maastricht Treaty
by 51 per cent
1993
March Right wins huge majority. Edouard Balladur
becomes prime minister
1995
May Chirac wins presidential elections. Alain Jupp?
becomes prime minister
June Chirac announces new nuclear tests in Polynesia
December Widespread strikes
1996
8 January Death of Fran?ois Mitterrand
1997
June Left wins elections and Lionel Jospin becomes
prime minister
1998
30 June France wins World Cup
1999
December Bill approving 35-hour week
2000
June Presidential term is reduced to 5 years
2001
June Conscription ended
2002
February Franc ceases to legal currency, replaced by
the euro
5 May Chirac wins second round of presidential
elections against Le Pen. Jean-Pierre Raffarin
is appointed prime minister
2003
March France opposes use of force in Iraq. Major
diplomatic clash between France and the USA