Hydraulikpresse - Hansa Flex

hansa-fleX country leXicon Hansa-fleX lÄnder-leXikon
HisTorical
pioneers
as a globally active corporation, Hansa-fleX responds professionally
and flexibly to all of its customers’ wishes in 38 different countries. in
our new series of articles, the Hansa-fleX countries lexicon, we will
be providing thumbnail sketches of one of these countries in each new issue
of Hydraulikpresse. We will start with france, the partner country for this
year’s Hannover Messe.
Beret on head, baguette under the arm, a bottle of red wine in hand. Many people
still have this vision of a typical frenchman. a tired and outdated cliché. there is no
argument that baguettes don’t taste as good anywhere else, and nowhere in the
world is red wine appreciated as deeply as in the grande nation. But the modern
frenchman is not defined by these observations alone. the beret does not figure
at all in the hansa-fleX uniform for the branches in france.
HisTory
in terms of area, france is the largest country in europe, and historically it has often
been a pioneer for social change. King louis Xiv. (1638 – 1715) is considered even
today as the prime example of an absolute ruler. during his 72-year-long regency,
france attained a supremely dominant position in europe. french was spoken almost
exclusively in the courts of the european aristocracy, and kings, dukes and
counts all over the continent built castles designed to emulate the model at versailles.
But just as absolutist monarchy was born in france, so it also died there.
in 1789, driven by the desperate conditions of their existence, the citizens of paris
stormed the Bastille, sparking the french revolution and leading to the first ever
declaration of human rights. the national assembly drew up a constitution and
limited the power of the king. thereafter, france was to be constitutional monarchy.
this form of government lasted four years. after attempting to flee france,
King louis Xvi was arrested, and he was executed in 1793. the first republic was
proclaimed. in the period that followed, known as the reign of terror and led by
robespierre, napoleon Bonaparte seized power with a coup in 1799. in 1804, napoleon
was crowned emperor. in the years after that, he gained control of almost all of
europe. the french army was finally utterly destroyed following the failed russian
campaign of 1812 and its defeat in the Battle of the nations at leipzig in 1813.
the period that followed was characterised by deep hostility and several wars between
germany and france. chancellor otto von Bismarck once called france the
hereditary enemy of germany. fortunately, both nations have come a long way
since then. after the end of the second world war, a period of reconciliation began
between the two countries. today, there is a true franco-german accord. our two
countries worked together to pave the way for the european union, and are now
important trading partners for one another. france is also a founding member of
nato and the united nations organization uno, and a permanent member of the
security council.
TourisM and econoMy
france offers a wealth of attractions in terms of its countryside and culture. every
year, countless tourists flock to its coasts, whether beside the english channel
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foto/photo: istockphoto