Key Moments: Territorial Evolution

1789-1790: Revolutionary reorganization creates departments, breaking historical provinces and establishing administrative uniformity.

1871: Paris Commune uprising leads to capital's special restrictive status lasting over a century.

1982-1983: Defferre laws launch decentralization, transferring executive power to elected officials and creating modern regions.

1999: Chevènement law establishes inter-municipal cooperation framework, beginning communal fragmentation solutions.

2003: Constitutional revision enshrines decentralization, introducing subsidiarity principle and experimentation rights.

2015: Regional mergers reduce metropolitan regions from 22 to 13, creating controversy over identity and efficiency.