French Community

a cultural and economic association of France, its overseas departments and territories, and former French territories that chose to maintain association after becoming independent republics: formed 1958.

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(French, la Communauté) Association of overseas territories created in 1958 by the constitution of the Fifth Republic to replace the French Union in dealing with matters of foreign policy, defense, currency and economic policy, and higher education.

As the former colonies gained full independence in the 1960s and '70s, the Community became obsolete; it was defunct by the late 1970s.

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▪ colonial organization, France

French  La Communauté,  

      association of states created in 1958 by the constitution of the Fifth French Republic to replace the French Union (itself the successor of the former French colonial empire) in dealing with matters of foreign policy, defense, currency and economic policy, and higher education. By the late 1970s the association was defunct. Although the relevant articles of the constitution were not abrogated, they were no longer applied, and the Community fell into oblivion.

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