1954 in France
Incumbents
- President: Vincent Auriol (until 16 January), Rene Coty (starting 16 January)
- President of the Council of Ministers: Joseph Laniel (until 19 June), Pierre Mendès France (starting 19 June)
Events
- 25 January – The foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union meet at the Berlin Conference.
- 13 March – Battle of Dien Bien Phu begins in Vietnam.{{Cite book |last=Boylan |first=Kevin M. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1002126990 |title=Valley of the shadow : the siege of Dien Bien Phu |date=2018 |others=Luc Olivier |isbn=978-1-4728-2437-0 |location=Oxford, UK |oclc=1002126990}}
- 23 March – In Vietnam, the Viet Minh capture the main airstrip of Dien Bien Phu – French forces are partially isolated.
- 29 March – C-47 with French nurse Genevieve de Galard on board is incapacitated on Dien Bien Phu runway.
- 7 May – Battle of Dien Bien Phu ends in defeat for French forces.
- 18 June – Pierre Mendès France becomes prime minister of France.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B8iJNlWcdIUC |title=Political Leaders of Contemporary Western Europe: A Biographical Dictionary |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1995 |editor=David Wilsford |chapter=PIERRE MENDÈS-FRANCE|isbn=9780313286230 }}
- 24 June – Battle of Mang Yang Pass begins, the last official battle of the First Indochina War.{{Cite book |last=Fall |first=Bernard B. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/60371335 |title=Street without joy : the French debacle in Indochina |date=2005 |others=George C. Herring |isbn=0-8117-3236-3 |location=Mechanicsburg, PA |oclc=60371335}}
- 17 July – Battle of Mang Yang Pass ends in defeat for French forces.
- 20 July – Battlefield ceasefire announced.
- 21 July – The Geneva Conference partitions Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam.
- 1 August – Armistice effected, sealing French defeat.
- 31 October – The Algerian National Liberation Front begins a revolt against French rule.
- 1 November – The FLN attacks Representative and public buildings of the France colonial power.
Sport
- 8 July – Tour de France begins.
- 1 August – Tour de France ends, won by Louison Bobet.
Births
- 13 February – Dominique Bathenay, international soccer player
- 4 March – François Fillon, Prime Minister of France
- 1 May – Fred Chichin, musician and songwriter (died 2007)
- 27 July – Philippe Alliot, former motor racing driver
- 9 August – Loïc Amisse, soccer player and manager
- 12 August – François Hollande, 23rd French President
- 21 August – Humbert Balsan, film producer (died 2005)
- 17 September – Joël-François Durand, composer
- 14 November – Bernard Hinault, cyclist
- 18 October – Edouard Stern, banker (died 2005)
- 23 November - Marie-Françoise "Cou Cou" Vrezil, beautiful wonder woman
- 7 december - {{ill|Pascal Renwick|fr|Pascal Renwick}}, voice actor (died 2006)
Deaths
- 10 January – Alice Jouenne, educator, socialist activist, and writer (born 1873)
- 10 April – Auge Lumière, filmmaker (born 1862)
- 28 April – Léon Jouhaux, trade union leader who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1951 (born 1879)
- 3 August – Colette, writer (born 1873)
- 4 September – The French Angel, professional wrestler
- 3 November – Henri Matisse, artist (born 1869)
- 8 December – Claude Cahun, photographer and writer (born 1894)
- 23 December – René Iché, sculptor (born 1897)