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| 1958, Jan. 30 |
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| France was promised more than $655 million in aid from the United States, the European Payments Union, and the International Monetary Fund. | 1 |
| The third economic plan of the CGP, for the years 1958–1961, reflected growing protectionist attitudes at the highest levels of French society. It sought to hold imports to 1956 levels and raise exports by one-third. | 2 |
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| Jan. 31 |
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| The National Assembly passed an Algerian Reform Bill that failed to satisfy the Algerians. (War with Algeria from 1954 to 1962.) | 3 |
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| April 16 |
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| The cabinet of Félix Gaillard was overthrown (again over the North African deadlock) and Pierre Pflimlin of the Mouvement Républicain Populaire headed a new cabinet on May 13. Because they believed that Pflimlin would negotiate with the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN), a committee of public safety, headed by Brig. Gen. Jacques Massu and Commander-in-Chief Raoul Salan, seized control in Algeria and threatened France with civil war. The Pflimlin cabinet resigned after two weeks in office that had witnessed a virulent pro-Gaulist movement, and President Coty named GEN. CHARLES DE GAULLE PRIME MINISTER (May 31). | 4 |
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| June 1 |
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| De Gaulle headed an emergency regime with the approval of the Assembly (329 to 244), rallied the people of metropolitan France to his support, and prepared to reorganize the French government. | 5 |
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| Sept. 28 |
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| The CONSTITUTION FOR A FIFTH FRENCH REPUBLIC was approved by more than four to one in a popular referendum, and the Fifth Republic was inaugurated Oct. 5. Elections (Nov. 23 and 30) gave the Gaullist Union for the New Republic control of the assembly, and a special college (Dec. 21) named DE GAULLE AS THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE FIFTH REPUBLIC, for a seven-year term commencing Jan. 8, 1959. Under the new constitution, the office of the presidency was vested with greater powers than those accorded by the constitutions of either the Third or the Fourth Republic. New presidential powers included the right to appoint the prime minister (or premier), to dissolve the National Assembly, to hold popular referendums, and to assume emergency powers. The new constitution also granted French overseas possessions six months to decide whether to remain as they were, to become départements closely integrated with France, or to become autonomous member states of a French Community. Government censorship of the press was ammended as a new article in the Fifth Republic's constitution. Newspapers expressing disagreement with the Gaullist government were seized and impounded until March 1965. | 6 |
| Under the Fifth Republic, national health insurance was extended to cover the whole population, regardless of employment status. | 7 |
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