1954 in France

Incumbents

• President: Vincent Auriol, Rene Coty
• President of the Council of Ministers: Joseph Laniel, Pierre Mendès France

  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.
• 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.
• 24 June - Battle of Mang Yang Pass begins, the last official battle of the First Indochina War.
• 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
• 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
• 17 September - Joël-François Durand, composer
• 8 October - Frédéric Antonetti, soccer player and manager
• 18 October - Edouard Stern, banker

  Deaths

• 10 April - Auge Lumière, filmmaker
• 28 April - Léon Jouhaux, trade union leader who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1951
• 3 August - Colette, writer
• 3 November - Henri Matisse, artist
• 8 December - Claude Cahun, photographer and writer
• 23 December - René Iché, sculptor