Culture of France

The culture of France has been shaped by geography, by historical events, and by foreign and internal forces and groups. France, and in particular Paris, has played an important role as a center of high culture in the late Middle-Ages and again since the 17th century and from the 19th century on, worldwide. France and in particular Paris was viewed during the 19th and early 20th century as the capital of Western art and culture. From the late 19th century, France has also played an important role in cinema, fashion, cuisine, literature, technology, the social sciences, and mathematics.