# Paris Colonial Exposition (1931)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1931-paris-colonial-exposition
Location: Paris

The exposition celebrated the empire while critics challenged colonial ideology. Within the broader Third Republic period, The Third Republic survived war, the Commune, constitutional crises and fierce ideological conflict. It expanded mass schooling and empire, faced the Dreyfus Affair, fought World War I and entered the troubled interwar era. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is Paul Doumer (President of the French Republic). Paris Colonial Exposition mattered because it reshaped France’s external relationships, territory or place in wider international systems. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
Paris Colonial Exposition mattered because it reshaped France’s external relationships, territory or place in wider international systems.

Ruler at the time: [Paul Doumer](https://history-france.com/rulers/paul-doumer)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Paris Colonial Exposition](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Paris+Colonial+Exposition&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Paris Colonial Exposition](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Paris+Colonial+Exposition)
- [Vie-publique — French institutions and history](https://www.vie-publique.fr/)