# Death penalty abolished (1981)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/1981-death-penalty-abolished
Location: France

Parliament abolished capital punishment under Justice Minister Robert Badinter. Within the broader Fifth Republic period, The 1958 Constitution created a stronger presidency and a durable Fifth Republic. Decolonization, European integration, social change, economic shocks and recurring debates over identity, secularism and the role of the state have shaped contemporary France. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is François Mitterrand (President of the French Republic). Death penalty abolished mattered because it changed the legal or constitutional framework within which French institutions and citizens operated. 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
Death penalty abolished mattered because it changed the legal or constitutional framework within which French institutions and citizens operated.

Ruler at the time: [François Mitterrand](https://history-france.com/rulers/francois-mitterrand)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Death penalty abolished](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Death+penalty+abolished&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Death penalty abolished](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Death+penalty+abolished)
- [Élysée — Institutions of the Fifth Republic](https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-institutions)