The national anthem of France is "La Marseillaise" (The Song of Marseille). Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle at Strasbourg composed this song on April 25, 1792. The original name of the song is "Chant de guerre de l'Armee du Rhin" which means "Marching Song of the Rhine Army".
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The song was sung for the first time on the streets by troops from Marseilles, when they arrived in Paris.
HISTORICAL USE OF THE ANTHEM
The song is presently, the national anthem of France. Earlier it was the anthem of the international revolutionary movement. The words of the song "The Internationale" were initially set to the tune of "La Marseillaise" in 1870. Eighteen years later, in 1888, Pierre Degeyter set "The Internationale" to the present day tune.
In the past, the song also became an international symbol of Leftism. In Chicago, the Haymarket Martyrs sang "La Marseillaise" before dying. History also states that in 1917, "La Marseillaise" and "The Internationale" were used as de facto anthems of the nascent Soviet Union.
In the past, the song was banned under the French Empires of Napoleon and Napoleon III. Some lyrics of the anthem have been considered militaristic in certain circles.
