After the war of 1870 the French rail system was overhauled and made far more efficient. By 1914 the French rail system was a match for Germany，s and played a crucial part in France，s victory in the First World War.
In the 1930s Léon Blum，s socialist government nationalized the French rail system，along with many other industries，and the transportation system was successful in World War II.
After the war the French train system began a slow movement to electric trains. Eventually TGV high speed trains were introduced providing extremely quick links been France，s urban centers.
Customs and Traditions of France
法国的风俗习惯
法国是一个讲文明礼貌的国家。对妇女谦恭礼貌是法国人引以自豪的传统。法国人见面打招呼，最常见的方式莫过于握手。不过握手时一是握时间不应过长，二是没有必要握住人家的手使劲晃动。一般是女子向男子先伸手，年长者向年幼者先伸手，上级向下级先伸手。
吻：法国是第一个公认以吻表示感情的国家。法国人的吻有严格的界限：他们在见到久别重逢的亲友、同事时，采用贴脸或脸颊，长辈对小辈则是亲额头，只有在爱人和情侣之间，才亲嘴或接吻。
婚俗：结婚前先订婚，仪式简单，一般由女方的家长宴请男方的家长及兄弟姐妹，也可同时邀请其他亲戚、甚至一两名好友出席。婚礼也已逐渐简化，但仍不失为最隆重的家庭节日，带有庄严神圣的色彩。婚礼由市长或他的一名副手主持，习惯上是在周二、四、五、六早9时至下午5时之间，婚后大宴宾客。法国农村有的地方在婚前要签订财产婚约并办理公证。婚约中要写明未婚夫妇的全部财产、未婚妻的嫁妆和未婚夫的产业。婚龄纪念在民间已成为一种喜庆的风俗。女子守寡300天后，或宣布与丈夫分居300天后可以再嫁，男子则无时间上的限制。
商务礼仪：在法国从事商务活动宜穿保守式西装，访问公私单位，绝对要预约。在法国，礼节上要求你把自己的身份列在名片上，客人在拜访并参加晚宴的前夕，总是喜欢送花给主人。法国商人保守而正式，尤其是在某些较小城市，你得表现得格外正式，处处勿忘握手，多握几次更好，别问对方家事。
送礼：法国人喜爱花，生活中离不开花，特别是探亲访友，应约赴会时，总要带上一束美丽的鲜花，人们在拜访或参加晚宴的前夕，总是送鲜花给主人。切记不要送菊花，因为法国（或其他法语区），菊花代表哀伤，只有在葬礼上才送菊花。黄色的花，象征夫妻间的不忠贞，千万别送。另外也忌摆菊花、牡丹花及纸花，在法国，康乃馨被视为不祥的花朵。
France is noted for its cosmopolitan，civilisedcivilise v.(=civilize)文明化，教化 approach to life，combined with great concern for style，fashion and appearances. French people are sometimes perceived as taking a great pride in the national identity and positive achievements of France，although many French people would argue that all nations tend to do that.
Politeness
French people address each other with formalityformality n.拘谨，礼节，仪式，正式手续，拘泥形式，calling each other Madame，Mademoiselle or Monsieur in a way which may seem formulaic to outsiders，but signifies a respect for the individual which permeates the French way of life. Similarly，it is expected that social interaction should be preceded by a bonjour or bonsoir (or more familiar) greeting，even in shops and other services. Failing to abide by those rules is considered rude.
The French language has two ways of addressing individual people in the second person (corresponding to the English “you”)：
·The formal way is to use the plural vous；talking in that fashion is called vouvoyer. This puts some distance between the person who speaks and the person addressed，shows some respect to the other person，and is the normal and appropriate way to discuss matters between strangers，or business contacts，or for a child to address an adult outside his family. Using vous is the safe solution in most contexts.
·The informal way is to use the singular tu (corresponding to the archaic “thou” in English)；talking in that fashion is called tutoyer. It expresses some kind of intimacyintimacy n.亲密，隐私，亲昵行为(尤指不正当的性关系)，and sometimes some lack of respect for the other person. It is the common way to address people in one，s own family，or one，s closest colleagues，or to talk to a small child. It is also common among the youth；students address each other with tu unless the age difference is large.
Familiar Greetings
One of the first things some people note in France is the kissing on both cheeks (not always involving making contact with the lips) between two people. Family members generally kiss each other this way. In young and familiar settings，males generally kiss females in the same way. Similar kissing between males is common in the southeast，but uncommon in other regions.
End of the Year
On the eve of Christmas，most families with a Christian background (but not necessarily Christian) have a long family dinner (réveillon)，where special or luxuryluxury n.奢侈，华贵 dishes (foie gras，oysters，escargots，game...) are often consumed. Gifts are then deposed under the Christmas tree，to be recovered on Christmas morning by children (and often adults). Christians may attend the midnight mass.
The Christmas tree and other decorations are generally prepared in advanced. Cities，towns，villages，schools，etc. generally put out Christmas decorations；the ones installed by major cities such as Paris can be very impressive.
On the night before New Year，s Day (the evening of Saint Sylvester，s day，la SaintSylvestre)，many people have another réveillon with friends，in a festive athmosphere. Many cities hold fireworks at midnight. The two réveillons are generally collectively referred to as the “endofyear festivities” (fêtes de fin d，année). In schools and corporations，it is often the case that the workplace cafeteriacafeteria n.自助餐厅 will have some special meal at some point shortly before Christmas.
In some areas Eastern France，the custom is not to hand out presents at Christmas，but at Saint Nicholas，day. Also，in some families，the custom is not to give Christmas presents，but étrennes，or beginningoftheyear presents；this used to be especially true in families that，for some reason，wanted to make a statement that they were not Christian.
Beginning of the Year
Traditionally，individuals exchange best wishes greeting cards at the beginning of the years. People in a leadership position，the foremost of which the President of the Republic，make a speech in which they express their wishes for their fellow citizens，employees，etc. and in which they may delineatedelineate v.描绘 some of their policy for the upcoming year.