1952 in France

Incumbents

• President: Vincent Auriol
• President of the Council of Ministers:
• * until 20 January: René Pleven
• * 20 January-8 March: Edgar Faure
• * starting 8 March: Antoine Pinay

Events

• 25 February – Battle of Hòa Bình ends in defeat for French forces by the Việt Minh in Vietnam.
• 1 October – Operation Bretagne begins in Vietnam.
• 19 October – Alain Bombard begins to sail from Canary Islands to Barbados in 65 days; he reaches them 23 December.
• 29 October – Operation Lorraine begins.
• October – Battle of Nà Sản begins.
• 8 November – Operation Lorraine ends with no decisive result.
• 2 December – Battle of Nà Sản ends in French victory.
• Luxury brand Givenchy is founded by fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy.

Arts and literature

• 1 June – Roman Catholic Church bans books of André Gide.

Sport

• 25 June – Tour de France begins.
• 19 July – Tour de France ends, won by Fausto Coppi of Italy.

Births

• 25 January – Sara Mandiano, singer and songwriter.
• 2 February – Christiane Taubira, politician.
• 4 February – Gabriel Yacoub, musician and visual artist.
• 15 February – Dominique Mouillot, business leader.
• 26 March – Didier Pironi, motor racing driver
• 27 March – Maria Schneider, actress
• 1 April – Bernard Stiegler, philosopher
• 2 April – Thierry Le Luron, impersonator and humorist
• 23 April – Jean-Dominique Bauby, journalist, author and editor
• 11 May – Renaud, singer
• 31 May – Carole Achache, writer, photographer and actress
• 3 June – Dominique Laffin, actress
• 7 June – Hubert Auriol, motor racing driver
• 16 June – René Renou, wine expert
• 27 June – Lydia Schenardi, politician and Member of the European Parliament
• 16 July – Jean Paul Gaultier, fashion designer
• 31 August – Edwy Plenel, journalist and editor of Le Monde
• 23 October – Pierre Moerlen, drummer and percussionist
• 25 October – Florence Picaut, athlete
• October – François Ovide, guitarist
• 4 December – Farid Chopel, actor, comedian and singer
• 7 December – Gisèle Pelicot, mass rape victim
• 12 December – Roland Roche, alpine skier

Full date unknown

• Didier Dubois, mathematician
• Françoise Thébaud, historian, professor emeritus

Deaths

• 11 January – Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, general, military hero of World War II
• 18 May – Henry Bérenger, diplomat
• 16 July – Jean Chantavoine, musicologist and biographer
• 3 November – Louis Verneuil, playwright and screenwriter
• 18 November – Paul Éluard, poet
• 19 November – Marcel Henriot, World War I flying ace
• 27 November – Abel Lefranc, literary historian
• 5 December – André Lefaur, actor
• Full date unknown
• *Gabrielle Petit (feminist), feminist activist, anticlerical, libertarian socialist, and newspaper editor