1946 in France

Incumbents

• Chairman of the Provisional Government :
• * until 26 January: Charles de Gaulle
• * 26 January-24 June: Félix Gouin
• * 24 June-28 November: Georges Bidault
• * 28 November-16 December: Vincent Auriol
• * starting 16 December: Leon Blum

  Events

• 16 January – Charles de Gaulle resigns as a head of a French provisional government.
• 20 January – Charles de Gaulle resigns as President of France.
• 6 March – Ho Chi Minh signs an agreement with France which recognizes Vietnam as an autonomous state in the Indochinese Federation and the French Union.
• 19 March – French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion become overseas départements of France.
• 7 April – Syria's independence from France is officially recognised.
• 5 May – Constitutional Referendum held and proposed constitution rejected.
• 2 June – Legislative Election held.
• 5 July – The bikini, designed by Louis Réard, is first modeled by Micheline Bernardini at the Piscine Molitor in Paris.
• 13 October – Constitutional Referendum held and constitution approved, creating the French Fourth Republic.
• 10 November – Legislative Election held for the first National Assembly of the Fourth Republic.
• December – Severe winter weather.
• 12 December – Léon Blum founds a government of socialist parties in France.
• 16 December – Luxury brand Christian Dior is established in Paris by designer Christian Dior.
• 24 December – French Fourth Republic founded.

  Births

January to June

• 14 February – Tina Aumont, actress
• 7 April – Colette Besson, Olympic athlete
• 13 May – Jean Rondeau, motor racing driver and constructor
• 16 May – Jean-Michel Gaillard, politician
• 19 May – André the Giant, professional wrestler
• 17 June – Gérard Grisey, composer

  July to December

• 22 July – Mireille Mathieu, singer
• 30 September – Claude Vorilhon, leader of Raëlian Movement
• 6 November – Romain Argyroudis, soccer player
• 18 November – Pierre Chanal, soldier and suspected serial killer
• 8 December – Jacques Bourboulon, photographer
• 17 December – François Lamoureux, European civil servant
• 24 December – Roselyne Bachelot, politician

  Full date unknown

• Alain Dorval, voice actor
• Jacques Hiron, journalist and writer
• Denise Pumain, geographer

  Deaths

• 9 June – Charles Burguet, film director
• 9 August – Léon Gaumont, inventor, engineer, film pioneer and industrialist