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Fraternity (1/2)
Fraternity is one of the values of the French Republic. It is solidarity between citizens. It allows people to live together in harmony and to form a society.
Key points of the sheet
- Fraternity is present in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948. People must act towards each other "in a spirit of fraternity".
- For a long time, fraternity was seen as a simple moral value. It is not in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789, unlike liberty and equality.
- Fraternity appears for the first time in 1848, in the Preamble of the Constitution of the Second Republic. It is then included in the Constitution of 1946 and 1958.
- Collective solidarity is help organised mainly by public institutions. It is often financed by taxes or contributions (cotisations). Examples: social security (sécurité sociale), the RSA, housing aid.
- Solidarity between generations is mutual help between people of different ages. For example, the contributions of younger people who work finance retirement pensions.
- Commitment to associations (engagement associatif) means people acting together in associations. For example, they help people in difficulty or protect the environment.
Words to know
- fraternity (fraternité)
- It is solidarity between citizens, which allows people to live together in harmony.
- collective solidarity (solidarité collective)
- It is help organised mainly by public institutions, such as the State or the département.
- contributions (cotisations)
- It is money taken from wages.
- solidarity between generations (solidarité entre les générations)
- It is mutual help between people of different ages.
- commitment to associations (engagement associatif)
- It is people acting in associations, for example for food aid or school support.
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme)
- This 1948 text says people must act "in a spirit of fraternity".
Test yourself: 3 questions
In which year does fraternity appear for the first time in a Constitution?
In French, the language of the exam: En quelle année la fraternité apparaît-elle pour la première fois dans une Constitution ?
Fraternity appears for the first time in 1848, in the Preamble of the Constitution of the Second Republic.
How are retirement pensions financed?
In French, the language of the exam: Comment les retraites sont-elles financées ?
Retirement pensions are financed by the contributions of younger people, those who work.
What is an example of collective solidarity?
In French, the language of the exam: Quel est un exemple de solidarité collective ?
Collective solidarity is organised mainly by public institutions. Social security is one of the examples given.
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Questions on the ministry's list that rest on this sheet
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Source
Sheet “La fraternité (1/2)” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.