Monaco: History of a Micro-state

For centuries, the Grimaldi family, originally from Genoa, owned vast territories in France as well as the principality of Monaco, an isolated fishing village. Around 1860, with the support of Napoleon III, Prince Charles Grimaldi transformed this penniless rock on the Mediterranean into a shiny paradise for gambling: Monte Carlo….

À Monaco, un habitant sur deux est millionnaire. Le Rocher, qui par sa puissance financière semble inamovible, a pourtant connu une histoire riche de luttes sociales et a plus d'une fois frôlé l'extinction. Deuxième épisode : après la Première Guerre mondiale, la Société des bains de mer croule sous les dettes tandis que la révolte gronde à Monaco, qui remet en cause l'autorité du prince.

In Monaco, one in two residents is a millionaire. Although today the tiny principality seems stable and prosperous, this was not always the case during its fascinating long history. Final episode: In 1956 a miracle saves the finances of the micro-state: the glamourous American star Grace Kelly.